Diljit Dosanjh | |
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Born | Daljit Singh [1] 6 January 1984 Dosanjh Kalan, Punjab, India |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2002–present |
Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Labels |
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Website | www |
Diljit Dosanjh (born 6 January 1984) is an Indian singer, actor and film producer who works in Punjabi and Hindi cinema. [2] [3] Dosanjh entered the Social 50 chart by Billboard in 2020. [4] He has been featured in various music charts, including the Canadian Albums Chart, the UK Asian chart by Official Charts Company and the New Zealand Hot Singles. His films, including Jatt & Juliet 2 , Sajjan Singh Rangroot , Honsla Rakh and Jatt & Juliet 3 are among the highest grossing Punjabi films in history. [5]
Hailing from Dosanjh Kalan, Jalandhar, Dosanjh began his career in 2002 and gained recognition in Punjabi music with his albums Smile (2005) and Chocolate (2008), followed by The Next Level (2009) with Yo Yo Honey Singh. He had a cameo in the Punjabi movie Mel Karade Rabba in 2010 and began to pursue acting, debuting as a leading actor in the Punjabi movie The Lion of Punjab in 2011. [3]
He made his Bollywood debut in 2016 with the crime thriller Udta Punjab , for which he earned the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, in addition to a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was followed by Good Newwz (2019), for which he received his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. As of 2020, he has won the PTC Award for Best Actor five times. He has also appeared as a judge in three seasons of the reality show Rising Star . [6]
In 2020, Dosanjh charted on the Social 50 chart by Billboard with the release of his 11th album, G.O.A.T.. [4]
In 2024, Diljit started global concert tour named as Dil Luminati. [7]
Diljit Dosanjh was born on 6 January 1984 [8] to a Jat Sikh [9] [10] family in the village of Dosanjh Kalan in Phillaur tehsil, Jalandhar district, Punjab, India. His father, Balbir Singh, is a former employee of Punjab Roadways and his mother, Sukhwinder Kaur, is a homemaker. He has two siblings, one elder sister and one younger brother. During childhood due to financial reasons Diljit came to Ludhiana to his uncle's home and did schooling from Guru Harkrishan Public School in Ludhiana. [11] [12]
Diljit released his first album Ishq Da Uda Ada in 2003 with Finetone Cassettes, a division of T-Series. Rajinder Singh of Finetone, who helped Dosanjh make a debut in the Punjabi music industry, suggested to him to spell his first name as Diljit instead of Daljit. [13]
Dosanjh's popularity soared with the release of his third album, Smile, produced by Sukhpal Sukh, which included the tracks "Nachh Diyan Alran Kuwariyan" and "Paggan Pochviyan Wale." The album was released by Finetone Cassettes in 2005. His next album Ishq Ho Gaya was released in 2006 by Finetone Cassettes. His fifth album, titled Chocolate, came out in 2008. In 2009, Dosanjh released four different singles – "Bhagat Singh," "No Tension," "Power of Duets" and "Dance with Me." Next year, Dosanjh released his sixth album called The Next Level with eight tracks. Dosanjh gave his next song in 2010 for Mel Karade Rabba : Original Soundtrack. The track was lip-synced by the actor Jimmy Shergill and was included in the feature film of the same name during the opening credits. [14]
2011 saw Dosanjh's entry into mainstream Punjabi films. His debut film in the lead role The Lion of Punjab , was released in February 2011. Though the film flopped at the box office, his track "Lak 28 Kudi Da", from the films's soundtrack, was a major success. The track, featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh, reached number 1 on the official Asian Download Chart in the US published by the BBC. In July 2011, his second Punjabi film Jihne Mera Dil Luteya was released. The film, also featuring Gippy Grewal and Neeru Bajwa, did well. Dosanjh gave vocals to six of the twelve tracks in the film's soundtrack. In November the same year, Diljit announced that he would not release his controversial album Urban Pendu, that included the single "15 Saal". That single, featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh, talked about the promiscuous behaviour of underage girls and their indulgence in alcohol, drugs and tattoos. [15] He wrote on his Facebook page: "It was not my intention to hurt anyone's sentiments. I apologize to my fans who were waiting for this song." [16]
