MASALA! MEHNDI! MASTI! 2007


Rogers Masala! Mehndi! Masti! - The Explosive South Asian Festival celebrates its 7th year!

Friday July 27 (7.00 pm) through Sunday July 29, 2007 (7.00 pm)
Free admission events for all ages! Grand family affair!
Location: 210 Princes' Boulevard, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Canada, M6K 3C3


Masala! Mehndi! Masti! (M!M!M!) is back for its seventh sensational year at Bandshell Park, Exhibition Place (home of the CNE) from July 27th to July 29th, 2007. As usual M!M!M! will showcase the best in contemporary, traditional and fusion South Asian culture by local and international artists.

A multitude of events in yoga, music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literary arts, film and more are joined by provocative panels and succulent South Asian dishes, creating the largest festival of its kind in North America!

Highlights:

MMMOVIES: July 27, 28 and 29, Queen Elizabeth Theatre: MMMovies! featuring the Rahul Bose Retrospective! 2007 will see the launch of MMM's very own film festival with international film festival programmer Hannah Fisher joining the MMM team, MMM will be presenting a 6 film retrospective on Rahul Bose. Rahul's work in films such as Mr and Mrs Iyer, Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Bomgay has earned him critical acclaim globally. With Rahul in attendance on all three days, audiences will have the chance to get up close and personal with him.

Indian Ocean: India's leading global band. This group first attained cult status with their album Kandisa, propelling them into the status of one of India's most original and creative band. Music critics describe the Indian Ocean music as "Indo-rock fusion with jazz-spiced rhythms that integrates shlokas, sufism, environmentalism, mythology and revolution".

Bilz and Kashif: Internationally acclaimed music artists from Montreal will be on hand to wow the audience with their hit single "2step bhangra", "O Meri Rani" and then some. Their very presence will make the public go wild and get everybody's Desi Ya-Yas ashakin'!

Deesha: Our very own Punjabi gal and 2007 Juno award nominated singer will also enthrall the public.

SW Storm: This artist as usual will kick up a veritable musical storm with his Caribbean soca, calypso and carnival fare. Extremely adept in getting the crowd into the mood! Will you ever move your booty!

Local talent Devika Mathur (former Canadian Idol finalist, professor and radio jockey- wow. Some combo!) will surely melt the hearts of many.

Nandita Dias: Indian gal who sings in Spanish, Portuguese and Hindi will open up the festivities and really flip you out. Her signature "Besame Mucho" will really get you into the romantic mood.

Flamenkathak will show you the similarities between Kathak and Flamenco (a torrid dance of the Spanish Gitanos with plenty of foot tapping and castanets). Toronto's version of Lola Flores, Paco de Lucia and Gauri Sharma will put it all together for you. Goa Amigos, Desi heavy metal band Falak (is it Metallica, is it Motorhead, is it Iron Maiden- no it's Falak!), Shiamak's dance troupe, Lata Pada, a ghazal mehfil, Odissi dance, brown sketch comedy and more will also dazzle the confluence of people. Energetic Dandia dance sessions al fresco will attract participants from the audience. Who will be the hottest dandia dancer? Come witness it all. Fashion shows showcasing outstanding fashionista Alia Khan's remarkable Fusia line- blending and synergizing the latest in East and West vogue. Will there be wardrobe malfunctions or will all hooks, linings and snickers be in place? The amazing Tushar Unadkat will co-produce the exquisite Artist's Walkway! This super treat promises to showcase material to rival Mumbai's Maqboolbhai's (M.F.Hussain) chef d'oeuvres! And not to forget Brandy Leary's acrobatics. Her descent of the Ganges is something else!

There will also be a series of socially relevant seminars on rights, racism, sexuality, women empowerment and more topics critical to the development of our community. Desi Lit Writer's café will have several powerful authors' readings.

The Meena Bazaar: A panoply of kiosks offering apparel, jewelry, handbags and several other items will also be on site to satisfy the shopaholics' impulses. Needless to say, creative mehndi artists will also be on hand to cater to your wildest whims.

Food Stalls: Aha! For many "la pièce de résistance"! And of course what South Asian festival can be complete without culinary delights that will tantalize your taste buds? And so there will be an amazing array of food and sweets for the public to delve their teeth into and hit nirvana! And to end it all, there will be a huge outdoor Bhangra Blast on Sunday that will splice the heavens!


A massive and extraordinary event not to be missed!
For more info, please visit www.masalamehndimasti.com