Last week, CBC's Fifth Estate provided details about Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar's sex offences as he groomed young dancers in his academy in Vancouver.
Davar's fame is global. From films to film award shows, he's the man behind Bollywood's brilliant choreography.
Shiamak Davar with Bollywood celebrities at TOIFA 2013 in Vancouver
Photo Credit: www.indiascanner.com
Davar has dance studios all over the world, including Canada. His choreography has reached Hollywood as well, and he has met former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and B.C. Premier Christy Clerk.
Shiamak Davar with Stephen Harper and Laureen Harper
Photo Credit: www.article.wn.com
However, he's more than a dance instructor. He also runs a cult, VRRP, a spiritual learning group that follows the teachings of Khorsheed Bhavnagari. She's the writer of The Laws of the Spirit World, and she claimed her two dead sons communicated with her.
Davar also claims that he receives messages from spirits and passes them on to his students.
Percy Shroff and Jimmy Mistry were both students in Davar's North Vancouver dance academy. They have filed a lawsuit against him in the British Columbia Supreme Court, alleging that he abused his authority as a spiritual leader, having made unwarranted sexual advances on them over the years.
The documentary also includes coverage of a female victim whose identity is not disclosed but who, too, shared her traumatic experience as part of Davar's VRRP group.
Reflecting on CBC's show, Shroff stated, "The show highlighted and brought back dark memories for me personally, not just about how I was sexually assaulted by Shiamak, but about just how much power and control Shiamak still wields over the lives of his young dancers and sect members — telling them where and how to live, whom to marry, as well as the severe consequences of questioning his authority."
Mistry explains further, "In India, your guru, your teacher, goes way up there in respect, almost, if not more than your parents, so you don't think he can do anything wrong."
He also reflected sadly, "What happened to us should never happen to any young man or woman whose only dream is to dance."
L–R: Percy Shroff and Jimmy Mistry
Photo Credit: www.cbc.ca
Davar has refuted the allegations in a written response. He has also noted that he's only a custodian of VRRP, and if the two men believed he was a spiritual guru, it was their personal view.
The Supreme Court of British Columbia will hear Shroff and Mistry's case from April 24 to May 5, 2017, and June 12–23, 2017, respectively.
Watch the Fifth Estate documentary below to gather the complete details of this dark story.
Main Image Photo Credit: www.spotlifeasia.com
Sonia Malik
Author
Sonia writes on current affairs and pop culture. An English graduate from the University of Toronto, she identifies as a global citizen, feminist and nature lover. She will be ready to shake a leg to a peppy Bollywood beat any day.
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