MUMBAI, INDIA (PRWEB) OCTOBER 12, 2017
Anjum Rajabali, who is considered one of India’s premier screenwriters and is the head of the screenwriting department at Whistling Woods in Mumbai, India (which the Hollywood Reporter named one of ‘The best film schools in the world’), has known businessman and social activist, Satinder Dhillon, for many years and is a close personal friend of his. The two have been discussing writing a movie about his life for some time now.
Rajabali has followed the trials and tribulations that Dhillon has faced in Canada, for many years. Dhillon fought one of the most historic freedom of speech cases in the history of Canada.
After a recent meeting in Mumbai, at Whistling Woods, Rajabali and Dhillon intend to work together in the coming months, to take an 18 plus year battle, that is well documented in court files, transcripts and sworn affidavits and make a screenplay out of it. This screenplay is expected to eventually star an A-list Bollywood actor.
“Satinder’s life reads like an adventure. The struggle that he has gone through in this case lends itself to a very dramatic and thrilling story” stated Rajabali, when asked about why he was taking on this project.
Having worked with a number of India’s best known directors and actors, including the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, Rajabali heads the screenwriting programs at both of India’s major film schools – the official Film and Television Institute of India and the aforementioned Whistling Woods International, which was founded by Bollywood producer/director Subhash Ghai.
An activist himself, Anjum Rajabali, has previously written scripts such as Ghulam for Aamir Khan, Aarakshan for Amitabh Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan, Ranjneeti for Ranbi Kapoor and Katrina Kaif and The Legend of Bhagat Singh for Ajay Devgn, Pukar for Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit.
Dhillon was recently featured in the special publication about Punjabis around the world, known as the Jewels of Punjab. He was one of the top 100 ‘Leading Global Punjabi Personalities’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LadIqsJqI5Y).
This book also features former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (who was the guest of honor at the unveiling, which took place on August 14th at the Ashok hotel in Delhi).
The opening paragraph of the story, contained in that publication, about Dhillon, reads as follows:
“Though no more are there the struggles for independence that fighters like Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar Azad fought for, there is still a constant need of modern day revolutionaries in the world, like Mr. Satinder Paul Singh Dhillon.
“He is an entrepreneur, strategist, social activist, writer and is known around the world for the historic freedom of speech case he fought in Canada.”
“Canadian judges have commended him for his legal ability. One judge was even quoted as saying that Dhillon is “better than most lawyers”, this despite not having a law degree.”
The special coffee table book, which is being delivered to embassies and consulates around the world, chronicles Dhillon’s story of growing up on a farm and then becoming an international businessman.
His ‘Success Mantra’ in the book states “Where there’s a will there is a way”. And he credits his Sikh upbringing to helping him tremendously in life.
Other global entrants in the book include, top ten Forbes list earning actor – Akshay Kumar, President and CEO of Mastercard – Ajay Singh Banga, current Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh, Air Chief Marshal – Birender Singh Dhanoa, Surender Singh Kandhari (Chairman of International Conglomorate Al Dobowi and Chairman of Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara in Dubai), President of World Punjabi Organization Padma Shri Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Dr. Narinder Kapany (the ‘Father of Fiber Optics’), former Governor of South Carolina and current Ambassador to the United Nations for America Dr. Nimrata ‘Nikki’ Haley, famous Punjabi farmer known as the ‘Peach King’ Sardar Didar Singh Bains, Senior Dentist and Chairman of Sharing, Caring & Service Foundation Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah, President and CEO of PTC Network – Rajiee M. Shinde, Founder of The Loomba Group of Companies – Right Honourable Lord Raj Loomba, CBE.
Other Canadians in the book include, former Attorney General and Court of Appeal Judge in Vancouver, B.C. – Wally Oppal, Canada’s current Minister of Defence – Harjit Singh Sajjan, lumber tycoon – Dr. Asa Singh Johal, International Businessman and Canada’s first Sikh Billionaire – Erwin Singh Braich, property developer – Daljit Singh Thind, Chiropractor and politician – Dr. Ruby Dhalla, and 31 year old Arjan Singh Bhullar (the youngest entrant in the book) – who is the first South Asian in the UFC, the first South Asian to represent Canada in the Olympics and a Commonwealth Gold Medal winner for freestyle wrestling.