Dosanjh continued his collaboration with Honey Singh in 2012 and released a single titled "Goliyan" that formed a part of the album International Villager . He next sang for the soundtrack of the Bollywood film Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya , released in January 2012, in a single called "Pee Pa Pee Pa" that also featured Priya Panchal. He also acted in that music video in the film. His subsequent single "Bodyguard", glorified the fall of Libyan revolutionary and politician, Muammar Gaddafi, where Dosanjh sang about his lifestyle, capture and death. His subsequent single "Miss Lonely", was composed by JSL Singh. In March 2012, he released his first religious album titled Sikh. The album featured eight singles and talked about the principles and philosophy of Sikh religion. Dosanjh played a lead role in June 2012 film Jatt & Juliet , which became one of the biggest hits in the Punjabi film industry. The award-winning film, directed by Anurag Singh, also featured actress Neeru Bajwa and was shot in Punjab and Mumbai in India and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [2] [17] Dosanjh Diljit won the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Actor for the film. He gave vocals to five of the seven songs in the soundtrack of the film. The same year in November, he released his eighth album, called Back 2 Basics , with nine tracks and the music composed by Tru Skool. The duo worked together to produce the incredibly popular "Kharku" which won the "Best Bhangra Song of the Year" award at both the Brit Asia TV Music Awards, and the PTC Punjabi Music Awards. [18] In January 2013, Dosanjh's third Punjabi film Saadi Love Story hit the big screens. The film, that also starred Amrinder Gill and Surveen Chawla, flopped at the box office. Dosanjh sang for two songs in the film's soundtrack, which was composed by Jaidev Kumar. Dosanjh made a guest appearance in the April 2013 Punjabi film Bikkar Bai Sentimental with his track "Main Fan Bhagat Singh Da". Inspired by the success of Jatt & Juliet, the producers of the film released a sequel to the film, titled Jatt & Juliet 2 , in June 2013. Dosanjh played the role of a cop in the film. The film had nine songs in the soundtrack, of which four were sung by Dosanjh. He gave vocals for the track "Main Taan Aidaan Hi Nachna" from the soundtrack of the Bollywood film Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 , which was released in June 2013. In August 2013, Dosanjh's music video "Proper Patola" was released on Vevo, making it the first Punjabi song to be featured on Vevo. [19] The single, composed by Badshah, received over one million hits on YouTube just within a fortnight of its release. Dosanjh said: "I extend my thanks to all who have liked watching the song. I'm glad to live up to the expectations of all, and with their faith in me." [20] Diljit shot for his next Punjabi film Disco Singh , which was released on 11 April 2014. The film, directed and written by Anurag Singh, also features Surveen Chawla and is shot in Delhi NCR. [21] In 2014, he worked for the film Punjab 1984 , which is set in the backdrop of 1984–86 Punjab insurgency. The film was released on 27 June 2014 and is directed by Anurag Singh. The film won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi. [22] Diljit is only the first south Asian artist who visited the US headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram on the same day. [23] [24] In 2015, he sang in a duet song in Coke Studio @ MTV Season 4, Ki Banu Duniya Da, with the singer Gurdas Maan [25] which was released on 15 August 2015 and was broadcast on 16 August 2015 on MTV India. [26] Diljit's second film from 2015 Mukhtiar Chadha was appreciated for his unique role in it. [27] [28] In 2015, the Most Sensational Celebrities (MSC) study among most famous people in Pollywood, the riskiest personalities on the web, Diljit Dosanjh was found number one from number five in 2014 thus leaving behind Mika Singh, Gippy Grewal and Harbhajan Mann. [29]
Dosanjh next starred in the crime drama Udta Punjab (2016), his first Hindi film. With a worldwide collection of ₹996.7 million, the film proved to be a commercial success. [30] Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film deals with the subject of substance abuse in the Indian province of Punjab. [31] [32] Co-starring alongside Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, Udta Punjab generated controversy when the Central Board of Film Certification deemed that the film represented Punjab in a negative light and demanded extensive censorship before its theatrical release. [33] The Bombay High Court later cleared the film for exhibition with one scene cut. [34] Dosanjh also sang the song "Ik Kudi" for the film. [35] In a highly positive review, The Hindu said that Dosanjh was "successful" in delivering a "highly hitting performance". [36]
