As Vancouver rolled out its red carpet for some of the biggest names in Indian cinema Saturday, controversy still surrounded the star-studded gala.
The who's who of Bollywood gathered for the inaugural Times of India Film Awards, the culmination of a three-day celebration of South Asian film, dance and music.
Hundreds of star-crazed fans were jostling for a better look at their idols, snapping photos and offering their opinions about who will take home each of the 14 awards.
While the gala brought out fans and stars alike, it also attracted its fair share of criticism since it was announced in January.
The province shelled out about $11-million to host the awards and related events, which drew ire from some who claimed it was a politically motivated move by a government struggling to stay in power.
“The premier and others really think that an $11-million public subsidy for this event, at a time when times are tough, is the right call? I think most people don’t think so,” said BC NDP leader Adrian Dix.
Rumours have also been swirling about slow ticket sales for the event. While organizers said they expected between 20,000 to 30,000 attendees, tickets to the show were still available the day before BC Place opened its doors.
But ticket sales were not the province’s ultimate goal for hosting the ceremony, B.C. Premier Christy Clark said.
“Tonight is about having a hundred million people see Vancouver and see British Columbia,” she said. “This is a part of a big trade initiative that we’ve started to open up those markets in India, to create jobs here in British Columbia, and they can’t do that if they don’t know who we are.”
Others criticized ticket prices for the event, which ranged from about $60 to several thousand dollars per seat.
“I don't want to be in the back, like I don’t want to pay 100 dollars to be in the back, and so I’d rather watch them on TV,” said Bollywood fan Harleen Virk.
Kinsley Bailey, a Vancouver ticket broker, said sales for the event had been slow because people were holding out for a better deal.
“I’ve had quite a few people looking for the tickets, they want the high-end tickets and they want to save a lot of money,” Bailey said. “I think the prices were way too high. If they were a lot more reasonable, they would have a greater turnout.”
Once the show gets underway at 8 p.m., awards will be handed out for best male and female actors, best director, best film -- and even best villain -- based on the online votes of fans around the world.
With files from CTV British Columbia’s Maria Weisgarber and The Canadian Press
