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| OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATIONS: Heaven on Earth |
ABOUT THE CAST |
Preity Zinta
Chand
Preity Zinta is a multi award winning Bollywood actress who originally shot to fame as a
model, most notably as the fresh-faced, dimpled beauty of Liril soap ads. Preity had
never imagined a career as an actress, but while studying Criminal Psychology at
Bombay University, Shekhar Kapoor (Elizabeth) saw the Liril ad and decided to cast her
as the lead in his next film-- Tara Rum Pum. The film is still to be made but other offers
soon followed, including Kundan Shah’s Kya Kehna, the fabulous Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se
and Abaas-Mustan’s Soldier. All three were critical and box office hits and Preity soon
took her place in Bollywood’s A List.
With break out roles in Dil Chahta Hai and Dil Hai Tumhara Preity became an actress to
be reckoned with. Her screen presence, charm and talent have made her a favourite
casting choice for Bollywood’s top producers and directors. Some of her most notable
work includes Rakesh Roshan's Koi Mil Gaya where she stars opposite the talented
Hrithik Roshan; Nikhil Advani's Kal Ho Na Ho starring superstar Shahrukh Khan;
Farhan Akthar's Lakshya featuring the great Amitabh Bachchan; Yash Chopra's Veer
Zaara; Siddhart Anand's Salaam Namaste with Saif Ali Khan and Karan Johar's Kabhi
Alvida Na Kehna with Preity and an all star cast including Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh
Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, and John Abraham.
Selected Filmography:
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)
Jaaneman ( 2006)
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Salaam Namaste (2005)
Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen (2005)
Veer Zaara (2004)
Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004)
Lakshya (2004)
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Koi Mil Gaya (2003)
Armaan (2003).
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The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003)
Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002)
Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke (2001)
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Farz (2001)
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001)
Mission Kashmir (2000)
Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000)
Kya Kehna (2000)
Accolades & Achievements
44th Filmfare Award 1999 — Best Female Debut —Dil Se & Soldier (1998)
Lux New Face 0f the year — Dil Se
Zee Cine Award 1999 — Best Debut (Female) — Soldier (1998)
Sansui Viewer’s Choice Movie Awards 2002 — Best Actress
Red & White Bravery Award — 2003
Advertising Club, Mumbai — 2003
Lion’s Club International — 2003 & 2004
POGO Voice Awards 2004— The Amazing Heroine
7th Sansui Viewer’s Choice Movie Awards 2004 — Best Actress — Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
5th IIFA 2004 — Best Actress — Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
7th Zee Cine Awards 2004 — Female Super Star of the Year
49th Filmfare Award 2004 — Best Actress — Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Max Stardust Awards 2005 — Star of the Year (Female) — Veer Zara (2004)
Whirlpool Gr8 Women Achiever’s Award — 2005
Voted as Most Popular Indian Actress by BBC Network — 2005
Balinder Johal
Maji
Born, raised and educated in India, Johal came to Canada in 1965 with a Masters in
Punjabi and a Bachelor in Teaching. She obtained an M.A. in Education from the
University of British Columbia. Eventually she became a teacher for the B.C. school
system and at Vancouver Community College where she taught for 24 years before
taking early retirement to follow her dreams.
Theatre was always her passion in India. Johal has performed in plays in most of the big
cities in Canada and also in California often with India based Harpal Tiwana’s Theatre
Group. Being a community activist, Johal has also been involved in issue oriented
community plays done locally and the forum play, Here and Now about gang violence.
Since 1990, Johal has worked in Hollywood and Canadian Television and movies,
educational videos and on many voice-overs on and off camera in English, Punjabi and
Hindi. Her Chachi ji episodes on community related issues, previously on multicultural
and vision channels have been an attempt to bridge the cultural, educational, gender and.16
generational gaps.
Working in Heaven on Earth under Deepa Mehta’s direction last year and winning the
Leo Award as Best Female Performer in the short Film, The Birthday, are the best
rewards she has reaped in the television and film industry. She embraces any future
opportunities that should come forth with acting, especially if they are connected to Indo-Canadian
or universal Issues.
Vansh Bhardwaj
Rocky
Vansh Bhardwaj was born in Chandigarh (Punjab) on April 7, 1981. He started doing
theatre at the age of 11 and has done both children’s theatre, amateur theatre and
professional theatre where he has been lauded as an up and coming actor of note.
After completing his masters in theatre from the Indian Theatre Department at Punjab
University in Chandigarh, Vansh began running his own company called ‘Holy Theatre.’
He has also been working with renowned thespian Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry for the
past five years.
Vansh has toured all over India and Pakistan and has done an international project for
Japan, working with actors from all over the world. The play was a multilingual project
and was directed by Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry.
Ramanjit Kaur
Aman
Ramanjit Kaur graduated in Dance and Music and did a masters degree in Music at the
Punjab University in Chandigarh. She has been a professional actor for over 20 years but
her journey in theatre began as a child—specifically the day she was selected as a
delegate for the International Children’s Theatre Festival in Chandigarh.