As of September 2016, Dosanjh has completed work on his second Bollywood production Phillauri , alongside Anushka Sharma and Suraj Sharma. [37] The film was released on 23 March 2017. It grossed over ₹5 million in its box-office. [38] In 2018, a film based on World War I, titled Sajjan Singh Rangroot was released in which Dosanjh played the titular character. [39] [40] He is the first turbaned Sikh to be honoured with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. [41] In 2019, he acted in Good Newwz , alongside Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Kiara Advani. [42]
In 2020, he appeared in social satire Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari alongside Manoj Bajpayee and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The film was released theatrically on 13 November 2020. [43] In the same year, Dosanjh sang a spiritual song - "Paigambar". [44]
In 2020, Dosanjh entered Social 50 chart by Billboard, following the release of his 11th album G.O.A.T. The album later rose to the top of Billboard's Top Triller Global chart. [45]
In 2021, Dosanjh released his twelfth album "Moonchild Era", which was penned by Raj Ranjodh and Arjan Dhillon. Album charted at #32 on Billboard Canadian Albums Chart making him the first Indian artist to have his three albums on Billboard Charts. In 2021, he made it to the Sikh 100 list. [46]
In 2021, he released his debut film as producer Honsla Rakh starring Sonam Bajwa, Shehnaaz Gill, Shinda Grewal alongside him. The film made 5.05 crore on its opening day making it the highest grossing Punjabi film on openings day. He signed with Warner Music in March 2022. [47]
In April 2023, Dosanjh performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, making him the first Indian Punjabi artist to do so. [48] [49]
In 2024, Dosanjh played Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila opposite Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali film Amar Singh Chamkila , that released on Netflix. [50] In her review for The Week , Suparna Sharma was appreciative of Dosanjh's portrayal and noted, "Diljit's eyes are lively pools of expression and the range of things he can convey just with his eyes is exceptional. As a singer, he is of course in his element here -- confident and engrossed. But he carries Chamkila's fame with the confused smile of someone who can't quite believe what is happening." [51]
Dosanjh performed two songs, "Born to Shine" and "GOAT" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in June 2024. [52] He sang the promotional song "Bhairava Anthem" where he shared screen with Prabhas for the Telugu sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD (2024). [53] He played the lead role of an insecure lover alongside Neeru Bajwa in the Punjabi language comedy Jatt & Juliet 3 directed by Jagdeep Sidhu. Like its predecessors, it received positive reviews and became a major success in Punjabi cinema. It emerged as the 2nd highest grossing Punjabi film of all time. [54]
Dosanjh will reunite with director Anurag Singh for Border 2, the sequel to Border (1997). [55] It has been confirmed that he will appear in the sequel No Entry 2 of 2005 film No Entry . [56]
Continually experimenting with new musical ideas and images, Dosanjh's musical and performance style is the subject of analysis and scrutiny from critics. [57] Dosanjh grew up learning music from Gobinder Singh Alampuri and Kartar Singh, [13] and his initial work reflected their style. His later collaboration with Honey Singh lent a different dimension to his music. The composers Jaidev Kumar, Sukhpal Sukh, Sachin Ahuja, Pavneet Birgi, Jassi Bros Bhinda Aujla, and Tru Skool have all influenced him. His goal is to make a Punjabi song that becomes a worldwide hit like Korean single Gangnam Style . [58] [59]
Dosanjh was ranked in The Times of India 's Most Desirable Men at No. 9 in 2016, [60] at No. 13 in 2017, [61] at No. 20 in 2018, [62] at No. 16 in 2019, [63] at No. 14 in 2020. [64]
He was ranked in the Chandigarh Times ' Most Desirable Men at No. 2 in 2018, [65] at No. 1 in 2019, [66] at No. 2 in 2020. [67]
In August 2020, he became the first Punjabi artist to get featured at the Times Square in New York City. [68]
In August 2015, Coca-Cola. [69] signed Diljit Dosanjh as Brand Endorser for Punjab, India. [70] Flipkart, India's leading e-commerce company chose Diljit Dosanjh for its Flipkart Connect campaign for Punjab. [71] [72] Diljit was appointed the brand ambassador of Season 4 of the Star Sports Pro Kabbadi along with Rana Daggubati and Puneeth Rajkumar. [73] He sang and performed the Pro Kabbadi League theme song "Asli Panga", produced by Yo Yo Honey Singh. [74]
