Daljit Dosanjh, now known as Diljit Dosanjh, is an award-winning Indian film actor, television presenter and one of the leading music artists in Punjab, who released his first music album Ishq Da Uda Ada in 2000. He made his debut in the Punjabi film industry in 2011 with the movie The Lion of Punjab and entered Bollywood with Abhishek Chaubey`s 2016 release
Udta Punjab. He has won various accolades for his contributions to the music and the film industry.
Early LifeDiljit was born to Punjab Roadways employee Balbir Singh Dosanjh and Sukhwinder Kaur, a housewife, on the 6th of January, 1984, in the village of Dosanjh Kalan, near Jalandhar. He has two siblings; a sister and a brother, both of whom are not a part of the entertainment industry. He then moved to Ludhiana for his studies where he joined Shri Harkrishan Sahib Public School. While in school, Dosanjh began to sing at local gurdwaras, and upon joining college, he started singing in theaters too.
Acting CareerDiljit made his debut in Pollywood, the Punjabi film industry, with
The Lion of Punjab in 2011, but the movie flopped at the box office. However, the title track of the movie `Lak 28 Kudi Da`, which he sang with Yo Yo Honey Singh, became a massive hit. After his debut movie, Dosanjh was seen in the 2011 movie
Jihne Mera Dil Luteya, which did considerable business upon its release. Dosanjh has been a part of various movies such as
Saadi Love Story,
Disco Singh,
Punjab 1984,
Sardaar Ji, and
Mukhtiar Chadha. One of the biggest hits of not only Daljeet`s career but also in the Pollywood film industry, is
Jatt and Juliet, which released in 2012. After its massive success, the creators of the movie made the
sequel to it, however, it failed to garner the same amount of success as its predecessor. The 2016 release Ambarsariya was another notable film in his career as he was praised for his impeccable comic timing. The same year, he made his Bollywood debut with Abhishek Chaubey`s Udta Punjab. The film was his ticket to national fame. His performance was lauded by all and he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. His another release was Sardaar Ji 2 which received a mixed response and ended up as an average fare. In 2017, he made his sophomore Bollywood outing with Anushka Sharma starrer Phillauri. However, the film got a lukewarm response at the box office. In 2018, he featured in an Indian period war drama titled Sajjan Singh Rangroot helmed by Pankaj Batra. The film was based on the encounters of Sikh soldiers in the British Indian Army during the First World War. His 2018 Hindi film projects include Welcome to New York, Soorma, and Arjun Patiala. His other releases include Shadaa (2019) and
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari (2021). He then featured in the Netflix movie Jogi, Babe Bhangra Paunde Ne, Crew (2024) and Jatt & Juliet 3 (2024). In 2021, he released his debut film as producer Honsla Rakh. The film made 5.05 crore on its opening day making it the highest-grossing Punjabi film on opening day. In 2024, Dosanjh played Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila opposite Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali`s film Amar Singh Chamkila, that released on Netflix.
Singing CareerAfter singing at local theaters during his college days, he made his commercial singing debut with his 2000 Punjabi album Ishq Da Uda Ada under the label of Finetone Cassette, which is a part of T-Series. However, the eight-track album failed to wow the audience, after which he released his second album Dil in 2004, which also flopped upon its release. He only gained popularity with his third album Smile, which was released by T-Series in 2005. He released seven other albums between 2005 and 2016, and also released a number of singles.
One of his albums, Urban Pendu, was banned due to the controversial content of most of his songs, which attracted several protests, forcing Dosanjh to not release the album at all. He has collaborated with the popular Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh for various songs, of which Lak 28 Kudi Da is the most famous. He also sang a song in Singh`s 2012 album International Villager. The singer has also given his voice to soundtracks of a few Bollywood movies such as the 2012 release
Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya and
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, which released in 2013. He signed with Warner Music in March 2022. In April 2023, Dosanjh performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, making him the first Indian Punjabi artist to do so. Dosanjh performed two songs, `Born to Shine` and `GOAT` on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in June 2024. Some of his most popular songs are Proper Patola (2014), Patiala Peg (2015), 5 Taara (2016), GOAT (2018), Crew (2024) and Naina (2024).