A six-year-old Bhangra dancer from Surrey saw his dreams come true — and became part of history — when he danced onstage with Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh in front of a sold-out crowd at B.C. Place on Saturday.
Aanakh Bhullar was sitting on his father’s shoulders when Dosanjh pointed and called him up on stage to dance with him for more than 50,000 people during the Vancouver stop of the Dil-Luminati tour.
The star — the first Punjabi performer ever to headline the venue — then hoisted the young dancer up onstage himself and continued to sing his hit song Vibe as Bhullar showed off his moves.
Bhullar, who was dressed-up like Dosanjh for the concert, said it made him “happy” to perform with his idol.
“I like his dancing moves. And I love him. He’s the best singer,” said Bhullar, who could not pick his favourite song by Dosanjh.
“I like all of them.”
The young dancer has been taking Bhangra lessons at Van City Bhangra for less than a year, but says he has already learned a lot of “cool moves.”
Dosanjh hugged and kissed the boy on the cheek as the song ended, and sent him off stage with a parting gift Bhullar will have to grow into.
“After he danced he gave me the jacket and it was way too big on me,” Bhullar said.
“He gave it to me and it has a golden zipper. And it’s a skeleton jacket.”
Barinder Bhullar, Aanakh’s father, says his son attended Dosanjh’s historic sold-out show at Rogers Place in June 2022 and has been manifesting this moment for a long time.
“After his bhangra classes, when he comes home, he pretended he was on stage with Diljit, [he] wanted to dress up like Diljit,” Bhullar said on Sunday.
“It was remarkable, we were shaking, crying, we had tears [and] text messages,” he said of seeing his son on stage with Dosanjh.
Dosanjh is part of a new generation of Punjabi stars inspiring young children like Aanakh in the Lower Mainland and around the world, according to 5X Fest executive director Harpo Mander.
“I think there needs to be a little bit of an awakening to the global impact that is South Asian music, that by the way, almost entirely has its roots in Vancouver and Surrey,” she told CBC’s The Early Edition last week.
Bhullar says Dosanjh’s impact is undeniable.
“Having someone like Diljit sold out [and] for someone like my son to embrace his culture, his heritage, his language, is something so wonderful and speaks to what Diljit has done globally,” Mander said.
