Ranjit Bawa

Ranjit Bawa is an Indian entertainer who launched his career with the 2013 hit "Jatt Di Akal," then began a parallel career as a Punjabi film actor with his appearance in 2017's Toofan Singh. Born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, on March 14, 1989, he studied music at Guru Nanak Dev University and graduated with a masters degree, then released the debut single "Jatt Di Akal" in 2013. A commercial and critical success, the song won a PTC Punjabi Music Award for "Best Folk Oriented Song" in 2014. His first full-length album, Mitti Da Bawa, followed in 2015 and experienced a similarly positive reception, with the record being named "Best World Album" at the 2015 Brit Asia TV Music Awards. A second album, Ik Tare Wala, appeared in 2017. That same year, Ranjit Bawa made his film debut in Toofan Singh, where he portrayed the titular character. Although banned in India by the Central Board of Film Certification, the film was a hit in the UK and helped establish Ranjit Bawa as a leading actor in the Punjabi film industry. Roles in other films followed, with Bawa appearing in 2017's Vekh Baraatan Challiyan, 2018's Khido Khundi, and 2019's Tara Mira. He also contributed to various film soundtracks, scoring hits with songs like "Manak Di Kali" (from the 2017 movie Bhalwan Singh). He continued releasing stand-alone singles, too, maintaining his position as a Bhangra star with 2019's "Bhangre Pain Ge," 2020's "Chandigarh Wali," and 2021's "Loud."