It is Diljit Dosanjh’s world and we’re just living in it. The Punjabi pop star sold one lakh tickets within 15 minutes in India for pre-sale of his ‘Dil-luminati’ tour, scheduled for early October and late November. Forget tatkal bookings, it takes longer for the IRCTC website to open.
The frenzy of Dosanjh’s tickets in India is at par with the kind of sales Taylor Swift’s Eras tour saw in some cities worldwide. Like the Eras Tour, Dil-Luminati also angered many fans who felt cheated by Zomato for the way tickets were vanishing within seconds. To buy ‘Silver’ tickets, one had to zoom in on the seats on the screen. It was a game of fastest finger first, with millions of fans ready to pounce.
Many bought five or more concert tickets to resell later at a higher price. One fan, who couldn’t score a single ticket, joked that they are planning to start a SIP to have Dosanjh perform a private concert at their wedding.
However, starting at Rs 1,500, the pre-sale passes were much more affordable for his fans who will be lining up for his performance. Not to forget, demand for HDFC Pixel credit cards is more than chole bhature in Delhi today because it’s offering exclusive access to Dosanjh’s tickets.
Many big ticket stars are set to perform in India, with Dua Lipa coming to Mumbai in November, a sick line-up for Bandland, Bengaluru, has also soared the excitement of rock music junkies, while nostalgia is high with punk band Greenday headlining the upcoming Lollapalooza festival in March next year. Coldplay is also bringing their billion-dollar tour to the country in 2025.
Dosanjh’s hype has exceeded all international artists’ once-in-a-lifetime appearances here. The Punjabi icon is not just a sensation in India, but a global superstar, whose set at Coachella last year grabbed worldwide attention.
Global pop stars also rely on Dosanjh to grab eyeballs in one of the largest markets in the world, India. Such is his influence. The most talked about part of Ed Sheeran’s concert in India was the Diljit Dosanjh cameo.
Dosanjh is India’s greatest entertainment export, putting Punjabi music on the global scene, and opening the doors for not just Punjabi artists but Indian artists in general.
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A global phenomenon
Off late, Dosanjh’s acting and music career has seen a dream run. His performance in Imtiaz Ali’s Chamkila (2024) left many deeply moved.
In June, Dosanjh fired up The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, making a historic appearance at the show representing Punjab and India.
He has thrilled international paparazzi by having dinner with Taylor Swift, even sparking dating rumours, and collaborated with Sia for the song Hass-Hass, which has more than 15 million views on YouTube. We also got an immaculate Punjabi verse by Sia on the song. Who else but Dosanjh could have pulled this off?
“I just landed in Punjab, it is 8 AM, I am ready to go get that bang… Diljit what’s up?” Sings Saaweetie on Dosanjh’s song khutti. While these collaborations are of course indicative of the singer-songwriter’s commercial success, they also prove that Punjabi music is growing big worldwide. And Dosanjh is at the helm of this movement.
What makes Dosanjh stand out from his peers and competitors? There’s a certain charm in his eyes, a very certain singing prowess over some mainstream Punjabi pop stars, playfulness and innocence in his social media persona, and versatility in his songs. It is not like Dosanjh doesn’t sing about Jatt pride, gun violence, wealth and “tashan” that categorise Punjabi songs, but he also has songs like ikk kudi in his discography, which makes him everyone’s favourite artist.
What’s more, his ‘Dil-Luminati’ in Vancouver was the biggest tour by a Punjabi artist outside India.
Dosanjh is now the international ‘lover’. I’ll be singing ‘hona ni mai, hona ni mai recover’ for a long time.
Views are personal.
Dosanjh is a buffoon. And the people “thronging” his shows are certified idiots.
If they wish to know what music sounds like, they should visit Assam.