The B.C.-taxpayer-backed Times of India Film Awards, currently underway, are now known as the Lux Cozi Times of India Film Awards after a title sponsor was found at the 11th hour.
However, the chairman of the Indian company is the subject of considerable controversy in Kolkata, India.
Ashok Todi, chairman of Lux Industries, was among seven people accused of plotting to murder Rizwanur Rahman in 2007.
Rahman, a 30-year-old computer graphics teacher, was found dead beside train tracks just over a month after he married Todi’s daughter, Priyanka. Todi admitted he disapproved of the marriage, but denied the charge, which was eventually downgraded to abetting suicide. The matter is currently before the India courts.
A request to interview Tourism Minister Pat Bell was not fulfilled. Asked whether the government had any concern about its brand sharing profile with Ashok’s company, a statement provided to Business in Vancouver from Bell’s office said: “Minister Bell has no comment on these allegations.”
Asked if Todi was in Vancouver or would be attending TOIFA events, Bell’s office referred BIV to TOIFA spokeswoman Laura Ballance.
“The Lux Cozi legal situation is before the courts in India and it's not appropriate for us to comment,” said Ballance via email. “The Times Group works with over 20,000 different brands across their events and platforms annually, and the Lux Cozi group sponsors and partners with some of the most well-known events and brands in India. They are the sponsor of the broadcast component of the event in India.”
Last night’s Pacific Coliseum concert drew an audience of 4,800 paid ticket-holders, according to organizers. The Pacific Coliseum has 15,713 permanent seats and can hold up to 1,600 more on the floor.
Several thousand tickets remained available Friday morning via TicketMaster for the Saturday night gala awards ceremony at BC Place Stadium, priced from $60 to $525 plus taxes and fees. Bell told the legislature on March 5 that the $11 million, taxpayer-subsidized TOIFA, which also included a March 2 fashion show and March 11-12 business forum, was “sold out.”
TicketMaster isn’t the only source of available tickets. There are more than 500 entries on Craigslist, many offering discounts. Surrey’s Monark Group is selling tickets via its TOIFAVancouver.ca website. Another website offering tickets is TOIFAEvents.com. Asked whether these websites were authorized by TOIFA, Ballance said: “I don’t know anything about ticket resellers or those websites.”
Premier Christy Clark is expected to attend Saturday’s awards. According to the Surrey Now newspaper, she purchased a $750 custom-made sari by Surrey fashion designer Davi Bains-Gill’s Armaan DBG shop.
The Pan Pacific is the heavily guarded host hotel for the cadre of Bollywood film and music stars in Vancouver for TOIFA. Metered parking around Canada Place and Waterfront Centre was banned for a week. Fences and barricades were erected outside Canada Place, where orange-jacketed guards from Genesis Security and Vancouver Police officers are on duty as limousines come and go and Bollywood fans snap photos and seek autographs.
City hall spokeswoman Wendy Stewart said TOIFA paid a $160,000 deposit for policing, parking and traffic control.
“Following the event, city costs will be tabulated and a refund of unused deposit money will be returned to the event organizers or an invoice submitted if city costs exceed the deposit,” Stewart said.
Asked what would happen if costs are higher than anticipated and the Times of India Group has to be billed, Stewart said, “All indications point to costs being within the estimate and deposit.”
