The facade of reality that hits out from behind the showy shadows of star studded personas and morphed individualities makes this whole showbiz business a disgust for many and at least an appalling distraction for some. But once in a while you become party to this hip and emerging group of artistes and performers who knows what it takes to achieve that stardom, so much in blood and in sweat that they do not let their dignity go berserk in pursuit of superficial success.
New age stars are the more willing purporters of such dynamically distinctive dimension, perhaps because it is deep rooted in their sensibilities that fame is only relative and what maters really is the pursuance of their own steaming passions in making careers out of an art. And among this new age genre of stars who take stardom in their stride and not obsess unduly over it is the very charismatic man of humble beginnings. Diljit Dosanjh who remains as steeped in that air of non chalance as ever is very much your complete performer- be it as a singer, as an actor and prominently as an entertainer, this lad from Punjab has asserted his own within the realm of being a true artiste.
Very Punjabi in his assertation, hip and vibrant, with that mood of vivacious energy, affable and spunky, Dosanjh has all it takes to make the perfect performer. With that very visible turban further steadying his Punjabi presence on the national and even global stage, Diljit Dosanjh is a man unperturbed by the times. He finds expression through his turban even when he would have potentially warded off Bollywood advances with his prominent desi identity.
Dosanjh might have started off as a singer, melodious and charming in every note he hit, but he is equally adept at being as good an actor as crooner. Be it his rendezvous with the Punjabi film industry or his outings in Bollywood, Dosanjh has delivered time and again with performances on screen that are as hard hitting impactful as his very addictive and groovy music numbers.
Dosanjh can in fact be lauded as the forebearer of the Punjabi comedy as a genre that found free expression as the medium of entertainment for the masses. The 2012 film Jatt and Juliet with which the Urban Pendu marked his force emerged to be one of the biggest hits in the Punjabi film industry. Even the sequel that was spawned just two years later in 2014 rose to become a box office blockbuster, becoming the highest grossing Punjabi film ever. Such has been the impact of Dosanjh that most of his films have gained prominence to occupy place among the most successful Punjabi movies of all time.
His unparalleled presence in cinema however does not take anything away from the man who started out with his voice in tow. Dosanjh’s popularity grew with his image of the vivident Punjabi munda as portrayed in his many songs. Peppy and embodying the essence of the vivaciousness that Punjab is, Dosanjh’s songs boasts an infectious vibe, one that will make you listen up and take notice. But keeping aside that very rock star like avatar that has Dosanjh be the quintessential hip hop Punjabi star, he also belts out numbers that wax eloquent about love and romance, that celebrates life and gaiety and that encompasses life and passion. Equally at par is his rendition of songs that are rampant on reflections and melancholies, words strung together by a tone that is striking and compelling in the feels. His musical exploits in Bollywood are also commendable, even when they are fewer to come by on the rampant scale.
His on screen heroics in Bollywood are no less exemplary as well. Starting out in 2016 with Udta Punjab, Dosanjh was lauded for his impactful performance in the socially relevant film that incidentally had Punjab as the backdrop. Even his role in the Anushka Sharma starrer Phillauri received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. It is not very difficult therefore to decipher that Diljit’s heroics rest also on his histrionic abilities as it does on his singing talent. But even when his claim to fame channels from numerous courses, Dosanjh remains first and foremost a Sikh from Punjab.
In fact, Dosanjh has been the only Sikh presence in Forbes magazine’s list of the 100 most popular people in India, and with a net worth of 25 million dollars ranks close to Bollywood A- listers when it comes to building up an empire of fortunes. He claims also the tag of being the man behind the first ever non- Bollywood song to make it to the top in BBC’s Asian Download Chart.
What’s more, Dosanjh is also the first ever turbaned man to have his own statue at the iconic Madame Tussauds in Delhi. This indeed is one of the many remarkable achievements that Dosanjh has managed to make his own, without compromising with his Sikh identity and the parlance of being the quintessential Punjabi munda. That itself speaks volumes about how resolute he is in his every pursuit, emerging from nowhere to rule over hearts, in defiance of expectations, in strong exception to conventions and in passive assertion of his own identity.
And that’s not even all about Dosanjh. As a celebrity Dosanjh sure knows how to hype up the feel of the aesthetics as well. Easily one of the best dressed man in the celeb circuit, Dosanjh goes suave and debonair with as much ease as he does casual charm and flamboyance.
His eye for style makes his many social appearances an array of delights to behold, marking his presence as one of those celebrities who realises the importance of the media in building an ever burgeoning fan base. His fun banter on the web emanates charm and jovialness, something that has very much put him on course to become the celeb of and for the masses. For someone who has build himself up with his own hard work that translates as effectively as mass appeal, Diljit Dosanjh is sure the star to watch out for in all his aura, but minus the nuances of the fussy elite. Not as yet, at least!
