When I first met Diljit Dosanjh in 2017, he was a fast rising star in India. His Hindi film debut, Flight PunjabIt was all the rage, just a year later Sardar G Became one of the highest grossing Punjabi films of all time. his unit “You know what?” A slow jam-esque love song, was a huge hit. Served as Judge on a reality TV singing show And there was one International tour in work “I’m just getting started,” he told me then. “This is nothing.”
Now, seven years later, the 40-year-old powerhouse is the first music artist from India to perform The Tonight ShowEntering the American house has before some artists of such a country.
Dosanjh regularly breaks new ground in cinema and music and at a great pace — he has collaborated with is, Sweetie, and more. About a year after that Coach’s debuthe Sold out in Vancouver, BC April — with a 54,000-strong crowd. Dosanjh’s ongoing Dil-Luminati tour is packing venues across the US.
Dosanjh also stands out in entertainment. If you are familiar with the current political climate in India, you will appreciate the audacity of his strong support for the peasant protests. In an arena that has become increasingly hostile to outspoken critics, he has raised calls from farmers. Repeal laws that threaten their livelihood.
Who is this man, that was an act The Tonight Show The audience is completely rapt and Jimmy Fallon speaks Punjabi backstage? And how, among the talented Indian artists, did he reach this level of success?
A boy from rural Punjab makes it big
India is a land of film and music dynasties, but Dosanjh hails from a small village without family connections to the entertainment scene.
At just 11 years old, Dosanjh was sent away from his village Dosanjh Kalan In Ludhiana city of Punjab. There he began his musical career by singing Sikh religious hymns called Kirtan At the local Gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship. He left his village but his village did not leave him. Born Daljit Singh, Diljit adopted Dosanjh as a surname later in life, a mark of pride and a reminder of where his roots lie.
Thanks to early collaborators who saw the spark of young talent, Dosanjh moved on to embrace Punjabi pop. Diljit remembers shooting his first music video titled “Ishq Da Uda Aada” at the age of 17. video Shows Dosanjh learning to say “pop star” as he appears on screen for the first time. It’s hard to recognize that baby-faced man in a low-budget, early 2000s music video. inside My last interview with himWhich was the day after her Fallon performance, Dosanjh said the kid no longer existed.
Eight years after that debut album, Dosanjh acted in his first film, Lion of Punjab. In India, visible success in music often acts as a natural pipeline to film roles where, with luck and talent, artists can find a wider audience and greater fame.
For those unfamiliar with India’s sprawling cinematic landscape, you’ve probably heard of “Bollywood” — but that epithet only applies to Hindi-language cinema. In fact, India has as many film industries as there are languages. Punjabi independent film industry is almost 90 years old. Calling all Indian films “Bollywood” is as blasphemous as saying “naan roti” (naan means bread) or using the words “chai cha latte” together in a sentence (chai means cha).
But Hindi movies by doing A huge audience in India, if not the largest. In 2016, after 13 years as a successful musician and five years as a major Punjabi film star, Dosanjh finally entered the Bollywood arena. Starred in his first Hindi film Flight Punjab Produced by some of the biggest names in Hindi cinema, Dosanjh played the role of a police officer who gradually realizes the rampant drug use in the state.
Udta Punjab director Abhishek Chaubey wanted to cast someone new and unexpected. “Diljit’s name came up in conversation and I jumped at it,” he told me. “He was very popular among the Indian diaspora in Punjab and abroad and also rose to mainstream consciousness in India.”
When Dosanjh heard that the film was going into production, he thought to himself, “This is a Punjabi film. I should act in it.” A few days later the call came, asking him to join. Such things happen to her a lot, she said. He seems to be a master of expression.
from Flight Punjab, Dosanjh’s popularity grew in unexpected and delightful ways. Back-to-back chart-topping albums, numerous singles, countless lead roles in Punjabi and Hindi films, sold-out concerts at venues around the world and a growing social media presence that includes a very active YouTube channel.
Through it all, Dosanjh never lost touch with his music. His most iconic works are vibrant and lively, driven by the traditional bhangra beat of Punjab, born from the hollow of a round drum known as a “dhol”. Her efforts to bring Punjabi pop to the international stage are through everything from her lyrics to her outfits. “Punjabi attire is more important to me than the songs I choose for a performance,” Diljit insists to me.
Became Dosanjh last year First Punjabi artiste to perform at Coachella. Fans back home couldn’t stop creating Instagram reels about the feat. The spectacle made one thing clear: if the world has a stage to conquer, Dosanjh is working his way up.
How she used her voice in a divided India
Unlike most celebrities in India, Dosanjh is willing to comment on political issues. In today’s India, speaking like this is considered a direct and vocal challenge to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One only has to look at X’s replies to see the level of harassment that the kind of criticism can engender.
