A week ahead of the film’s release, Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, stars of the epic remake “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend”, along with filmmakers Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra, opened Gold House’s biggest Golden Diwali to date at The Majestic Downtown in Los Angeles.
Gold House, which works to support and celebrate the Asia Pacific community, organized the meeting ahead of Diwali, which falls on November 8 this year. The organization pitched “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” as the greatest film ever made in India. The film, based on the ancient epic, opens worldwide on November 5, and a film-themed DJ set and dance floor continued throughout the night.
The group also used the night to launch the Gold Stack Shorts Fund, a partnership with South Stack Studios that will support proof-of-concept short films and microseries built on South Asian stories. Applications will be open until November 30, and selected projects will be announced on January 10, before Sundance.
“Diwali is a celebration of light, community and connection, and we wanted to bring that spirit to our Golden Diwali while honoring how culture shapes who we are and the possibilities we create,” said Bing Chen, chairman and CEO of Gold House.
Indian luxury designer Anita Dongre has launched a hand-painted one-off carrom board in collaboration with Gold House, reimagining the tabletop game common in South Asian homes as a contemporary design object. Guests also saw the limited edition Cuyana x Gold House Marigold Charm, which launched in early October.
Co-hosts covered entertainment, media, fashion and business. These included Tan France, Freida Pinto, Avantika, Sarayu Blue, Dhar Mann, Blumhouse president Abhijay Prakash, Poshmark president Manish Chandra and McKinsey’s global head of TMT and consumer technology Kabir Ahuja. Anita Dongre and Yash Dongre with South Stack Studios were also among the co-hosts.
The guest list included Saheli Khan, Aishu Devan and Sehaj Sethi from “Avatar: Seven Havens,” as well as Hannah Simone, Janina Gavankar, Manish Dayal, Sanya Malhotra, Richa Moorjani, Nisha Ganatra, Asif Ali, Michelle Khare and Avani Gregg.
Rasoi Catering served regional South Asian dishes and a hall was reserved for carrom. DJ MissNinja shared the music with KVS Tabla, a group that combines tabla with electronic music and other styles. Bhindi Jewelers hosted a jewelery experience, while dating app Dil Mil sponsored a portrait station produced by The Lounge Booth. The event, produced by BMF Productions, was also supported by Smartwater, Glance, McKinsey & Company and Google’s 100 Zeros.
In his speech at the night, Chen said that Golden Diwali is not just for the Festival of Lights. “This is for creators, founders, and true builders who know that shining, overnight success, is a decades-long process,” he said.
The party follows the recent launch of Gold House’s Diwali Cultural Guide.