Deep Sidhu

Sandeep Singh Sidhu, known as Deep Sidhu (2 April 1984 – 15 February 2022) was an Indian actor, barrister and activist who worked in Punjabi language films. Sidhu started his film career with the Punjabi film ''Ramta Jogi'' which was produced by actor Dharmendra under his banner Vijayta Films.

He is also known as the founder of the Punjabi-centric social organisation, 'Waris Panjab De'.

Early life

Sidhu was born on 2 April 1984, to a Punjabi family in Udekaran village of Muktsar district of Punjab. His father Sardar Surjit Singh Sidhu was a lawyer and his mother passed away when he was 4 years old. He has a brother called Surjit. He obtained a degree in law from Punjabi University in Patiala.

Prior to his separation, Deep Sidhu was married to Namrata Sidhu and they both had a daughter called Rahne. He then started dating actress Reena Rai.

Career

Before starting his acting career Sidhu worked as a model, then as a lawyer. He practiced law only for a short time.

Legal Career

Acting

Sidhu 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 then made an even bigger impression in '' Jora 10 Numbaria'' (2017). He followed that with ''Rang Panjab'' (2018), ''Saade Aale'' (2018), ''Desi'' (2019) and ''Jora: The Second Chapter'' (2020).

Politics

Sidhu entered politics during the 2019 Indian general election when he campaigned for actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol, the BJP candidate for the Gurdaspur constituency. He was said to be close to Deol and in December 2020, during the farmers protest, farmer unions used Sidhu's pictures with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sunny Deol to show his links to the BJP and RSS in protests—a claim which was later denied by Sidhu.

The farmer unions blamed Sidhu and gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana for instigating a riot and hoisting a religious flag on Red Fort during the 2021 Farmers' Republic Day parade. Sidhu and Sadana were also booked by the police. In a preliminary investigation by the police, they said in a statement "there was a pre-conceived and well-coordinated plan to break the agreement between the Delhi Police and the leaders of protesting organizations."

Sidhu was arrested on 9 February 2021 in a police case related to violence at the Red Fort. Sidhu pleaded innocence in the case and claimed he was not involved in any violence nor did he incite others. Sidhu claimed he was peacefully exercising his right to 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.

In September Sidhu formed a political organisation named ''Waris Punjab De'' that would work to get the farmers their rights from the Union government. Before his death, he campaigned for far-right leader Simranjit Singh Mann and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).

Death

Sidhu met with a road 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 car (a Mahindra Scorpio) towards Punjab. There were two people in the car; the passenger was his girlfriend, Punjabi film actress Reena Rai, survived with injuries.

According to Sonipat 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 declared dead at the hospital.

Filmography

Honours and awards

References

External links

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