In 1986 at the age of fifteen, she began working professionally with Neelam Mansingh
Chowdhry’s ‘The Company,’ and trained under her as an actress. Chowdhry’s ‘The
Company’ consists of traditional musicians, female impersonators and urban actors,
trained by Chowdhry, B.V. Karanth (Music) and Surjit Patar (Writer, Poet and
Translator). Ramanjit is still influenced by her years in ‘The Company’ and continues to
work with them, often in the role of lead actress. She has toured with several of their
theatre productions including Naga Mandala (which inspired Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on
Earth); Yerma, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Phaedra, Kitchen Katha, An Unposted Love
Letter, Sibo in Supermarket and The Suit.
As a recipient of the Charles Wallace India Trust Award (UK) Ramanjit was able to train
at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London Academy of Music and Dramatic.17
Arts, and the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama. She has also worked with the
Improbable Theatre and the Firenza Guidi in Italy. She has received several awards for
her work in theatre including the Sanskriti Award for Theatre (2006) and the Sangeet
Natak Akademi Bismillah Khan Yuva Purskar for Theatre (2006).
Currently she runs the theatre company ‘The Creative Arts’ in Kolkata where she is the
artistic director.
Ramanjit was also cast in Deepa Mehta’s Fire.
Gourrav Sihan
Baldev
Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, raised in Calcutta, Gourrav has lived in Canada and the United
States for the last 21 years. He has a Bachelors in Commerce and a BA in Accounting
and Economics and also did Graduate studies in Ship Chartering.
As an actor he has appeared in numerous ads (both print and television) and has
performed as a lead and supporting actor in both South Asian and North American
productions. These include lead roles in, A Piece of Heaven; Encounter and Pechaan all
for Pakistan’s Hum TV; supporting roles in The Sopranos; and the popular Bollywood
film Aa ab Laut Chalen. Gourrav has also lent his voice to such films as The Guru, The
Darjeeling Limited and The Warrior.
He is fluent in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Gujarati.
Rajinder Singh Cheema
Papaji
Rajinder Singh Cheema was raised in Moga, Punjab, India alongside his two sisters and
brother. In 1969, following the completion of his education, Rajinder Singh immigrated
to Canada. He married Surinder Kaur in Vancouver in 1974.
In his 39 years in Vancouver Rajinder Singh has worked within a number of fields
including real estate and the lumber industry. More recently he has become involved in
the television and film industries. He can be seen in CBC’s DaVinci’s Inquest and
DaVinci’s City Hall. Previously he has been involved in a Canadian Unity commercial
campaign.
Due to his love of Sikh and Punjabi culture and history, Rajinder Singh has always
chosen projects that promote his heritage within the broader Canadian multicultural
tapestry. He participated in the production of CBC’s Murder Unveiled as an actor,
cultural advisor and turban stylist as well. Rajinder also had a lead role in the South
Asian film Enough is Enough produced by the Vancouver & Lower Mainland
Multicultural Family Support Services.
He continues to reside in Richmond, B.C. with his wife, two sons, two daughters, and.18
two daughter-in-laws. They are all active members within the Sikh, and South Asian
communities.
Orville Maciel
Kabir
Orville Maciel, was born in Muscat, Oman on April 1 1992, spent his early childhood in
Goa, India and immigrated with his family to Canada in 1997 at the young age of four.
Orville in the past has performed in many plays at his elementary school.
However, Orville’s first break was in 2004, when he voiced the character Kareem in the
animated short film Tomboy, which was just released in May 2008. He also used his
voice in the documentary The In Between World of MG Vassanji and he was a regular on
the hit radio drama Afghanada, on CBC Radio. Orville’s acting career really took off,
when he played the lead role in the radio play for CBC, called Funny Boy. The play was
directed by Deepa Mehta, and based on the novel by Shyam Selvadurai.
Geetika Sharma
Loveleen
Geetika was born on September 7 1995 in Etobicoke, Ontario. Geetika was only 12 years
old when she was cast in Heaven On Earth which was her first role in a motion picture.
Her positive experiences working with Deepa Mehta have inspired her to continue acting.
Aside from acting, Geetika enjoys sports and dancing.
Geetika plans to pursue acting until she is 18, after which she will pursue her goal of
becoming a lawyer.
Yanna McIntosh
Rosa
Yanna McIntosh is a multi-award winning actor known both for her television and theatre
performances. She is also a writer and a teacher having directed students at the National
Theatre School and Humber College in productions of Macbeth, Julius Caesar and
Richard III.
Her recent theatre credits include the title role in Mary Stuart for Soulpepper Theatre;
The Syringa Tree for Canadian Stage for which she has been nominated for a Dora;
Skylight, for the Tarragon Theatre, for which she won a Dora and Andre Alexis’s
Lambton Kent which she performed at the Edinburgh Festival. She also co-wrote and
performed the play Trace. Yanna has performed in several plays over the years on most
of this country’s and city’s top stages, including the National Arts Centre, the Factory
Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre and Theatre Passe Murailles..19
As a Shakespearean actor, she has performed in many of the Bard’s plays at Stratford and
the Canadian Stage including The Taming of the Shrew; A Midsummer Night’s Dream;
Twelfth Night and Antony and Cleopatra.
Her film and television credits include The Best Years (2007); The Sentinel (2006); This
is Wonderland (2006); Blue Murder (2004); John Q (2002); Riverdale (1997) and
Doomstown (2006) for which she won a Gemini.
Yanna’s upcoming projects include Stuff Happens in which she plays Condoleeza Rice.
She also will be in the ABC version of the classic A Raisin in the Sun and has a role in
the new TMN series The Weight. |
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