Boring
limousines
at
celebrity
events
are
out.
At
least
for
now.
Lisa
Ray
and
the
rest
of
the
cast
of
Dilip
Mehta"s
Cooking
With
Stella
rode
up
in
hand-driven
rickshaws
for
the
Gala
premiere
at
the
Toronto
Film
Festival
on
Thursday
night.
Heads
turned,
and
jaws
fall
open
at
the
august
gathering.
But
Lisa
couldn"t
care
less.
That
was
a
bit
of
Indian
thrown
into
the
Oriental
cuisine.
Delighted
euphoric,
but
exhausted
after
the
event
Lisa
said,
“Yes,
we
rolled
up
in
rickshaws
and
the
crowd
was
hugely
supportive.
I
wore
my
'Myeloma" bracelet,
which
matched
my
gown.
My
gown
was
designed
by
NADA,
a
Toronto
designer,
and
India-inspired."
Lisa
rode
up
in
the
two-seater
rickshaw
with
her
co-star
Don
McKellar,
while
the
rest
of
the
cast
along
with
the
director,
his
sister
Deepa
Mehta
and
producer
David
Hamilton
were
in
other
rickshaws.
The
entourage
was
arresting.
The
ambience
created
was
very
rustic
and
Indian.
Interestingly
since
a
lot
of
the
film
is
about
cooking
and
food,
a
majority
of
the
audience
in
the
2000-member
auditorium
came
out
of
the
film
famished!
The
press
at
the
Toronto
Film
Festival
was
naturally
full
of
questions
about
Lisa"s
health
condition.
She
answered
all
of
them
patiently.
This
was
Lisa"s
first
major
public
appearance
after
she
announced
her
illness.
And
she
had
herself
a
grand
time.
“I
had
the
most
fun
I've
ever
had
at
a
red
carpet
event.
Probably
because
it
was
the
first
time
I
was
totally
unselfconscious.
It's
an
interesting
lesson.
I
could
just
let
it
all
hang
out
and
genuinely
enjoy
myself.
Also,
I
am
grateful
for
all
the
support
and
love
from
people
around
the
world,
especially
from
India.
Truly,
India's
heart
beats
stronger
and
louder
than
ever
before."
Fatigued
but
excited
Lisa
says,
“The
Gala
went
off
spectacularly
well.
Dilip
brought
down
the
house
with
his
opening
on
stage.
Our
film
was
received
with
incredible
warmth
and
positivity."
Lisa
is
big
fan
of
her
Stella
co-star
Seema
Biswas.
“Seema
continues
to
be
my
ultimate
inspiration
as
an
actress.
All
the
performances
in
the
film
are
spot-on,
making
Cooking
With
Stella
a
crowd-pleaser.
Dilip
Mehta
is
an
amazing
director.
He's
made
something
very
special
in
Cooking
With
Stella,
and
his
vision
will
continue
to
thrill
in
the
future.
It's
been
a
privilege
to
work
with
him,
and
with
the
entire
cast."
Besides
Seema
and
Lisa,
Shreya
Saran
who
stars
in
Cooking
With
Stella
also
attracted
a
lot
of
media
eyeballs
at
the
Toronto
premiere.