In 2020 and 2021, despite India’s strict implementation of the Covid-19 lockdown, the nation witnessed Largest ever protest organized by farmersMost of them hail from Haryana and Punjab, many from Sikh backgrounds like Dosanjh.
Among their demands, the farmers demanded the withdrawal of the recent Agriculture Act passed by the Parliament of India. These laws essentially stand to turn their government-controlled market into an open market, implying that all are subject to competition, but it is also an example of the government’s willingness to pass sweeping policies that affect people’s lives. There were protests across the country. The movement spread quickly. Rihanna tweeted about this.
Some celebrity voices from within India had something to say. But not Dosanjh. He thereby expanded the protest social mediavisited farmerAnd allegedly went as far Support them financially. This earned him fans and detractors in equal measure. Most seriously, Kangana Ranaut, was labeled as an anti-national separatist by a prominent figure. Actor to politician.
The welfare and representation of the Sikh community has always been important to Dosanjh. In an interview, while talking about its 2022 Netflix release YogiDosanjh forcefully referred to the journalist as infamous Sikh Genocide As of 1984 Genocide. Not a riot, but a massacre. Gentle, but stern.
Although Dosanjh is willing to be political in his comments, most of his music takes a less weighty tack. “Can’t sing political songs. They will send me to jail!” Dosanjh scoffed when I asked why. Over Punjabi hip-hop and Bhangra mash-ups, he is known for simple rhymes with catchy hooks. inside”the magic“He sang about “eyes like Coca-Cola” and “A” womanlover“he insists,”i am your loverbaby I can’t recover now that I’ve seen you once.”
Much of his new music depicts a high-flying lifestyle, reflecting more of the American hip-hop scene than his rural Indian roots. He has songs with the title “Caviar,” “Lamborghini,” “high end,” “the goat,” and “Born to succeed,” in which he starred in the next two The Tonight Show.
Dosanjh even has a song dedicated to Rihanna titledRi Ri,” where he imagines the pop star dressed in the traditional Patiala suits worn by Punjabi women. he sing Wants to attend one of his concerts dressed in traditional Punjabi attire.
It’s worth digging a little deeper, though, in his repertoire of old songs, where you may be surprised to find a religious undertone. His 2013 album, simply titled “Sikh,” consists of eight tracks, each dedicated to spirituality and chivalry He also expressed, more obviously, other soft devotional song.
“Diljit is a very, very soft-spoken person when you talk to him one-on-one,” says Chaubey. This sentiment was echoed by Imtiaz Ali, the latest Hindi filmmaker to work with Dosanjh, for the film Amar Singh Chamkila. The role of Chamkila suits Dosanjh perfectly: a Punjabi musician known for his catchy tunes, gritty lyrics, anti-establishment bent and deep affection from his fans. Dosanjh “remained basic and simple in his approach,” observes Imtiaz. But don’t let the simplicity fool you, those still waters run much deeper.
Bridging cultures through music — and a sense of humor
Despite the film and music industries generating billions of streams on any given day, Indian culture has barely gained a foothold in America. If you still don’t buy my argument, consider this. My father-in-law—a suburban, middle-class, white New Jerseyan—may have heard the name Shah Rukh Khan but couldn’t name a single one of his films. they know Priyanka Chopra as Jonas. Regardless of its seemingly huge success in the West, none of them had heard of it RRR Or is there a formula “Natu Natu” Either (if you want to click Google from this article right now, please go ahead, come back quickly, and don’t admit it to anyone).
While the US is the new frontier where Dosanjh has set his sights, fans in India need not worry. At each new venue, “Punjabi a Gay” (“Punjabis have come”) was Dosanjh’s rallying cry. Dosanjh now works as an ambassador for Punjabi and Indian culture.
His breaks are also heard across his social media. Some of the most popular posts on her page are the mini-vlogs she shoots in her spare time. A viral video shows Dosanjh in a friendly relationship Chat with AlexaAsking him to play his song, the device repeatedly failed to understand his Punjabi accent.
Ever so playfully, the singer expresses how brown people need a certain kind of assimilationist attitude when it comes to America. Speaking naturally to no avail and then adopting the most ridiculous, stereotypical American accent to get the job done, he flips the “outsider” narrative on its head. Virtual assistant technology, much like America, doesn’t know what it’s missing.
I can confidently predict that Dosanjh – and other talents from India – will bring you a steady stream of soulful, bass-heavy, dance-friendly and uncompromisingly vocal music and films in the years to come. Maybe you already bought your ticket. But otherwise, Dosanjh told me last week: “My answer remains the same. This is nothing. I’ve only just begun.”
