The United Nations Human Rights Office unveiled its latest weapon in the fight against homophobia: a Bollywood-style video called “The Welcome.” The two-and-a-half-minute clip features two handsome heroes dressed in many shades of velvet on the eve of their unorthodox nuptial celebrations. But will daadi-ma approve? You’ll have to watch and find out! The video is the attempt by the UN Free & Equal campaign to challenge negative stereotypes of lesbian, gay,

Posted: April 30th, 2014

To celebrate our upcoming birthday bash on April 25th, Next Magazine has provided an overview of the many similarities between Bollywood and gay life and things we all love. This includes elaborate costumes, camp, musical numbers and lots of melodrama!! We’re also featured as Time Out’s Critics’ Pic again this month with a shot of Shazad in action. Looking forward to making more headlines this Friday!

Posted: April 23rd, 2014

Harune Massey, an award-winning writer and director working out of Pakistan and New York, presents his short film “Nightlife” as part of the New York Indian Film Festival. “Nightlife” provides a highly nuanced glimpse into the life of male sex workers of Lahore who often ply their trade as teenage masseurs clinking their oil bottles on the discreet but known-to-the-customer street corners waiting to be picked up by passing motorists. The

Posted: April 18th, 2014

Its going to be a weekend of Gaysi indulgence with Desilicious on Friday, April 25th at Pachita and the Great Gaysi Brunch on Saturday to raise cash for SALGA Pride! What better way to recover from a night of Bollywood revelry than a bottomless, boozy brunch with more music and dancing? Throw on your “desi dapper” best and head over to the rooftop at boxers HK for an afternoon of

Posted: April 15th, 2014

As we prep for our birthday bash later this month, take a look at our Sholay Events YouTube page for some memorable performances from the party over the years.  Some highlights below: Payal and “It’s Rocking” from Club Shelter in 2007 Zeena Diwani upstages Britney Spears – also at Club Shelter in 2007 Queen Harish performing to “Aaja Nachle” at Color Me Queer in 2008   Hariqbal doing this thing in 2011

Posted: April 9th, 2014

How lucky are we to get a personalized birthday shout out from UK’s supreme drag diva—Asifa Lahore!? Asifa’s been getting major media buzz lately with her new Tum Hi Ho video and for being banned from engaging in a debate about being gay and Muslim on BBC’s show “Free Speech” which took place at Birmingham Central Mosque. Thank you, Asifa, for the wishes and for bringing visibility and a bit of

Posted: April 3rd, 2014

Check out this  awesome tribute to Bollywood music through the decades with Penn Masala, a South Asian a cappella group which formed back in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania. They manage to squeeze in 7 decades of hits in 5 minutes. These guys can not only carry a tune…check out the outfit changes! You can subscribe to their YouTube channel for more uplifting a cappella videos.    

Posted: March 31st, 2014

British drag artist Asifa Lahore is on a mission to increase LGBT desi visibility  with the release of  “Tum Hi Ho”.  The video features Asifa’s cover of Tum Hi Ho (You’re The One) from the Bollywood film Aashiqui 2 with vignettes of queer desi couples finding love in the face of adversity—and includes our favorite cutie from Toronto, Shazad Hai. Asifa explains, “After using my previous music videos as parodies to focus

Posted: March 26th, 2014