One of Salmon Arm’s biggest fundraising events has announced this year, it will be supporting the purchase of Shuswap Lake General Hospital’s first MRI machine. The third ever Bollywood Bang gala event is taking place at Rogers Rink on Saturday night, with plans to raise its largest amount yet for the Shuswap Hospital Foundation. “We just got the authorization from the Hospital Foundation and everybody else that Salmon Arm is green lit to raise money for that,” said event co-organizer Sunny Dhaliwal. “We're going to have an MRI machine eventually in Salmon Arm, which is amazing.” He said the hospital has already started preparations on its end, including choosing the location for the future MRI room. The last Bollywood Bang took place in 2023, and raised $315,000 for the Shuswap Hospital Foundation. The event is set up to look like an Indian wedding reception, with a dinner provided by Namaste Indian Restaurant. “I have these six DJs that come and they play a mix of pop and rock music mixed with Indian music, and it's just like a crazy dance party,” he said. “We're really trying to up the ante and make it a really fun event.” Since it is a gala event, Dhaliwal said attendees always dress to impress. “Usually, we have about 80 per cent of people dressed up in Indian clothing,” he said. “We had ladies set up to rent outfits, people are buying them off the internet and we got lots of sponsors.” He said he is pulling out all of the stops to make this year’s event the best one yet. “We have some really unique live performers,” he added. “I have this Russian violin player coming from the coast, and she plays Bollywood music but on violin with a backtrack, and it's amazing.” The Salmon Arm Bollywood Bang follows in the footsteps of a similar event in Vernon that was organized by Dhaliwal’s cousin Dalbir Nahal before cancer claimed her life in 2021. The event is also a tribute to Dhaliwal’s sister who died in 2012. While battling illness, she made several trips to Shuswap Lake General Hospital, and Dhaliwal said the amazing care she received at the hospital inspired him to put on the event as a tribute to her and as a way to give back to the community. This year’s event features a live auction with a BMW convertible, as well as a slew of other items including a trip to Mexico with airfare, houseboat excursions, dinner experiences, golf experiences, a piano and much more. Along with the money raised for the Shuswap Hospital Foundation, a small donation is set aside for the Salmon Arm Rotary Club to thank them for the help their volunteers provide in running the event. The Bollywood Bang Salmon Arm is organized by Dhaliwal, along with the Schneider family from Jacobson Ford Salmon Arm. Tickets for the event are sold out.