Diljit Dosanjh is the man of the moment. No, he’s the man of the year. The Punjabi megastar has had the kind of trailblazing trip around the sun that’s the dream of every creative professional.
As he continues the India leg of his blockbuster Dil-Luminati Tour 2024 after performing at frenzied, sold-out stadiums across the UK, Europe, and the US, he has bagged the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor for his grounded, nuanced lead performance in Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila.
Dosanjh has been making a steady ascent to the top ever since his impressive Hindi film debut in 2016 alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan in Abhishek Choubey’s Udta Punjab. Although he was already a popular singer-actor in the Punjabi entertainment landscape, his foray into mainstream Bollywood introduced him to a much larger audience.
The 40-year-old followed the success of Udta Punjab with a spate of Hindi films such as Phillauri (2017), Soorma (2018), Arjun Patiala (2019), Good Newwz (2019), and Crew (2024), carefully choosing his projects. Working with big-billed megastars and filmmakers allowed Dosanjh an entry into their worlds, giving him direct access to their massive audiences.
When he’s not acting in a highly-anticipated Hindi film, Dosanjh sings in it. Whether it be the viral title track of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Chal Kudiye from Alia Bhatt’s recent Jigra, Do U Know in Akshay Kumar’s ensemble feast Khel Khel Mein or the latest sensation Nain Matakka from Varun Dhawan’s upcoming, adrenaline-packed Baby John, Dosanjh is everywhere.
Add to it his frequent collaborations with international musicians such as Sia, Ed Sheeran, and Saweetie. Last year, he went ahead and cemented his thrumming global presence by becoming the first Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella. A star was born. He shone blindingly bright earlier this year when he made America dance to his infectious live-wire performance at Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show. He even made Fallon speak Punjabi.
That’s the secret sauce behind Dosanjh’s spellbinding sorcery. At a time when Indians try extra hard to adapt to wherever they go, entirely changing the way they talk, dress and behave, quick to wipe out their native identities in their hunger for acceptance, Dosanjh takes Punjab everywhere with him.
He is making his music more accessible to a global audience as his stardom is intensifying, but all of Dosanjh’s songs are still primarily in Punjabi. In every performance, no matter where on the planet, he makes sure to dress at least once in traditional Punjabi clothes—crisp and dapper—showing the world how it’s done.
It’s this rootedness, true reverence for his origins, unwavering singularity of spirit, and a genuine acceptance of all cultures that makes Dosanjh an ideal candidate for global superstardom. Although he’s celebrated for his characteristic humility and respectful behaviour, Dosanjh is using the ongoing India leg of his Dil-Luminati Tour to give back—love to his fans, support to his peers, and befitting replies to his critics.
When the Telangana government slapped him with a notice ordering him to not sing any songs that promote alcohol, drugs or violence during his Hyderabad show, the megastar responded on stage, calling out the government’s hypocrisy. Although he changed the lyrics of the songs that needed it, he challenged the government to ban alcohol instead of going after singers, saying banning songs won’t help.
During another concert, Dosanjh slammed netizens for trolling a woman who cried copiously watching him perform Hass Hass live. He brought a young fan on stage in another show and sang Ek Kudi for her. He also let a man propose to his girlfriend in front of everybody as he cheered them on in the background.
Dosanjh is meeting royalty, visiting palaces, local attractions, and introducing regional flavors to every concert, tweaking it just enough to make the audience feel included. Through it all, his social media has been a raging ground, with every reel getting millions of views and stirring up a storm in its wake.
Ranveer Brar comments on the paneer that he has in his private jet. Shah Rukh Khan thanks him for invoking the Kolkata Knight Riders slogan ‘korbo, lorbo, jeetbo re’ during his show in the City of Joy. When Nimrat Kaur shares photos of her attending his concert, Dosanjh is quick to quip that she should have come on stage.
With 23.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, he raked in an estimated ₹230 crore through just the 13 shows that he performed in the North American leg of Dil-Luminati Tour earlier this year.
Boasting a reported net worth of ₹172 crore, Dosanjh is touted to charge ₹4 crore to perform at private shows. He allegedly earned a whopping ₹30 crore for his widely documented glittering performance at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s star-studded pre-wedding celebration. That’s Dosanjh’s power. Punjabi Aa Gaye Oye? Punjabi Chaa Gaye Oye is more like it.
