Background and career
Diljit Dosanjh (Punjabi: [d̪ɪldʒiːt̪ d̪oːsáːndʒ], born 6 January 1984) is an Indian-born American singer, actor, and film producer who works in Punjabi music as well as Punjabi and Hindi cinema. Dosanjh entered the Social 50 chart by Billboard in 2020. 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 (2013), Sajjan Singh Rangroot (2018), Honsla Rakh (2021), and Jatt & Juliet 3 (2024) are among the highest grossing Punjabi films in history. Hailing from Dosanjh Kalan, Jalandhar district, Dosanjh began his career in 2002 and gained recognition in Punjabi music with his albums Smile (2005) and Chocolate (2008), followed by the blockbuster album; The Next Level (2009) with Yo Yo Honey Singh. He had a cameo in the Punjabi film 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. After his breakthrough in the romantic comedy Jihne Mera Dil Luteya (2011), he established himself with Anurag Singh-directed Jatt & Juliet (2012). The actor-director duo later went on collaborate on multiple hit projects throughout the 2010s. As of 2020, he has won the PTC Award for Best Actor five times. He also starred in the National Award winning film Punjab 1984 (2014). 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. He has also appeared as a judge in three seasons of the reality show Rising Star. Dosanjh gained wider acclaim in Hindi cinema for playing the titular role in Imtiaz Ali's biopic Amar Singh Chamkila (2024), earning an International Emmy nomination for Best Performance by an Actor. In 2026, he was part of the ensemble in the highest grossing Indian war film Border 2. In 2024, Dosanjh performed across the globe on his sold-out, record-breaking Dil-Luminati Tour.
Diljit Dosanjh was born on 6 January 1984 to a Jat Sikh 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 his childhood, Dosanjh moved into his uncle's home in Ludhiana and was schooled at the Guru Harkrishan Public School, due to financial reasons.
Dosanjh 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. 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 several different singles – "Bhagat Singh (The Tribute)", "Ego (Me and Myself)" and "No Tension," "Power of Duets" as well. On 20 August 2009, Dosanjh released his sixth studio album titled The Next Level with music composed by Yo Yo Honey Singh containing 8 tracks, making it one of his most successful albums. The album 's opening track was "Dil Nach Da" which was a huge success followed by tracks, "Panga" which was a gangsta rap track. The album became a hit and received positive reviews. Dosanjh gave his next song in 2010 for the film Mel Karade Rabba's soundtrack. The track was included in the film during the opening credits. 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, composed by and featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh, reached number 1 on the official Asian Download Chart in the US published by the BBC, according to Firstpost. 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 2011, Dosanjh announced that he would not release his upcoming album Urban Pendu, that included the single "15 Saal", due to the controversy surrounding it. That single, featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh, talked about the promiscuous behaviour of underage girls and their indulgence in alcohol, drugs and tattoos. 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."
Dosanjh continued his collaboration with Yo Yo Honey Singh in 2011 with the track "Goliyan" which was subsequently released as a part of the latter's 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 2012 film Jatt & Juliet. The movie 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. Dosanjh won the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Actor for the film. He lent his 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. 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. 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." Dosanjh 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. 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. Dosanjh is only the first south Asian artist who visited the US headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram on the same day. In 2015, he sang in a duet song in Coke Studio @ MTV Season 4, Ki Banu Duniya Da, with the singer Gurdas Maan which was released on 15 August 2015 and was broadcast on 16 August 2015 on MTV India. Dosanjh's second film from 2015 Mukhtiar Chadha was appreciated for his unique role in it. In 2015, the Most Sensational Celebrities (MSC) study among most famous people in Pollywood, the riskiest personalities on the web, Dosanjh was found number one from number five in 2014 thus leaving behind Mika Singh, Gippy Grewal and Harbhajan Mann.
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. Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film deals with the subject of substance abuse in the Indian province of Punjab. 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. The Bombay High Court later cleared the film for exhibition with one scene cut. Dosanjh also sang the song "Ik Kudi" for the film. In a highly positive review, The Hindu said that Dosanjh was "successful" in delivering a "highly hitting performance". In 2017, Dosanjh starred in Phillauri, alongside Anushka Sharma and Suraj Sharma, a fantasy romantic comedy set in 1910s pre-independence India, where he portrayed a deceased local singer and the lover of a ghost. The film was released on 23 March 2017 and grossed over nearly ₹50 crore during its box-office to emerge a moderate success. Dosanjh's portrayal earned praise for bringing a lean, attractive Sikh lead to Bollywood screens for the first time. In the same year, Dosanjh made his national television debut as an expert/judge on the singing reality series Rising Star, an Indian adaptation of the international series of the same name, which aired on Colors TV. He featured on the show for two subsequent seasons. In 2018, he returned to Punjabi cinema to star in the war drama that depicts the experiences of Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army fighting on the Western Front during World War I, titled Sajjan Singh Rangroot in which Dosanjh played the titular character. The film was one of the first of its genre in Pollywood and received acclaim, becoming one of the biggest regional hits in Punjab. In July, he portrayed Indian hockey player Sandeep Singh in the Hindi sports biopic Soorma. The film, which opened to mixed-to-positive reviews, chronicles Singh's rise, his famous drag-flicking technique that earned him the nickname "Flicker Singh," his paralysis after being accidentally shot, and his miraculous recovery to lead India at the Commonwealth Games. In 2019, he became the first turbaned Sikh to be honoured with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. Later in the year, he headlined the Bollywood comedy film Good Newwz, alongside Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Kiara Advani, which revolves around in vitro fertilisation. The film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of 2019. The film also received positive reviews, holding a 71% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while noted critic Rajeev Masand praised Dosanjh for his comedic timing and portrayal of the childlike, invasive meddler Honey Batra.
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. In the same year, Dosanjh sang a spiritual song, "Paigambar". Later in the year, Dosanjh entered the 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.
