Superstar Bachchans to perform at Vancouver gala

One of the Indian film industry’s most celebrated couples, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, will perform at the Times of India Film Awards in Vancouver next month.

The film superstars will take the stage on April 6 at the grand celebration and awards gala at BC Place Stadium.

It will be the first international performance for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan since she had her first child a year and a half ago. The former Miss World and star of Bride and Prejudice married the son of Hindi film icons Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan in 2007.

It has been controversial among Indian film fans that she chose to return to her entertainment career after the birth of her daughter, with much discussion online about whether she should work when she has a family.  She sang and danced in March at the Miss India Pageant in her first public appearance for 18 months.

Abhishek Bachchan belongs to a family that has been prominent in the Mumbai film industry for 40 years. He came into his own in 2004 with the film Yuva and won an Indian best actor award for Guru.

The couple are expected to be in British Columbia for several days ahead of the awards ceremony.

The Times of India Film Awards are a new set of awards designed to expose stars and films of the Hindi film industry to a world audience.

Organizers announced in January that the inaugural ceremony would take place in Vancouver. Ahead of the awards April 6 there is a Musical Extravaganza on April 4 choreographed by Vancouver resident Shiamak Davar.

Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Sukhwinder Singh, Hard Kaur, Sunidhi Chauhan and Mohit Chauhan are among the celebrities announced for that concert.

A private technical awards gala will be held on April 5 and film screenings of Hindi movies are scheduled throughout the Lower Mainland.