Bhullar recently made history again, on September 9, 2017, in Edmonton, Alberta, by becoming the first Punjabi to win in the UFC. (http://desihiphop.com/biggest-ever-desi-parade-cheered-ufc-champ-arjan-bhullar-victory/021231) .
Balpreet Kaur Matharu, originally from Kenya, who was voted the Best Asian Female Business Icon in 2013 and currently works as the Principal Pharmacist in Seychelles, was the second youngest entrant at 35 years of age. Dhillon is the third youngest entrant, at 39 years old.
Dhillon, who comes from humble beginnings, having grown up in Abbotsford, British Columbia (a small farming community in Canada), is known around the world now for his social activism and bravery for having risked his life after he was threatened by the world’s fourth largest accounting firm – KPMG – and others. He took a stand against corruption, the government, and multi-national corporations and he literally nearly died doing it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWXV3szAp_o&t=1s).
Dhillon was in his early twenties when the world’s fourth largest accounting firm, KPMG, first entered into his life, after they were appointed receiver in the botched and involuntary bankruptcy proceedings of Canada’s first Sikh Billionaire, Erwin Singh Braich (https://satinderdhillonkpmg.wordpress.com/). These proceedings are the longest of their kind in the history of Canada. These are the longest proceedings of their kind in Canadian history having lasted over 18 years and counting now.
When Dhillon first embarked on his international business career, he was introduced to Mr. Erwin Singh Braich, a very famous Indo-Canadian businessman (son of the legendary Herman Singh Braich Sr., who came to Canada in 1927) (http://justiceandtruthforall.org/uploads/A_Celebration_of_our_Heritage1.pdf).
Erwin guided Satinder as they embarked on new ventures involving mining, real estate, technology, and commodities trading among other things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgIDvv7wvaw&t=16s).
Dhillon is a creditor in the aforementioned involuntary bankruptcy proceedings and is owed over $3 million. It has been alleged that over $800 million in damages was caused by KPMG, the government, and others to Braich and his creditors.
During his extraordinary journey, Dhillon has met a lot of people around the world and made many friends who are also fighting against injustice. There are many notable individuals that have joined him in his fight. One of them is his very close friend, trusted advisor, and his personal lawyer, Mr. Jamshed Mistry.
Mistry is a member of the Mumbai Bar Association and a member of the Canadian Bar Association. He is a very accomplished lawyer and has the most Amicus Curiae (judicial appointments) in the Bombay High Court. He is also the former President of the Entertainment Lawyers Association in India and has represented many high profile celebrity clients. His clients also include The Reserve Bank of India and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking.
Mistry is also very well known for his social activism and spends much of his time working for social causes, particularly the rights of the disabled, as he is on the sub-committee of the Planning Commission, which is reviewing the legislation for disabled persons in India.
Mistry was also the legal consultant, in Canada, to the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA), that took place in Vancouver in April 2013, in which the B.C. Provincial government invested $11 million to host the extravaganza.
Dhillon and Mistry have co-founded Global Legal Solutions and they both advise in their respective capacities on high profile matters around the world, legal and otherwise, for the greater good of humanity. Dhillon was asked to advise European citizens living in the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.
During his trial in Canada, Dhillon even received advice from one of Nelson Mandela’s former lawyers – Mr. Martin Garbus of the U.S. who is widely regarded as one of the greatest trial attorneys to have ever lived and whom Time magazine called “legendary”. His client list includes Eminem, Al Pacino, Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Spike Lee, Martin Lawrence, Nobel Prize winners and political dissidents such as Vaclav Havel and many more.
“Activism is the rent you pay for your space on earth” is what Dhillon says when asked why he spends his time doing what he does now.
Along with his business interests around the world, Satinder now spends a great deal of his time and effort assisting individuals who have been marginalized and organizations that are trying to make the world a better place.
“While I was in Mumbai this last time, I was asked to stay longer but couldn’t, as I had to return to Canada, due to the fact that I was involved with helping my close friend, Arjan Singh Bhullar, with the launch of his career into the UFC”.