Dosanjh started an NGO called Saanjh Foundation focusing on underprivileged children and seniors, contributing to orphanages and old age homes. [75] It also endeavours youth empowerment with issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring, and career development. It takes its name from the second part of Dosanjh's last name, which loosely translated means "amity". He launched this organisation on his birthday in 2013. [19]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Mel Karade Rabba | Rajveer Dhillon | |
2011 | The Lion of Punjab | Avtar Singh | |
Jihne Mera Dil Luteya | Gurnoor Singh Randhawa | ||
2012 | Jatt & Juliet | Fateh Singh | |
2013 | Saadi Love Story | Rajveer (Billa) | |
Jatt & Juliet 2 | Fateh Singh | ||
2014 | Disco Singh | Laatu | |
Punjab 1984 | Shivjeet Singh Mann (Shiva) | ||
2015 | Sardaarji | Jaggi | |
Mukhtiar Chadha | Mukthtiar Chadha | Also screenwriter | |
2016 | Ambarsariya | Jatt Ambarsariya | |
Sardaarji 2 | Sardaarji Jaggi Singh, Sardaarji Athraa Singh & Sardaarji Satkaar Singh | ||
2017 | Super Singh | Sajjan Singh aka Sam aka Super Singh | |
2018 | Sajjan Singh Rangroot | Sajjan Singh | |
2019 | Shadaa | Chadta | |
2021 | Honsla Rakh | Varyaam Singh Waraich aka Yenky | Also producer |
2022 | Babe Bhangra Paunde Ne | Jaggi | Also producer |
2023 | Jodi | Sitaara | |
2024 | Jatt & Juliet 3 | Fateh Singh | Also producer |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya | Himself | Special appearance in song "Pee Pa Pee Pa" | |
2016 | Udta Punjab | Sartaaj Singh | ||
2017 | Phillauri | Roop Lal Phillauri | ||
2018 | Welcome to New York | Teji | ||
Soorma | Sandeep Singh | |||
2019 | Arjun Patiala | Arjun Patiala | ||
Good Newwz | Honey Batra | |||
2020 | Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari | Suraj | ||
2022 | Jogi | Joginder "Jogi" Singh | ||
2024 | Crew | Jaiveer "Jai" Singh | ||
Amar Singh Chamkila | Amar Singh Chamkila | |||
2025 | Punjab 95 | Jaswant Singh Khalra | ||
2026 | Border 2† | TBA | Filming [77] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Awaaz Punjab Di | Himself | Host; reality show |
2012 | PTC Punjabi Film Awards 2012 | Host; television special | |
2013 | PTC Punjabi Film Awards 2013 | ||
2014 | PTC Punjabi Film Awards 2014 | ||
2017–2019 | Rising Star | Judge; reality show |
Amar Singh Chamkila was an Indian singer and musician of Punjabi music. Chamkila's vivid language, high-pitched vocals, and novel compositions accompanied by tumbi made him popular. His music was influenced by the Punjabi village life in which he grew up. On 8 March 1988, at the height of his popularity during the insurgency in Punjab, India, Chamkila and his second wife Amarjot were killed along with two members of their band in an assassination which remains unsolved.
Gurdas Maan is an Indian singer, songwriter and actor mainly associated with Punjabi language music and films. He gained national attention in 1980 with the song "Dil Da Mamla Hai". Since then, he had gone on to record over 34 albums and had written over 305 songs. In 2015 he performed on the song "Ki Banu Dunia Da" with Diljit Dosanjh in MTV Coke studio India that was aired in season 4 episode 5 on MTV India. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and the most influential Punjabi musicians of all time.
Punjabi cinema, also known as Pollywood or Punjwood, is cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Punjabi-language widely spoken in the Indian state of Punjab. It is based in Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Mohali.
Lion of Punjab is an Indian Punjabi action film starring Diljit Dosanjh, making his debut as a lead actor. It is also the debut Punjabi movie of Bollywood director Guddu Dhanoa. It is a remake of 2003 Tamil movie Dhool.
Rupinder Singh "Gippy" Grewal is an Indian actor, singer, film director and producer whose works span over Punjabi and Hindi film industry.
Baljit Singh Deo is an Indian music and cinematographer known for his work in the Punjabi film industry.
Jatt & Juliet is a 2012 Indian Punjabi-language romantic comedy film directed by Anurag Singh and produced by Darshan Singh Grewal and Gunbir Singh Sidhu. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh opposite Neeru Bajwa. It was released theatrically on 29 June 2012 and became a major commercial success at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Punjabi film. It also won multiple awards at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards 2013 including for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
Jatt & Juliet 2 is a 2013 Indian Punjabi romance comedy film directed by Anurag Singh. The film is a spiritual sequel to the 2012 blockbuster Jatt & Juliet. Actors Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa reprise their roles from the previous film in the sequel amongst other characters. The film released on 28 June 2013, almost a year after the release of the prequel, and received a positive response at the box office.
