Popular Indo Canadian Entertainers Who Are Creating New Waves Globally

by Global Indian Global Indian - A Hero's Journey

The multicultural ethos of Canada owing to its vast number of immigrants have made significant contributions to its vibrant cultural atmosphere. Immigrants contribute significantly to the arts, culture, music, and entertainment fields. Indian immigrants in Canada are not far behind. In fact many Indian entertainers have contributed to the music, theatre, and online entertainment scene in Canada. Some of them are NRIs while some are Indo-Canadians who are famous in their own right.

1. Deepa Mehta

Deepa Mehta is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker whose works have gained international fame and recognition. Born in 1950 in Amritsar, Deepa Mehta spent her childhood watching movies courtesy her father who was a film distributor and theatre owner in Amritsar. This early exposure to films propelled her towards a career in film direction. After a brief stint as a documentary filmmaker in Delhi, she migrated to Canada with her then husband, Paul Saltzman. 

While her first feature film Sam and Me was successful, her subsequent movies based on American themes didn't work well. She turned to her home country for inspiration and her film trilogy based on the elements-Fire, Earth, and Water  gained worldwide acclaim and international fame

Today, she is one of the famous Indians in Canada who wants to bring good stories to the audience and inspire other filmmakers. On her primary motive to make films, she says, “Make the films and tell the stories that move you. As my dad rather cryptically suggested many moons ago, we never know when we will die, and we will never know how a film will fare. So why compromise on either? Live life on your own terms. Make films on your own terms too.”

 

2. Jonita Gandhi

In 2012, the acoustic cover of Pani Da Rang by Indo-Canadian musician Jonita Gandhi went viral on YouTube. Millions throughout the world were soothed by her velvety voice, calming melody, and distinct tone. It was the birth of a YouTube sensation. 

 

Her covers propelled her to stardom and into the studios of Bollywood music writers, making her one of the few Indo-Canadians to make it big in Bollywood. What began on YouTube quickly became substantial proposals from music composers. Gandhi has quickly established herself as one of Bollywood's top playback singers and one of the famous Indians in Canada.

 

Thanks to her father who was a part-time singer, her talent was recognized at a young age. With his encouragement, Jonita sustained her interest in music too and has now made a name for herself.

 

3. Lily Singh

Lilly Singh is a Canadian comedian, talk show host, and YouTuber of Indian origin who started making YouTube videos in 2010. In 2016, she was included in Forbes list of world's highest paid YouTubers ranking third. Forbes named her one of the 40 most powerful people in comedy in 2019.

 

Singh released her first film, which was a documentary about her world tour, titled A Trip to Unicorn Island in 2016. In 2017, she released her first book, How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life, which gained the number one spot on the New York Times best-seller list.

 

From 2019 to 2021, Singh acted as executive producer and host of the NBC late-night talk show A Little Late with Lilly Singh becoming the first Indian to host an American major broadcast network late-night talk show.

 

4. Russell Peters

Peters has established himself as a name to be reckoned with in the standup comedy circuit, having been one of the first artists of color to reach success in comedy and becoming the first comedian to have a Netflix special. 

 

Peters was born in Canada to Indian immigrant parents and has had a tough journey. He was routinely bullied at school because of his heritage. He ultimately picked up boxing, which allowed him to cope with the bullying. In his youth, Peters became a hip-hop fan. He was a well-connected DJ in the Toronto scene by the 1990s. He however had a penchant for standup comedy from his childhood. 

 

In 1992, Peters met one of his main influences, American comic George Carlin, who encouraged him to get on stage. Peters said he "took that advice to heart, and I think that's the reason I am where I am now."

 

Today he is one of the most successful standup comedians and a well-known Indian In Canada.  His observational humor, which was based on ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and cultural stereotypes, earned him international renown. Russel Peters has never altered his performance to fit the mood of the audience, which is unusual and unique about his concert.

 

In 2013, he ranked third on Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid comedians, and got his own Netflix standup special, Notorious, which made him the first comedian to do so.

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Created on Nov 23rd 2021 03:07. Viewed 390 times.

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