Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, stars of the epic adaptation “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend,” opened Gold House’s largest Gold Diwali to date at The Majestic Downtown in Los Angeles, alongside filmmakers Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra, a week before the film’s release.
Gold House, which works to back and celebrate the Asian Pacific community, staged the gathering ahead of Diwali, which falls on Nov. 8 this year. The organization pitched “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” as the biggest film ever produced out of India. Based on the ancient epic, it opens worldwide on Nov. 5, and a DJ set and dance floor themed around the movie ran through the night.
The group also used the evening to unveil the Gold Stack Shorts Fund, a partnership with South Stack Studios that will support proof-of-concept shorts and micro-series built on South Asian stories. Submissions are open through Nov. 30, with the chosen projects to be named Jan. 10, before Sundance.
“Diwali is a celebration of light, community and connection, and we wanted to bring that spirit to our Gold Diwali while honoring how culture shapes who we are and the possibilities we create,” said Bing Chen, Gold House’s executive chair and CEO.
Indian luxury designer Anita Dongre debuted a one-off carrom board, painted by hand in collaboration with Gold House, that recasts the tabletop game common in South Asian homes as a contemporary design object. Guests also saw the Cuyana x Gold House Marigold Charm, a limited-edition piece released earlier in October.
Co-hosts spanned entertainment, media, fashion and business. Among them were Tan France, Freida Pinto, Avantika, Sarayu Blue, Dhar Mann, Blumhouse president Abhijay Prakash, Poshmark chairman Manish Chandra and Kabir Ahuja, McKinsey’s global head of TMT and consumer technology. Anita Dongre and Yash Dongre were also among the co-hosts, as was South Stack Studios.
The guest list included Saheli Khan, Aishu Devan and Sehaj Sethi of “Avatar: Seven Havens,” along with 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 lounge was set aside for carrom. DJ MissNinja shared the music with KVS Tabla, an act that fuses tabla with electronic music and other styles. Bhindi Jewelers hosted a jewelry experience, while dating app Dil Mil sponsored a portrait station produced by The Lounge Booth. Smartwater, Glance, McKinsey & Company and Google’s 100 Zeros also backed the event, which was produced by BMF Productions.
In remarks during the night, Chen said Gold Diwali was not just for the Festival of Lights. “It’s for the creators, founders, and true builders who know that shining, that overnight success, is decades in the making,” he said.
The party follows the recent rollout of Gold House’s Diwali Cultural Guide.
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