Did you know Toronto’s Little India began with a Bollywood movie theatre? In 1972, Gian Naaz transformed an abandoned cinema on Gerrard Street into the Naaz Theatre, the first South Asian movie theatre in Canada.
It became a cultural hub for newcomers craving connection and community, sparking the rise of Toronto’s vibrant Little India. Though the Naaz Theatre closed in the 1980s, its impact still lives on in every restaurant, shop, and festival that fills the neighbourhood today.