“I felt like it was more important to help with this historic event for the South Asian community, so I told Anjum that we could do the rest of the work over the phone and Skype from here on forward.”
“Satinder is a fighter in the truest sense of the word.” stated Bhullar when asked about his thoughts on his good friend and the work he has done in his life.
“I’m proud to call him a friend and for the strength he has shown through tremendously hard times in life. Ironically, it’s the journey he was on and the warrior like mentality he had in fighting back that actually brought us together in the first place.”
“It’s a unique story, how him and I met and one day we both hope it will be told after we’ve grown old and done our life’s work.”
“We both hope that our life’s work amounts to creating some sort of positive change in this world. We both think the same in that respect and have discussed it many times. Us humans only have so much time on the planet, so my motto is let’s make it count and do something great and reach for something more.” added Bhullar.
Dhillon now has his own blog on the Huffington Post and the last post he made was about Arjan and his journey so far. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/satinder-dhillon)
“Working with Satinder is about more than just a file for a client. It’s the legacy of his parents and his own life’s work that cannot ever be destroyed, now that it’s gotten to the stage whereby people like Anjum and myself are involved. The story will be told no matter what. Once it’s made into a film, then it will live forever” stated Mistry.
“I’m so proud of my friend for fighting back, the way he did, against corruption in Canada. I’m glad that I was on this journey with the team. Being in the trenches with one another brings you together in a way that only those that go through any kind of battle will understand.” stated Emmet Pierce who is a very good friend of Dhillon’s and assisted him during his trial tremendously.
“I’m very proud of Satinder. He has been a great friend and he’s been a loyal supporter of mine through ups and downs and thick and thin. We both know what we’ve faced at the hands of the system in Canada and it was our belief in a higher power that brought us through on the other side. He is blessed to have a great mother that supported us both on this journey and we are both thankful to God, above all else, to be standing today to live and tell the story” stated Erwin Singh Braich.
“He has great vision that’s the thing about Satinder. His vision is something we can all get behind and we did. He is trying to make the world a better place and the challenges he’s faced has only made him develop the skill set to do so in a more effective way. He’s become a great organizer through the whole process he’s been through and as he says, to be the CEO he’s learned that you have to know how to be the janitor first.” stated Luke Meijer, a close friend of Satinder’s.
“I’m so grateful to have the support of so many different people, from so many different walks of life, from so many countries” stated Satinder when asked about how he was able to able to connect with so many people around the world. “Without the advent of Facebook and the internet, I may well have been one of the muzzled voices in this world, as happens so often”.
“For a kid who grew up on a farm in a small town, to be able to do things now in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, New York, Los Angeles and other place around the globe still seems surreal at times.” added Satinder.
“Satinder has warrior’s blood in him that’s for sure. He and I have been in touch for many years and I’m proud to be working with him now as well.” stated Hip Hop artist Lazaraus AKA Dr. Kamran Rashid who is a practicing physician in Las Vegas now and is originally from Detroit.
“He has the same vision that I do, to help the world and that’s very important to me in my careers whether it’s in Hip Hop or at the hospital where I work.”
“Satinder wrote a blog on Huffington Post about exactly how I feel about America today and we have projects we have been working on for a while that we will be releasing next year. He’s followed my journey for many, many years and I’ve followed his. We need more people like him in this world.” added Lazarus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hos57HFnrXw).
Fearless is the title of the blog Dhillon has written about Lazarus and it can be viewed here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fearless_2_b_12814092.html
“Satinder is a proud Sikh and a proud warrior and he feels as if the pen or the keyboard in today’s era is truly his sword. He credits his belief in a higher power and Sikh values for helping him tremendously along his journey.” stated his friend Jasveer Singh from the U.K., who is the Senior Press Officer for the Sikh Press Association and met with Satinder and members of his team on his recent trip to Canada.
“You can never count Satinder out. He may get knocked down in life from time to time but he always manages to get back up and keep going and that’s what we love about him.” Enrique Vidal who has known Satinder for many years.