Disco Singh is a 2014 Punjabi comedy film directed by Anurag Singh and starring Diljit Dosanjh and Surveen Chawla. This is the third collaboration between Singh and Dosanjh after the blockbusters Jatt and Juliet (2012) and Jatt & Juliet 2 (2013). The shooting of Disco Singh began on 19 November 2013 in New Delhi apparently. The film released on 11 April 2014 to excellent box office collections all over Punjab. Despite receiving disastrous reviews from critics, it performed exceptionally well at the box office, breaking several records.
Anurag Singh is an Indian film director, writer and producer. He is best known for directing the film Kesari (2019), which was a major success at the time of release. He is also noted for directing Punjabi films such as Yaar Annmulle (2011), Punjab 1984 (2014), and Jatt and Juliet film series. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential filmmakers of Punjabi film industry.
Sardaarji is a 2015 Indian Punjabi fantasy horror film and comedy film directed by Rohit Jugraj, and starring Diljit Dosanjh, Mandy Takhar and Neeru Bajwa in lead roles. The trailer of the film was released on 18 May 2015. Sardaar Ji is one of the first fantasy films to be made in Punjabi cinema. It was released on 26 June 2015, and had the biggest opening ever for a Punjabi film in Punjab.
Dheeraj Rattan is a screenplay and story writer known for films like Mumbai Salsa and Haal-e-dil.
Sardaar Ji 2 is a 2016 Indian Punjabi action comedy film starring Diljit Dosanjh in a triple role alongside Monica Gill, and Sonam Bajwa in lead roles and directed by Rohit Jugraj Chauhan. The film was released on 24 June 2016. It is a standalone sequel to the 2015 film Sardaar Ji. On release, the film received mixed reviews, unlike the first film which had received positive reviews. The film grossed less than the first film and was declared average at the box-office.
Ambarsariya is an Indian Punjabi comedy thriller film directed by Mandeep Kumar, written by Dheeraj Rattan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, Monica Gill, Navneet Kaur Dhillon, and Lauren Gottlieb as the main cast. It was released worldwide on 25 March 2016. The movie was remade in Odia in 2018 as Prem Kumar: Salesman of the Year.
Super Singh is a 2017 Indian Punjabi-language superhero comedy and action film written and directed by Anurag Singh. It has main starrings of actors Diljit Dosanjh, Sonam Bajwa and Alexandra Bandean. The film is a mix of comedy and action. It was filmed in Montreal, Canada, and in India. Super Singh was released worldwide on 16 June 2017. It marked the fifth collaboration between Diljit Dosanjh and director Anurag Singh.
Jodi is an Indian Punjabi-language romantic-comedy period film written and directed by Amberdeep Singh. It is co-produced by Karaj Gill under Rhythm Boyz Entertainment and Daljit Thind under Thind Motion Films. The film stars Dosanjh and Nimrat Khaira.
Amar Singh Chamkila is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film based on the life of musician Amar Singh Chamkila. It is directed, produced and co-written by Imtiaz Ali. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh in the titular role, with Parineeti Chopra as his second wife, Amarjot.
Jatt & Juliet 3 is a 2024 Indian Punjabi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Jagdeep Sidhu. It is a spiritual successor to Jatt & Juliet (2012) and Jatt & Juliet 2 (2013). It stars Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa, reprising their roles from the previous films, alongside, Jasmin Bajwa, Rana Ranbir, B. N. Sharma, and Nasir Chinyoti. The film follows two police officers on a mission in the UK, both secretly in love but believing their feelings are unreciprocated, leading them to try to make the other confess first. The film was a major success and emerged as the 2nd highest grossing Punjabi film of all time.
Amar Singh Chamkila is an extended play, composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics written by Irshad Kamil. The 2024 Hindi film of the same name was written and directed by Imtiaz Ali that casts Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles. The EP serves as the soundtrack album to the film that was released worldwide through Saregama on March 29, 2024. There are six original songs composed by Rahman that take the audience through life and times of the characters played by Dosanjh and Chopra.
Udta Punjab is the soundtrack album to the 2016 film of the same name directed by Abhishek Chaubey and produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh. The film soundtrack is composed by Amit Trivedi and lyrics written by the late Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Shellee and Varun Grover. The film score was composed by Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar. The soundtrack was released under the Zee Music Company on 16 May 2016.