Deep Sidhu
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Sandeep Singh Sidhu (2 April 1984 – 15 February 2022), also known as Deep Sidhu, was an Indian film actor and Sikh activist. He worked in Punjabi films, starting his acting career with the film ''
Ramta Jogi ''Ramta Jogi'' is a 2015 Indian Punjabi-language Romance film, romance film directed by Guddu Dhanoa and produced by Vijay Singh Dhanoa under banners of Vijayta Films and I`MPossible Films. It stars Deep Sidhu, Ronica Singh, Rahul Dev, Girish S ...
'' produced by
Dharmendra Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol (born 8 December 1935), known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer, and politician who is primarily known for his work in Hindi films. Dharmendra is widely considered one of the greatest, most h ...
under his banner Vijayta Films. Sidhu entered political arena in 2019, campaigning for the BJP candidate
Sunny Deol Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1957), better known as Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, and politician. One of the highest grossing actors of Indian cinema, he has worked in Sunny Deol filmography, more than 100 Hindi ...
, and later trying to take a leading role in the 2020-2021 farmers' protest. A few months before his death in a road accident, he founded a Punjabi Sikh organisation Waris Punjab De.


Early life

Deep Sidhu was born on 2 April 1984 (or 1979, per his driving licence), to a Punjabi family in Udekaran village of Muktsar district of
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
. His father Sardar Surjit Singh Sidhu was a lawyer; his mother died when he was 4 years old. He has two brothers – Surjeet and Mandeep Singh. He obtained a degree in law from
Punjabi University Punjabi University is a collegiate state public university located in Patiala, Punjab, India, Punjab, India. It was established on 30 April 1962 and is only the second university in the world to be named after a language, after Hebrew Universit ...
in
Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...
. He dated Punjabi actress Reena Rai who was also his co-star in two of his movies.


Career

He worked in legal positions for a few years, as a legal advisor to
Sahara India Pariwar Sahara India Pariwar (''pariwar'' being Hindi for "family") is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The group operates business sectors such as finance, infrastructure & housing, real estate, sports, power, ma ...
, in the British legal firm Hammonds, and as the legal head of
Balaji Telefilms Balaji Telefilms is an Indian company that produces Indian soap operas in several Indian languages. Balaji Telefilms also owns Alt Balaji, the platform known for producing adult rated content. Balaji Telefilms also produces reality TV, comedy ...
. Later, he founded a law firm Lex Legal in Mumbai. He made his acting debut in ''Ramta Jogi'', which brought him the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Male Debut in Punjabi Cinema in 2016. He rose to greater prominence with '' Jora 10 Numbaria'' (2017), in which he played the lead role of a gangster, making him a star. He followed that with ''Rang Panjab'' (2018), ''Desi'' (2019), '' Jora: The Second Chapter'' (2020) and '' Saade Aale'' (2022). The release of ''Jora: The Second Chapter'', which was a sequel to the successful ''Jora 10 Numbaria'', was affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns in India. ''Saade Aale'' was released in April 2022, two months after his death.


Politics

Sidhu entered the political sphere during the
2019 Indian general election General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and vote ...
when he campaigned for the actor-turned-politician
Sunny Deol Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1957), better known as Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, and politician. One of the highest grossing actors of Indian cinema, he has worked in Sunny Deol filmography, more than 100 Hindi ...
, who was the BJP candidate for the
Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...
constituency. He was said to have been close to Deol and his pictures with Deol and prime minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
got circulated later in 2020. During the Covid-19 lockdown in India, Sidhu is said to have read the works of Ajmer Singh, about Punjab and Sikh history. This led to his political awakening, as Ajmer Singh had argued that Punjab's history has been "tampered with". He uploaded several videos on social media on Punjab's history, culture and economy, and acquired a wide following. Kamaldeep Singh Brar
Deep Sidhu: Man of many shades, loved and hated in equal measure
Indian Express, 16 February 2022.


