Tickets for Vancouver’s Times of India Film Awards ‘virtually’ sell out within hours

LARISSA CAHUTE
VANCOUVER DESI

Bollywood film actor Shah Rukh Khan gestures as he speaks during a function to announce the Times Of India Film Awards Bollywood awards in Mumbai, India on Jan. 29, 2013. Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images

Tickets for the first-ever Times of India Film Awards gala in Vancouver were “virtually sold out” within two hours of officially going on sale.

About 35,000 tickets for the April 6 awards ceremony at B.C. Place went up for grabs Friday morning at 8 a.m. — and by 4 p.m. only a few single tickets remained.

“I was — I have to admit — surprised at the actual amount of tickets that went so quickly,” said Laura Ballance, with Laura Ballance Media Group — the PR firm leading the North American media relations for TOIFA. “It was virtually sold out in the first two hours.”

“(But) I had the feeling that it was going to be big just based on the hundreds of phone calls — literally — since the press conference (Jan. 22).”

Tickets for the gala started at $100 for the lower bowl and ranged from $150 to $3,250 for floor seats. Some of the Bollywood A-listers expected to grace the red carpet are Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Abhishek Bachchan.

“Although we’re virtually sold out — there’s still great tickets available for the PNE event on April 4, which is going to be a showcase of Bollywood song and dance,” said Ballance.

This event marks the start of the Bollywood awards weekend and tickets are available at ticketleader.ca with prices starting at $65 for the lower bowl, and floor seats ranging from $250 to $500 — but the lineup is yet to be announced.

“We’re anticipating the response to be very, very strong once we get the lineup there announced,” said Ballance, adding it should be revealed within the coming days.

There’s been an “electric vibe” throughout the city since the awards were announced, said Ballance, and that response has been entirely “cross-cultural.”

“I personally have taken calls I think from every corner of the world,” she said. “Australia, Germany, Los Angeles, Toronto, Calgary – you name it.”

“Although we have this dynamic South Asian community in the region a lot of the people that were calling me were of all ethnicities … so many people are interested in the song and the dance and Hindi film beyond what might be considered the core demographic.”

And the excitement was definitely felt Friday the second tickets went on sale.

“It’s been a fantastic day,” said Ballance.

lcahute@theprovince.com
twitter.com/larissacahute

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