Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh officially kicked off the highly anticipated India leg of his ‘Aura’ tour on Friday, playing to a packed house at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium.
The sold-out event drew massive crowds, prompting the deployment of hundreds of security personnel and strict traffic restrictions in the surrounding areas until midnight. Heeding official advisories, concertgoers utilised the Delhi Metro to navigate the rush and reach the venue on time.
Inside the arena, the excitement was palpable as fans paid homage to the singer’s iconic style. Many attendees turned up in outfits inspired by Dosanjh’s international tour looks, while others proudly sported T-shirts emblazoned with his signature catchphrase, “Punjabi Aa Gaye Oye.”
Amping up the cultural celebration, a dedicated kiosk at the stadium offered free turban-tying services for visitors, adding an authentic and vibrant Punjabi touch to the historic night.
The evening opened with a light show before Diljit Dosanjh made a dramatic entry, standing on an elevated platform against a backdrop of the moon as it slowly descended towards the stage.
He kicked off the performance with “Kehnde Soniye”, setting the tone for a high-energy evening.
Dosanjh moved through his popular tracks, including “5 Taara”, “Do You Know” and “Patiala Peg”, with fans singing along. During “Do You Know”, the stadium seemed to turn into one giant chorus, with thousands of voices joining him every time the song’s titular phrase came up. He also blended the Punjabi folk number “Laung Gawacha” into the performance.
Throughout the concert, Dosanjh continuously engaged with his fans, responding to their shouts of “I love you” with “I love you too”.
For older fans, Dosanjh brought out “Kali Teri”, with one woman joining him on stage to dance. He later gifted her a hamper. He also performed “Sanson Ki Mala” and “Khuda Gawah”.
He also performed on party numbers “GOAT” and “Born to Shine”, followed by “Kinni Kinni”, “Ranjha”, “Rog” and “Hare Krishna Hare Ram” from “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3”. The singer made room for slower numbers as well by incorporating “Ishq Di Baajiyaan”, “Ikk Kudi” and “Naina” from “Crew”.
The singer-actor brought the evening to a close with “Main Hoon Punjab” from his film “Amar Singh Chamkila”.
Dosanjh also invited a CRPF personnel on stage and thanked her for her service.
“Give her a big round of applause. If you are not here, we can’t feel safe. You have given us a lot,” he said. “Thank you so much.”
“When I saw you standing, I thought my mom was standing. Today my mom called me and told me to take care of myself. I told her not to worry,” he added.
Taking a break after performing back-to-back tracks, Dosanjh shared a message for his critics, saying, “I love everyone because I’m an artist bro”. It was in response to the criticism he faced for distancing himself from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protest.
“Don’t teach Punjabis how to fight battles. The film you stood on stage and mocked – Jaswant Singh Khalra ji’s film (‘Satluj’). We fought for a very long time for that film,” he said. “I stay quiet; I love everyone. If someone hates us, no problem. From our side it’s only love for everyone!”
Dosanjh was referring to the row over his film “Satluj”, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. After a long delay, the film was released on a streaming platform earlier this year but was withdrawn within days.
The finale featured an elaborate drone show, with illuminated drones forming messages such as “Panjabi Aa Gaye Oye” and “I am Artist Bro” in the night sky.
After the concert, Dosanjh thanked Delhi fans on Instagram and once again addressed the difficulties he faced while organising the show.
“Thank you so much, all the Delhi fans. We had a lot of problems. I don’t want to say what they were. Too many problems. I do shows all over the world, but I don’t face so many problems. Whenever I start a show in India, problems also start for me, especially for me. I don’t know why?”
“But thank you so much, Delhi fans. No matter how many problems there were, we had to put on the show. Then it rained, and I had to perform. So I prayed to God on the phone. I said, ‘Dad, please stop the show (rain) for three-four hours. It’s our show”” he said.
Dosanjh’s Aura India Tour will travel to several other cities over the next two months.
He is scheduled to perform in Indore on November 15, Ahmedabad on November 21, Mumbai on November 27, Bengaluru on November 29 and Lucknow on December 5. The tour will also include shows in Chandigarh on December 12 and Kolkata on December 19.
(With PTI inputs)