Farmers' protest

When farmers' protests began in Punjab in late 2020, against the BJP government's farm laws, the artistes of Punjab were prodded on social media into supporting the protests. Kamaldeep Singh Brar
Farmers’ protest in Punjab: Questioned for their silence and activism, Punjabi artistes dig in for long battle ahead
Indian Express, 4 October 2020.
Deep Sidhu organised a protest at Shambu on Punjab–Haryana border on 25 September, along with a former gangster called Lakha Sidhana, which came to be called the "Shambu Morcha". The artist-organised protests did not meet with the approval of the farmer unions, who saw them as upstaging their own protests. They also said that these protests were misguiding the youth. Moreover, Sidhu and Sidhana were asking the protesters to broaden the agenda beyond the farm bills into a general protest against the Union government, in opposition to an alleged "attack on Punjab". Kamaldeep Singh Brar
Farm outfits sore as actors, singers appropriate protests
Indian Express, 27 September 2020.
Sidhu also rebuffed the objections of the farmer unions saying that he would not abide by directives that were issued from closed-door meetings. After the "symbolic protest" on 25 September, he launched a permanent "Shambu Morcha on 4 October, which continued, until, in collaboration with Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur), the morcha broke the barricades at the Shambu barrier and marched towards Delhi. This forced the other unions also to march to Delhi. Throughout this period Sidhu was firm in his position that the protests were not merely about the farm bills, but to "change the entire power equation". Aditya Menon
Farmers Protest: How Actor Deep Sidhu Became Part of the Agitation
The Quint, 28 November 2020.
They had to be seen in the context of the "federal structure and existence of Punjab". When farmer unions complained that the youth participating in his morcha did not even read the farm bills, he replied that they did not need to. If they understood that Modi wanted to "capture our lands", that was enough. At one stage, one of the protesting youth raised pro-Khalistan slogans, and the morcha manager Hakam Singh handed him over to the police. Sidhu said that it was harsh treatment and expelled the manager.Deep Sidhu expels activist from Shambhu Morcha for harshly objecting to pro-Khalistan slogan
Sikh24, 29 October 2020.
His Shambu Morcha, which is said to have been independent of the farmer unions, was live streamed by pro-Khalistan channels. The farmers that reached Delhi were blocked at the outer periphery of Delhi, where they continued their protest. For the
Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially calle ...
on 26 January 2021, the farmer unions planned a " Kisan Parade" on tractors through the Outer Ring Road, along a route agreed upon with the police. On the day before, Sidhu took over the main stage at Singhu, and argued for marching "inside Delhi". During the parade, some farmers that bought into the idea diverted from the agreed route, entered central Delhi near the ITO metro station, broke the police barricades and clashed with the police. There was rioting. In the afternoon, they entered the
Red Fort The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila () is a historic Mughal Empire, Mughal fort in Delhi, India, that served as the primary residence of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1639, fo ...
area in their tractors, climbed on the ramparts of the monument and hoisted flags. Deep Sidhu was among them. According to
IANS Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. In December 2023, Adani Group, Adani group, known for its clos ...
, Sidhu did a Facebook Live broadcast of the event and commented, "We have only hoisted the
Nishan Sahib The Nishan Sahib (), also known as the Sikh flag, is used to represent the Sikh people worldwide. In 1936, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ratified the Rehat, Sikh Rehet Maryada, which states its colour as either basanti (xanthic) ...
flag (Sikh religious flag) on the Red Fort while exercising our democratic right to protest." Punjabi actor summoned by NIA posts live video from Red Fort hoisting pennant, IANS, 26 January 2021. The federation of the farmers' unions, ''Samyukt Kisan Morcha'' distanced itself from Sidhu and accused him of leading the farmers to the Red Fort. In video recordings Sidhu was seen being chased away by some farmers. He was found to have left Delhi and gone into hiding in Haryana. Arvind Ojha
Deep Sidhu arrested in Karnal after being named in Delhi Police FIR on Republic Day violence
India Today, 9 February 2021.
The Delhi Police booked Sidhu and Sadhana for instigating violence at the Red Fort. After a preliminary investigation, they concluded that "there was a pre-conceived and well-coordinated plan to break the agreement between the
Delhi Police The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi Police falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. In 2024, the sanctioned strength of Delhi Police w ...
and the leaders of protesting organisations." Sidhu was arrested on 9 February 2021 from
Karnal Karnal () is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. The city is well connected as it lies on National Highway 01, in the south of the city lies the cities of Panipat and Sonipa ...
in Haryana on charge of instigating farmers to storm the Red Fort and causing violence. He pleaded innocence and claimed he was not involved in any violence nor incited others. He said that he had exercised his right to peaceful protest and was implicated as he was a "popular face" present "at the wrong place at the wrong time". After his bail plea was approved, he was arrested a second time on a police case filed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). ASI had accused Sidhu of damaging the monument and vandalism by the rioters. His lawyer denounced the second arrest after bail as unconstitutional. He was released on bail on 16 April 2021.