“He’s a hero to many in the community now, especially for the underdogs in life. Many people thought he was crazy to be fighting back the way he was. He proved to the world what a determined individual can do with the right support system around him and we admire his never give up spirit.” stated Vinay Sharma who fearlessly covered his story for the Times of Canada.
“I still remember clearly when I met Satinder for the first time, a few years ago, in Mumbai, after I was introduced to him by our mutual friend Jamshed Mistry. Satinder was still fighting the trial at that point and had a lot of fight left yet to fight ahead of him” stated Gayathiri Guliani.
“It was incredible to see and the passion with which he spoke and how determined he was to fight back, no matter the risk to his own life.”
“It is commendable what he has done and I am very proud of him” added Gayathiri Guliani, who is currently the head of International Distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment in India and formerly worked at Reliance Big Pictures, having set up their international distribution department and released movies such as 3 Idiots, Singh is King and Ghajini. (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/media/sony-pictures-india-ropes-in-gayathiri-guliani-as-head-of-international-distribution/articleshow/53393629.cms)
“People in the homeland of Punjab are very proud of Satinder. He has fought a long hard battle for freedom of speech and it was no small thing to continue to fight when your life is threatened the way his was.” stated Anup Kumar who has known Satinder for some time and met him on his latest trip to Delhi when Mr. Kumar (who lives in Chandigarh) drove to the nation’s capital to discuss their upcoming ventures one of which at the time was the launch of Arjan Bhullar’s career in the UFC and introducing him to the Indian market.
Kumar is the former manager of Honey Singh and together they made history, with Honey Singh becoming one of the best-selling artists ever in Indian history. Currently Kumar manages Harbhajan Mann, Manak Ali, Bups Saggu and Brown Gal among others (http://acmeentertainment.in/).
“I’ve met a lot of people in my life but none quite like Satinder. He’s shown himself to be fearless in the face of tyranny and we are all very proud of him. Big things are planned for 2018 and when Jamshed Mistry, our mutual friend, introduced me to him a couple of years ago, I was able to share my story with him and he has helped put me on a path to share my talent with the world in a way that I hadn’t thought of before. He’s innovative and very creative himself and we’ve got big plans.” stated Teflon Don as he’s known in the music industry.
Teflon is known for having played a huge role in the Indian music industry, having helped pioneer a new sound for Indian music. He was instrumental in creating superstars such as Yo Yo Honey Singh, having funded and advised him in the beginning. He has also arranged for one of the biggest music collaborations in Bollywood history for Akshay Kumar’s movie Singh is Kinng (sic), between Snoop Dogg and Manj Musik, formerly of RDB.
“Satinder’s vision of bringing things together is incredible and it’s amazing how he’s able to handle pressure and keep on moving forward. He’s able to bring people together from all walks of life and I admire the way he’s able to do that. He sees the good in people and tries to nurture that and have that be the dominant part of their lives.” stated Roop Bhandher.
Bhandher, who owns Hush Entertainment, has run his event management company, doing tours and events for over 15 years. Most recently he did a charity show with Sharry Mann in Pentiction B.C. that raised money for the Penticton Regional Hospital, in honor of his cousin who passed away many years ago.
“To me it’s very important go give back to the community, as I consider myself very fortunate to have overcome some very hard times in life myself.” added Bhandher.
Bhandher has done tours for mainstream artists and ones from overseas. He has worked with artists such as Imran Khan, Dr. Zeus, B21, K.S. Makhan, Kuldip Manak, Yudvir Manak, Juggy D,, Mumzy Stranger, Jassi Sidhu, Ranjit Bawa, Sharry Mann, Ammy Virk, Rana Ranbir, Fateh PBN, Culture Shock, Mickey Singh, Juvenile, Chamillionaire, Maino, Outlaws, Kent Jones, Superwoman, Humble the Poet, AKakaAmazing, French Montana, and many more.
He also runs an international trading house and has offices in Guangzhou, China, Calgary, Alberta and Oliver, British Columbia.
“Every human is born with a voice to express and is the reflection of the environment which he or she lives in. Being a part of the human race we can collectively do better if we keep grounded and understand the complexity of life and the situations that arise from the current paradigm we live in.”
