ROGERS' OMNI Television Presents R. Paul Dhillon's The Bhangra Generation


VANCOUVER - ROGERS' OMNI Television in association with Blueberry Street Films and Bobby Nagra presents an electrifying, entertaining and enlightening documentary on the growing phenomenon known as Bhangra, the Punjabi folk music and dance, from which the documentary The Bhangra Generation aptly derives its name. The film will be aired on Rogers' OMNI stations across Canada on August 29, 2008.

Written and directed by award winning Vancouver-based journalist R. Paul Dhillon, who is also an accomplished filmmaker with numerous productions to his credit including his upcoming debut feature film Sweet Amerika), The Bhangra Generation is the first of its kind sociological-musical documentary that examines the lives of the second generation of Indo-Canadians who are expressing themselves through their culture. The one-hour documentary for OMNI Television is produced by Bobby Nagra and R. Paul Dhillon.

Bhangra, which originated as both a dance form and a musical form in the Northern Indian state of Punjab, has become an integral part of the worldwide Punjabi culture and diaspora, playing a revolutionary role akin to black music in America in shaping the identity of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) in the west.

According to tradition, the word Bhangra comes from an intoxicating harvest drink called Bhang, (Siva's herb), which the farmers drank in celebration of finishing their spring harvest. Like the drink - Bhangra music has it's own intoxication with it's rhythms and beats working like a snake charmer to force the dancers to hit the floor.

The documentary looks at the lives of four Indo-Canadian artists, who are making their mark in the world through dance and music. Most prominent of the four is international Bhangra superstar Jazzy B.

Jazzy B., aka Jaswinder Singh Bains, who currently has a huge fan base in India, UK, Asia and North America, was just a kid with long hair and earrings when he walked into the office of a Punjabi record label based in Surrey one night over a decade ago. Accompanied by a friend who seemed like he had taken a few too many swigs from a bottle of "desi" liquor, Jazzy B. looked like some bad kid mixed up in bad company. The record company brass didn't think too much of this funky folk-meister, who despite their negative evaluation would one day go on to great success, not only in Canada, but the world.

Ever since his debut album "Ghuggian Da Jora" went on to unexpected success and made Jazzy the torch bearer for Punjabi youth abroad, his fan following - largely young male and female Non Resident Indians (NRIs) - quickly cemented with his truly breakout album Folk N' Funky.

Jazzy B. is a Made-in-Canada success story. He has taken the traditional sounds and lyrics of Punjabi folk Bhangra and infused it with western music for the younger generation, for whom he is the equivalent of Ricky Martin or as the New York Times called him - "The Michael Jackson of India."

For over a decade now, bhangra music has been the vanguard for South Asian culture's crossover into the mainstream. Modern Bhangra first emerged in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, and soon after began to influence the British club scene. The presence of a large South Asian diaspora, especially second generation youth throughout Europe, but particularly in the UK, played a vital role in popularizing bhangra as a musical form among western audiences. In the 1990s, bhangra continued to expand even further, permeating North American music scenes.

In recent years, bhangra has sneaked over into mainstream music as background for Britney Spears or in the Jay-Z remix of Punjabi MC's international hit Beware of the Boys. It also played an integral role in the film Bend It Like Beckham.

Bhangra impresario Michael Sunner, better known as The Indian Lion, Bhangra dancer Sonia Basi and Dhol player Rayman Bhullar are the other main characters in this highly entertaining trip through the Bhangra landscape.

The Lion has made a name for himself in local radio circles with his world fusion and Bhangra show on 96.1 FM radio, where he became somewhat of a Bhangra-fusion impresario at the ethnic music station, dishing out noveau mix of Bhangra, Hindi pop and Bollywood masala numbers to young urban listeners.

Raymond Bhullar, who comes from a family of musicians, has been playing dhol, an integral percussion instrument in Bhangra music, for over 15 years. The father was so impressed with his son's dhol playing abilities that he opened a music school for him. Dhol Nation Academy is a dhol based school - where young kids come to learn how to play dhol but more than that the 20-year-old Raymond teaches them how to integrate into the Indo-Canadian culture and become more aware of who they are.

Sonia Basi, a petite young woman in her 30s, who has been obsessed with Bhangra dancing since she was a child. She says he has been dancing since she's been walking.

Asked if she will ever give up dancing and Sonia responds: "Until my body says stop - which will be in old, old, old age. But honestly - I don't think I'll ever stop. You'd still see me dancing at parties. People will look at me and say - hey look she's still dancing."

Bhangra became a dominant social force among Punjabis in Canada. But it was the youth that were at the forefront of this new revolution. Playing the music loud at the parties, even louder in their cars, the whole second generation of Indo-Canadians (Punjabis) defined themselves through this new music. For them it became a new religion.

For more information please contact R. Paul Dhillon at 604-880-3463 or email director@blueberrystreetfilms.com.