Waris Punjab De

In September 2021, Sidhu formed a political organisation named Waris Punjab De, that aimed to get more rights for farmers from the Union government. Before his death, he gave support to the pro-Khalistan leader
Simranjit Singh Mann Simranjit Singh Mann (born 20 May 1945) is a former Indian Police Service officer and a former Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He lost e ...
and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).


Death

Sidhu died in a car accident on 15 February 2022, at the age of 37. The accident occurred on the Kundli-Manesar highway, in Haryana's Kharkhoda area, near Delhi. Sidhu was driving his
Mahindra Scorpio The Mahindra Scorpio is a mid-size SUV (in the Indian market) and Compact SUV (in the Global market) manufactured by the Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra since 2002. It was Mahindra's first model to be built for the global market. The Scor ...
towards Punjab. There were two people in the car; the passenger was his girlfriend, Reena Rai, who survived with injuries. According to
Sonipat Sonipat is a planned industrial city and administrative headquarter in Sonipat district of Haryana state of India. It comes under the National Capital Region and is around from New Delhi. It lies 214 km (128 miles) southwest of Chandigar ...
police, Sidhu died around 9 P.M. near the Peepli toll booth, after his car hit the rear end of a truck parked on the highway. The truck had broken down on the side of the road. The driver side of the car took the maximum impact of the crash. Sidhu was pronounced dead at the hospital.


Commemoration


Tributes

In a condolence message, the chief of the
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee) is an organization in India responsible for the management of ''gurdwaras'', Sikh places of worship, in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and ...
(Sikh governing body) had said "Sidhu had played a leading role in mobilising the youth during the Kisan Sangharsh and spread the voice of Kisan Sangharsh across the country and the world. The serious people of Punjab are deeply shocked by his demise." In October 2022, there were talks ongoing with the SGPC and Mandeep Sidhu (Deep Sidhu's brother) to have his picture placed in the Central Sikh Museum.


Musical tributes

Sidhu Moose Wala Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu (11 June 199329 May 2022), known professionally as Sidhu Moose Wala, was an Indian singer and rapper. He worked predominantly in Punjabi Music, Punjabi-language music and Punjabi cinema, cinema. Moose Wala is considered t ...
was a friend of Sidhu, and, after his death, became more vocal on
Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
issues. He recorded two songs on
Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
and Sikh politics with a few more to come out in the future. In his song named ' SYL' a recording was played of Deep Sidhu's speech calling out two faced people after the 2020-2021 Indian farmers' protest and in his album "Moosetape" he played a recording of Deep Sidhu at the end of his song, 'Burberry'.


Filmography


Honours and awards


Film awards


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sidhu, Deep 1984 births 2022 deaths 21st-century Indian lawyers Male actors from Punjab, India Activists from Punjab, India Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Punjabi cinema People from Sri Muktsar Sahib district Road incident deaths in India