An unbothered minstrel called Diljit Dosanjh

Whether Kangana Ranaut remembers him all the time is moot; Diljit Dosanjh is slowly inching towards the portal of the unforgettable in the global culture scene.

- Nishtha Gautam

In an era when most artists and celebrities are yet to define their “it” factor, Dosanjh has stockpiles of it.

(GETTY IMAGES)

From chartbuster albums to houseful concerts to acting accolades to the Met Gala red carpet to The Tonight Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Dosanjh is turning into a phenomenon, without losing his corporeality. A stardom so deeply anchored in the terra firma that it almost appears performative. Except it isn't.

Punjabi singers' global appeal is nothing new, thanks to the mammoth South Asian diaspora that hankers after the petrichor-scented rotti (food), dunaali (gun), mutiyaar (woman) and their paraanda (ornament), alongside the Lamborghini dreams in their Prada-shaded eyes.

No matter how bad the geopolitics is, weddings in both India and Pakistan, and wherever else they may be getting solemnised, aren't complete without the ubiquitous Punjabi beats. Understanding the lyrics is purely incidental. Dosanjh, therefore, inherits a robust tradition of popularity, just like his visually coded Sikhi. And he takes them both to new apogees of representation.