New Delhi: The Punjabi music boom of 1990s Britain is set for a cinematic retelling with ‘Bolo Bolo Bolo’, directed by Vikas Bahl. The coming-of-age musical drama, starring Jimmy Shergill, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Mona Singh and Alizeh Agnihotri, has wrapped up filming in the UK. The film is scheduled to release next year.
“The Punjabi music scene in 1990s Britain was full of energy, rebellion and an incredible spirit of self-expression,” Bahl told Variety India.
The story is set against a period when young British musicians began mixing traditional Punjabi beats with modern, bass-heavy production. Much of this music emerged from garages, underground gigs, and unlicensed radio stations, far from the country’s mainstream music industry.
One of the musical movements that emerged during this period was Punjabi garage, which drew from the UK garage (UKG) genre. UK garage developed in the mid-1990s as an electronic dance music style incorporating elements of dance-pop, R&B and other contemporary sounds.
Young British Punjabis, who had grown up listening to Punjabi music at home while absorbing Western musical influences outside, began experimenting with these sounds. By blending traditional Bhangra rhythms with UK garage beats, they helped create a distinctive musical identity that came to be known as Punjabi garage.
Artists such as Surinder Rattan, Surj RDB, Metz N Trix and Indy Sagu became some of the prominent names associated with this movement.
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‘Fascinating chapter of Britain’s Punjabi music’
The evolution of this underground music scene was also documented in the 11-minute documentary ‘The Birth of Punjabi Garage’, produced by DJ Yung Singh in collaboration with the Ministry of Sound in 2021. Featuring interviews with several pioneers, including Rattan, RDB, Metz N Trix and Sagu, the documentary traces the origins of the genre through archival footage.
It offers a glimpse into how young Punjabi musicians from Bradford and Manchester began experimenting with music in their garages and home studios before taking their sounds to weddings, events and music festivals. The documentary also explores how this underground movement became an important expression of identity for Britain’s South Asian community.
‘Bolo Bolo Bolo’, meanwhile, will explore this cultural movement through the lives of a younger generation navigating music, friendship, family, identity and belonging.
The film is produced by Katha Studios, founded by Shibasish Sarkar, who said the project captures a unique cultural movement that brought together music, identity and a generation finding its voice.
“The film explores a fascinating chapter in the evolution of Punjabi music in Britain, and we are excited to bring this story to audiences,” he said.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)