MISSISSAUGA: Bollywood fans get hyped! The season of #BollywoodMonster Mashup, presented by TD Bank Group is well underway after the the festival’s successful kickoff event, the #BollywoodMonster Teaser Party on Friday, July 6 at the FLY Nightclub.
The celebrations are set to continue with the #BollywoodMonster Family Day and Finale on July 21, #BollywoodMonster Concert on July 20 and #BollywoodMonster VIP & Media Cocktail Reception on July 19, which are all part of the largest South Asian festival in Canada’s eighth year.
Aaman Trikha, brought to you by TELUS, headlines the #BollywoodMonster Finale, which kicks off at 6 PM on Saturday, July 21 at Mississauga Celebration Square. Trikha is known as the voice of Akshay Kumar in Hookah Bar (Khiladi 786) and Salman Khan in Prem Leela (Prem Ratan Dhan Payo) with a number of other Bollywood hits under his belt. The #BollywoodMonster Orchestra will also return to the festival, blowing people’s minds by featuring top 40 hits from George Michael, Black Eyed Peas, and Gloria Estefan, mashed up with Bollywood hits from films such as Ram Balram, Don and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Singer, songwriter and composer Himmy and the Bollywood Rock Band, dance duo Giggle Queens, and dance group Shiamak Showkids will also take the stage throughout the evening.
Families with kids of all ages can enjoy the #BollywoodMonster Family Day festivities, starting at 2 PM on July 21. The Family Day portion of the event includes a free KidZone with both physical activities such as tennis games by Mohawk Park Tennis Club and crafty activities such as free games provided courtesy of #MonsterArts for Youth and the Vaarso Foundation who will be teaching kids how to make their own board games. Attendees will be able to learn dance lessons provided by Shiamak Toronto and Tricube Dance, shop, and view chef demos by Rachel Bies, Dilshad Burman and Nancy Majoulian, and most importantly enjoy a wide variety of free music and dance performances on the main stage all day long! Some of the acts include internationally-renowned Sufi and Indian classical singer Anandita Basu, original dance and poetry collaboration Triple Goddess, and a spectacular performance from the Shiamak Summer Funk Winners will round out the afternoon.
Khushboo Grewal, voice of Sunny Leone in Pink Lips (Hate Story 2) and actor from Punjabi films like Carry on Jatta and Bhaji in Problem will perform for the first time in Canada at the #BollywoodMonster Concert, which opens at 4 PM on Friday, July 20 at Mississauga Celebration Square. Grewal leads a star-studded lineup of other talented acts including musical duo Peace & Love, and Toronto group Pushpinder’s Desi Muziko Band. Thousands of Bollywood-lovers are anticipated to enjoy a free evening concert, free film festival, and a monstrous food festival.
Bollywood fans will be able to meet Bollywood stars, musicians and dancers, as well as business and community leaders at the #BollywoodMonster VIP & Media Cocktail Reception at C Banquets inside the Mississauga Civic Centre on Thursday, July 19. A limited number of tickets are available to the public, and attendees will enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres while rubbing shoulders with movers and shakers in the community.
“We’re so excited to bring a wide variety of exceptional acts to Mississauga Celebration Square on July 20 and 21 all for free! Make sure to take note that the start time on Saturday July 21 is at 2 PM to enjoy all of the fun we have planned for kids and their families,” says Executive Director of MonstrARTity, Vikas Kohli. “Thank you to all our fantastic sponsors, funders, media partners, artists and collaborators for all their dedication and hard work in helping our team put on this great festival for the GTA community.”
For more information on everything #Bollywoodwood Monster Mashup, including dates, times, venues, performers, and more, visit http://www.bollywoodmonstermas
#BollywoodMonster Mashup Calendar:
#BollywoodMonster VIP and Media Cocktail Reception
C Banquets, Mississauga
Thursday July 19th, 8 PM – 10:00 PM
#BollywoodMonster Concert
Mississauga Celebration Square
Friday July 20th, 4 PM – 11:00 PM
#BollywoodMonster Family Day & Finale
Mississauga Celebration Square
Saturday July 21st, 2 PM – 11:00 PM
Click the video below for a sneak peek into all of the fun at this year’s festival!
