India pic to Toronto

World Brief

By TAMSEN TILLSON

The world preem of "Guru," the latest from director Mani Ratnam ("Bombay," "Peck in the Cheek"), will be held not in India but in Toronto.

"We chose Toronto as the venue for the world premiere because Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world," said producer Bobby Bedi.

Preem, which will be attended by Bedi and Ratnam, as well as its stars, Bollywood heartthrobs Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, will be held Jan. 11 at the Elgin Theater. "Guru" will be released worldwide on Jan. 12.

Canadian distributor Roger Nair said the deal was inspired by the success of Deepa Mehta's "Water," a Hindi-language Canadian film that pulled down B.O. of C$3 million ($2.8 million), a sizable take for a relatively small market. That pic is Canada's entry in the foreign-language Oscar race.

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