Daljit Singh Dosanjh known professionally as Diljit Dosanjh (born 6 January 1984) is an Indian singer, actor, film producer and television personality. He works in Punjabi Music and subsequently in Punjabi and Hindi cinema. Dosanjh entered Social 50 chart by Billboard in 2020. He is featured in various music charts including Canadian Albums Chart, UK Asian chart by Official Charts Company and New Zealand Hot Singles. His movies, including Jatt & Juliet 2, Punjab 1984, Sajjan Singh Rangroot and Honsla Rakh are among the highest grossing Punjabi films in history.
Hailing from Dosanjh Kalan, Jalandhar, Dosanjh started in 2002 and gained recognition in punjabi music with his album ‘Smile’(2005) and ‘Chocolate’(2008) followed by ‘The Next Level’(2009) with Yo Yo Honey Singh. Subsequently he pursued his acting, starring in debut punjabi movie The Lion of Punjab in 2011.
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 for 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 most five PTC Award for Best Actor. He has also appeared as a judge in three seasons of the reality show Rising Star. In 2020, Dosanjh entered Social 50 chart by Billboard, following the release of his 11th album G.O.A.T.. The album, along with his next one MoonChild Era were listed in the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart.
Early life
Diljit Dosanjh was born on 6 January 1984 to a 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. He spent his early childhood in Dosanjh Kalan and then moved to Ludhiana, Punjab from where he completed his formal education, including graduating high school from Shri Guru Harkrishan Public School. While still in school, he began his singing career by performing Kirtan (Sikh religious music) at local gurdwaras. Diljit Singh and his family then moved to Ludhiana and currently living there.
Career
2003–2004: Ishq Da Uda Ada and Dil
Diljit released his first album Ishq Da Uda Ada in 2004 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. The music was composed by Bablu Mahindra and the lyrics were written by Balvir Boparai. Dosanjh gave vocals to all the eight tracks and the producers made a music video for the title track of the album. In 2004, his second album Dil was released, which was again with Finetone Cassettes.