Watch #BollywoodMonster Mashup
June 20
Khushboo Grewal
Khushboo Grewal is a Punjabi film actress, veejay and singer from Chandigarh, India. She got her first taste in the entertainment industry at 15 years old when she finished runner up for Miss India North, followed by reaching the finals in Channel V Popstar in 2002. Later, Grewal became a beloved veejay working for B4u music and her career began to skyrocket from there. Not long after she appeared as the voice of Sunny Leone in Pink Lips (Hate Story 2), which topped the international and national charts. Always on the go, her hands are always full with multiple assignments at a time, from shoots for films to television and documentaries, the work never stops with Khushboo Grewal.
Dhiraj Barla Shobha Shekhar
Dhiraj Barla is a software developer by profession and a singer by passion. Dhiraj’s musical journey started at a very young age, singing along with the radio as a kid. A good melody with good lyrical value is his greatest inspiration. Dhiraj is a trained Classical Carnatic Singer and enjoys singing various styles of music such as Classical Carnatic, Ghazals, Sufi Music and commercial Bollywood music. He emerged victorious in TANA MAA TV’s Super Singers Contest held in Chicago in 2009 and was a finalist in the first ever Panorama Indian Idol in 2010.
Shobha is trained in Carnatic and Hindustani Classical music and also enjoys singing Bollywood Music, Ghazals, Indian folk and Western music. She has sung for many product commercials and released several music albums in various languages in India and Canada. Shobha has performed at many concerts across the globe and also striven tirelessly to use her talent to give back to the community by participating at charity events and fundraisers.
Pushpinder’s Desi Muziko Band
Pushpinder’s Desi Muziko is a Toronto based music band of the industry’s leading singers and best musicians offering desi music across North America. The members have performed in various countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Kenya, Italy and many more.
June 21
Aaman Trikha
Aaman Trikha is a playback singer and performer from Mumbai, India. He has recorded songs in more than 10 different languages, including south languages such as Tamil and Malayalam, but is widely recognized as a Bollywood artist. In 2013, Trikha was nominated at the Stardust Awards for Best Upcoming Male Musical Sensation, as well as winning the Best Emerging Singer Award in Lions Club Gold Awards the same year. Trikha released his first solo music video in 2014, titled “Mahiya Tu Hi Tu” and has appeared in Bollywood films Khiladi 786, Prem Leela, Son of Sardaar and many more.
Rachel Bies
Rachel Bies is a passionate Holistic Nutritionist, Culinary and Media Personality. Rachel and her site main goal is to cook, showcase, teach and get YOU back into your kitchen and in love with real food. Add in natural skincare, travel, health & wellness and she has so much she wants to share with her viewers. Above all else Rachel likes to focus on LOVE, passion and respect for all. Rachel plans on getting her real, bright, whole food and lifestyle message out! Don’t be fooled she has been known to enjoy cheese, wine and the occasional burger. Balance is key. No stranger to the kitchen Rachel is a seasoned cook, nutritionist, food stylist and photographer.
Ria Aikat
Sheniz Janmohamed
Triple Goddess is a dance and poetry collaboration created by Ria Aikat, Reshmi Chetram and Sheniz Janmohamed. A musical journey that seeks to embody the Goddess’ qualities of wisdom, compassion and grace, Triple Goddess is sure to inspire audiences of all ages.
Sheniz’s work has been featured at venues around the world, including the Jaipur Literature Festival, TedXYouth and the Aga Khan Museum. Ria is a former artistic director and current dancer for the non-profit dance organization Culture Shock Toronto where she has performed internationally in Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington DC, and Las Vegas. Reshmi is the Creative Director and Choreographer of Tarana Dance in Toronto where she trains and guides students in the art of dance.
