Gurdas Maan was born on 4 January 1957 in Giddarbaha in Punjab. He is a Punjabi singer, songwriter and actor who has been one of the most respected names in Punjabi music since the late 1970s; his years active are listed from 1979.
He gained national attention in 1980 with the song “Dil Da Mamla Hai”, which established his style of simple language and folk-rooted melody. He is credited as the writer of more than 300 songs.
Among his best-known songs are “Apna Punjab Hove” and “Mamla Gadbad Hai”. He also appeared in Punjabi films, including Long Da Lishkara (1983), and he played the poet Waris Shah in Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris (2006).
For his singing of Heer in Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris, he won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (54th National Film Awards). Other honours include the UK Asian Music Award for Best International Album (2009) for Boot Polishan and the first Filmfare Punjabi Award for Living Legend (2017).
His music is widely identified with Punjab’s cultural identity and is in demand among the Punjabi diaspora.
Featured image: Gurdas Maan (cropped). Photo by SaiJi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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