After a decade of queer revelry in Bollywood, Rangeela prepares for one last party

Usually, Abha Apte is a dressed person. But for the latest Rangeela, a Bollywood party and show that is a staple of the South Asian queer community in Toronto and beyond, she decided to go for gold.

“At Rangeela, I want to be a huge chandelier. I want to be the brightest person. I want to sparkle and be so brilliant,” says Apte, 32, a data scientist. “It’s the only event I research an outfit for weeks in advance, even months in advance.”

Describing herself as “All Queer. All Filmi. All Non-Profit,” Rangeela started thirteen years ago as a fundraiser. This Saturday, June 29, as part of the Pride celebrations, Rangeela will host its latest event titled Subha (Morning). Like all Rangeela events, it promises to be an evening of music, revelry, high fashion and camp with plenty of tears shed for what fans are calling “the end of an era.”

Rangeela began its activity in response to the 2010 floods in Pakistan, considered one of the country's worst humanitarian disasters. Encouraged to do their part to help, Waseem Shaikh, Shazad Hai, Imran Nayani and Siva Gunaratnam hosted an event aimed at Toronto's South Asian queer community.

The four men met through ASAAP (Alliance for AIDS Prevention in South Asia) and became close friends. Their first fundraising event in October 2010 became the model for what would become Rangeela. The response to the fundraiser was overwhelming and they decided to donate their time to organize parties aimed at this audience. At the time, there was a lack of safe queer spaces in South Asia, although Shaikh is quick to point out that Rangeela fits into a long tradition of similar events such as Desh Pardesh, FunkAsia and Besharam which offered a feeling of community.

The first official Rangeela event took place in June 2011, he adds. It made sense to organize it around Pride celebrations, as a way out of the crisis. They created their first poster “in-house”.

“We had Imran standing with a table lamp. I don't really know what the concept was. We thought we were really upset because there was caution tape and someone wearing a salwar-kameez ( tunic and pants) and a tikka (head ornament),” says Shaikh, during a four-way Zoom call, filled with frequent bursts of laughter.

“And bracelets I think,” adds Gunaratnam.

“When that first poster came out, it was the first time we saw a brown person on a poster advertising a party,” Hai explains. “Otherwise you would see black or white men with chiseled abs on these big Pride circuit party posters, and you would never see any of them.” [South Asian] representation. Our poster came out and we put it up all over Church Street.”

The posters have become an iconic part of Rangeela party announcements, featuring a theme and an elaborate photoshoot with props and professional photography. Just like posters, parties have also transformed into a playground for the imagination.

At first, their parties took place at Club 120, a nightclub popular for its inclusive nature which closed its doors in 2020. By 2015, however, Rangeela had exceeded the capacity of this space which could accommodate around “250 to 300 people”, Hai explains. While events linked to Pride celebrations have been held at the Opera House since 2019, their regular programming has moved to the Revival Bar.

Rangeela began incorporating stage shows, with drag queens and other performances, featuring local and international talent. Held every two months, the production value was constantly changing. Their themes shifted from reflecting angsty teenagers to rebellious adults to “not always needing to push boundaries,” says Shaikh. The decor and lighting began to incorporate detailed sets. There was always a space reserved for clients to do photo shoots and upload them to their Instagram feeds.

“We went from a Dollarama aesthetic to Party City,” says Gunaratnam.

“None of us really wanted to be nightlife promoters. It was not planned. We just had a fundraiser. [Six years in] there had to be something in it for us. It wasn't the money, because it's a non-profit. So we said, “Okay, there has to be some creative satisfaction,” says Shaikh, the team's artistic lead.

The audience responded in kind. They showed up to the parties ready to show off and party. Apte had heard about Rangeela while living in Vancouver. It was unimaginable to him that such a space could exist where she could dance to Bollywood music. Shortly after moving to Toronto with his wife in the summer of 2020, Apte attended his first Rangeela.

“They played three of my favorite Bollywood songs, one after the other. It was a surreal moment. Growing up in India, I didn't think Bollywood music was for me. The lyrics are about “Heterosexual love and romance, but at that point, my three best songs and being surrounded by all these gay people, it all felt connected,” she says.

For Humza Mian, Rangeela was the first of the first big venues to perform as a drag queen, Mango Lassi. It took Mian a year after Shaikh contacted him to prepare for Mango Lassi's debut on the Rangeela stage.

“I was so afraid of performing on stage that I didn’t know what it would entail,” Mian, 34, said in a telephone interview. He found himself in the line-up for the 420-themed Rangeela. “It was perfect. I danced to Dum Maro Dum (an iconic Bollywood song featuring Zeenat Aman stumbling). I did a Macgyver on this huge joint that sprayed glitter on both sides.

“I remember I was so nervous getting ready. The performance was at midnight. Waseen came in the back and Shazad. They came and gave me a pep talk. I think I killed it .”

While Mango Lassi will no longer have Rangeela as a platform to perform, Mian has mixed feelings about the end of the event. He strongly believes in change, he says. Additionally, he cares deeply about the four organizers and respects their decision to end the party.

“I grew up alongside these people and I want to see them succeed. I almost wish that [Rangeela] “hasn't ended. But people grow and change. Who knows what the future holds,” he says.

For Shaikh, Nayani, Hai and Gunaratnam, it's time to wrap up the party. Rangeela took control of their lives and left them exhausted. They achieved their goals when it came to the event itself, but they weren't able to make space for other aspects of their personal lives, like devoting time to their family and loved ones. Additionally, the quartet wants the party to end on a good note.

“Rangeela became this gravitational force that kept us together through so many evolutions in life, because we started this in our 20s and we're all about to turn 40,” says Hai . “We needed that grounding force to feel like whatever happens in life, we will come together for Rangeela.”

The theme of the final Rangeela, Subha, refers to the many mornings when the four friends would eventually leave the room, having finished the last cleaning.

“When we were walking home, the sun was rising,” says Shaikh.

What could a final shot of Rangeela look like for the four friends? It's not a place they've allowed themselves to go mentally, they say.

“It won't hit us until later, until we're behind the scenes. Maybe during the cleanup,” says Nayani. “I don't think it's completely the end because it started with us as friends, and we're going to continue that legacy. In a way, that's the most important part.”

Get tickets for Rangeela on June 29, 2024 at the Toronto Opera House.