Dilshad Burman
Born in Mumbai, India, Dilshad Burman is an award winning TV host and Canadian media personality based in Toronto. She is well known for hosting the Canadian Screen Award nominated, urban culture show V-Mix on Omni Television throughout its four season run. She also contributed her editing, writing and producing talents to the City TV and Omni Television newsrooms for over six years.
Anandita Basu
Anandita Basu has been performing in and outside India many times obtaining recognition all over the world, including in Canada, the United States, Suriname, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy. Basu is known for her Sahaja Yoga Meditation, where she brings together music and meditation through the fusion of Sufi and Indian classical vocals. Sahaja Yoga Meditation is known to improve health and helps with stress, anxiety, depression and anger. It also is said to bring peace, joy, balance and harmony to people’s lives.
Nancy Majoulian
Nancy Majoulian is a former business executive, who complemented her business degree with a herbalist & nutritionist diploma. Nancy attributes a large portion of her accomplishments to her health and wellness regimen. Within these two modalities, she currently holds various workshops within the public and private sector all over North America. She is also a faculty member at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition, has made several television appearances to talk about plant-based nutrition and she was a guest speaker and did a cooking demo at the 2016 Thrive with Cancer Expo in Toronto. Nancy is also the creator of Gaia LifeForce and the co-producer & host of “Nancy’s Kitchen”, where the art of plant-based cooking meets the science of nutrition. The six part plant-based television series aired in 2017 over six times all across Ontario.
Tricube Dance
Tricube Dance is one of Toronto’s top Bollywood dance companies that is back for a fifth year at BMM. They have been featured on CTV, Global, OMNI’s VMix Show, TD South Asian Festivals as the TD Dancers, Smart Centres, McMaster University, Mohawk College and numerous other corporate events. Tricube Dance is known for their signature fusion choreography, which blends the east with the west. They present professional performances, teach group lessons, as well as private choreography for wedding and special events. Tripti Ninan is the artistic director, lead choreographer and experienced performer who has a passion for spreading the love of dance with everyone!
Shiamak Showkids
Shiamak Show Kids and Shiamak Summer Funk winners are going to be performing at the festival. Shiamak Summer Funk is an extremely unique training program for students which teaches them trademark dance styles such as Shiamak Style Contemporary, Shiamak’s Bollywood Jazz & Shabop. The students learn a complete dance routine and are trained in the various disciplines of stage performance. They also are exposed to the complete performing arts experience, containing rehearsals, teamwork, discipline, costumes and props, professionalism and the excitement behind performance. The end result; all of the students putting on a show to show their true stardom.
#Bollywood Monster Orchestra
The #Bollywood Monster Orchestra is a high-powered combination of traditional Bollywood melodies and Western rock instruments. BMO is as old as #Bollywood Monster Mashup itself, and over the years, it has featured a variety of instruments from numerous cultural backgrounds; from Indian Dhol, to Chinese Zither, to Cuban Congas. This year, the ensemble will perform feature top 40 hits from George Michael, Black Eyed Peas, and Gloria Estefan mashed up with Bollywood hits from films such as Ram Balram, Don and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Though BMO is constantly evolving, one thing stays the same from year to year, it’s guaranteed to knock your expectations out of the park!
Giggles Queens
Giggle Queens is a choreography/performance duo by Ria Aikat and Jennalee Desjardins. They specialize in fusion dance projects, including Bollywood/Classical Indian Dance and Urban Dance. They also really enjoy the art of laughing.
Himanshu and the Bollywood Rock Band
Himanshu is a talented and versatile singer, songwriter, and composer located in Toronto, Canada and is a part of the collaborative group known as ‘Himmy and the Bollywood Rock Band’. He is known to mesmerize audiences with his powerful voice and intense projection. Himanshu’s command over various styles of singing is evident from the ease with which he sings in various styles of music such as Hindi, Punjabi, Rock, Pop, Bhajans, and Light Classical. He has received several years of vocal training in Hindustani Classical Music.