“The future is now and we need to end unnecessary suffering in the world.” stated Kuldeep Dhyani from his Delhi home.
Dhyani, who is known as Kay Dee in the entertainment industry, has his own production company and has worked with the United Nations and is well known in music and entertainment circles in India. He comes from humble beginnings and has worked with artists like Yo Yo Honey Singh among others and is currently editing multiple short documentaries about Dhillon’s life.
“I’ve known of Satinder for a while now and it was great to meet him in person when he came to India. We became very good friends and he has been an inspiration to me and my friends. We are working on new and progressive projects together and his back story, while fascinating, isn’t all that he’s been doing. Satinder is much more focused on the future than the past and the future looks bright.”
“My father works for the Indian government, in Prime Minister Modi’s office and since I was born he has explained to me the importance of an inclusive society. Meeting Satinder when he was in Delhi recently and having him come and visit my family while he was here, we all realized how much we all have in common, even though we grew up a world away from one another”.
“My father and Satinder literally had almost the exact same types of pictures up on Facebook with their mothers and my grandma and Satinder’s grandma have similar traits. It’s awesome that in today’s world, technology has brought us all much closer in a lot of ways and that is one of the great benefits of the technological revolution that has occurred in the world. It’s amazing to see two people from very different generations using Facebook in similar ways” added Dhyani.
“Why was this young man dragged through all of this? Is the question Canadians should be asking the government. I mean this is just what happened before the trial. Satinder was literally arrested by 9 police officers and taken from his home into a holding cell and left there without food and water for hours on end in his pajamas and then interrogated and told by the police officers that he should not try and be like Malcolm X and Gandhi and that KPMG was out to “silence” him and that he had a “target on his back” stated Mistry. (https://satinderdhillonkpmg.wordpress.com/)
“Seeking revenge is not something that is going to change what happened. Justice and fair treatment, to set the record straight, are very different than revenge. We just want equality, that’s what Sikhs stand for in the world, equality for everyone.” stated Dhillon when he was interviewed at his home in Abbotsford, B.C.
“I’m fortunate I have lived to tell the story, it’s the ones suffering right at this moment still that need our help and I thank God that I met Anjum and Jamshed when I did and that they are willing to assist in writing about it all now, so that I can focus on other things. There are many other projects they could be doing and it’s humbling that they would spend time and energy on this story over others.”
“Satinder literally risked his life, in more ways than one, fighting the system in Canada and actually almost died after a crazy set of circumstances presented themselves right before his trial was to start. Then he risked his life by going to prison, when he was offered a deal to stay out if he just took down the blogs.” stated Mistry.
“What the system did to this young man’s life and the way he valiantly fought back is the stuff of legend now, back home in India and around the world and I’m very proud of him for what he did and how he maintained his sense of honour and sense of humor actually most of all.”
“On his recent trip to Delhi and Mumbai it was great to see him in such high spirits, after having braved some dark days that’s for sure. When he was here we spoke at length about his new projects that he is involved with, in New York and around the world and how he’s finally getting back on his feet after having been decimated by the powers that be in Canada, after having fought an 18 plus year battle against the system over there.” concluded Mistry.
“I’ve never seen something like this happen in Canada in recent memory. I have gone to the courthouse in Vancouver and listened to the audio recordings from the court hearings and I literally couldn’t believe my ears when I heard what the judge was saying. How can a person not be allowed to use the truth in a court of law in Canada? And then have to go to jail for posting truthful blogs? Why?”
“I’m very proud of my friend for fighting back and not backing down. even after they arrested him and told him not to be like Malcolm X and Gandhi. What KPMG and the government did together is unprecedented in Canada. Where is the oversight? Whose watching over things like this to make sure corporations don’t run over citizens like this? questioned Gurtaj “Goldy” Singh Dhaliwal a realtor who works at Century 21 Coastal Realty in Surrey and is a good friend of Dhillon’s.
“Now when I look back, I feel I’m so fortunate to have made it out alive and that a movie is being made about all of it. I never imagined anything in my life would have turned out to be interesting enough to be the subject of a film. So in that regard I firmly believe that in life sometimes you have to take the lemons you are given and make lemonade and I think I’ve done that. It’s kinda blue colored lemonade like KPMG’s logo in this case but it’s lemonade nonetheless! Very surreal at times when I take a minute to think about my life so far, that’s for sure.” added Dhillon.
After his brief prison stay, in which Dhillon says he learned a lot about how even the prison system in Canada is in much need of reform, Dhillon was given the award for Emerging Leader, by the Times of Canada. (http://thetimesofcanada.com/congratulations-to-award-winner-satinder-dhillon-emerging-leader/)
For the complete story from above please visit:
http://www.satinderdhillonmovie.blogspot.ca
To read more about Satinder Dhillon please visit:
Times of Canada
http://timesofcanadapresents.blogspot.ca/
Modern Day Revolutionary – Satinder Dhillon
http://thetimesofcanada.com/satinder-dhillon-modern-day-revolutionary/
Satinder Dhillon – Continues to Fight Corruption
http://thetimesofcanada.com/modern-day-revolutionary-satinder-dhillon-continues-to-fight-corruption/
Colonial-era law in Canada has no place for “truth as defence”
http://www.moneylife.in/article/canadian-indian-may-face-400-year-old-contempt-law/39032.html
TIMES OF INDIA – Canadian Court to Determine if the Truth can be Used as a Defence
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Canadian-court-to-determine-if-truth-and-public-interest-can-be-defence-in-contempt-case-against-PIO/articleshow/44427730.cms
TIMES OF INDIA – Canadian of Indian Origin gets Bail in Blog Case
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Canadian-of-Indian-Origin-Satinder-Dhillon-gets-bail-in-contempt-over-blog-case/articleshow/48074589.cms
TIMES OF INDIA – Canadian court holds citizen of Indian origin guilty of criminal contempt over blog
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/other-news/Canadian-court-holds-citizen-of-Indian-origin-guilty-of-criminal-contempt-over-blog/articleshow/48021822.cms
Video – Satinder Singh Dhillon PTC – North America News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWXV3szAp_o&feature=youtu.be
Canadian Citizen Being Prosecuted Under Archaic Law – Could Technically Face Death Penalty If Convicted
https://satinderdhillonkpmg.wordpress.com/
B.C. man jailed for refusing to halt blog – Freedom of Speech Dead in Canada?
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2015/07/27/bc-man-jailed-for-refusing-to-halt-blog
Huffington Post Blogger – Satinder Dhillon -Businessman, Social Activist, Freedom of Speech Advocate, and author of a forthcoming book
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/satinder-dhillon/
Warrior of the Light
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/satinder-dhillon/warrior-of-the-light_b_6723500.html
Half as Much Is Sometimes Twice as Good
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/satinder-dhillon/half-as-much-is-sometimes_b_6963800.html
Sikhs for Justice – Satinder Singh Dhillon
http://www.sikhsforjustice.co.uk/satinder-singh-dhillon/
Twitter – Satinder Dhillon
https://twitter.com/SatinderDhillon
Public Figure – Facebook – Satinder Dhillon –
https://www.facebook.com/satinderdhillon2015
Personal Page- Facebook – Satinder Dhillon –
https://www.facebook.com/satinder.dhillon1
LinkedIn – Satinder Dhillon
https://us.linkedin.com/in/satinder-dhillon-ba112592
More information about Anjum Rajabali:
Top Indian screenwriter to take residency at SFU
https://www.sfu.ca/university-communications/media-releases/2012/top-indian-screenwriter-to-take-residency-at-sfu.html
Screenwriter Anjum Rajabali to discuss state of Indian film during SFU residency
https://www.straight.com/blogra/screenwriter-anjum-rajabali-discuss-state-indian-film-during-sfu-residency
Screenwriting in Mumbai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPdfiM3_IoI
More information about Erwin Singh Braich:
http://justiceandtruthforall.org/
http://justiceandtruthforall.org/uploads/Erwin_Braich_Business_Person_of_the_Year-r.pdf