Is Mankirt Aulakh's 'Daang' the too much of too much?

“Chaa aale time chaldi aa lahan ni…”

“Hun jail ch hi hou ni deedar yaar da…”

“Nai DC di dinda dhamki, Ehni maarhi nai soch Jatt di,

Jailan vichon Phone aaunge, Na Na, parkhi na Pahunch Jatt di!”

“Dujji chori di Bandook ohne mull lai layi,

Teeja daade aala asla lako ke paa leya…” 

“Jagah teri, Time tera, Daang Meri, Veham Tera!”

“Chaa aale time chale lahan haje vi…”

“GANGLAND ch DAANG chalaa ke JAIL pahuncheya BADNAAM!”

Well, do not be surprised or perplexed. If you put Mankirt Aulakh’s last four songs in a chronological order, you are guaranteed to come across these lyrics. The last one consisting of the titles of these four songs is, obviously, our contribution to the same.

Mankirt Aulakh, someone who has stormed the Punjabi music industry since his inception in the year 2014 and someone who has not looked back since his maiden track ‘Kaka Ji’, so much so that he featured in his debut movie, ‘Main Teri Tu Mera’ last year. With such showers of success upon him in such a limited period, it is evident that the man is also the owner of a sound fan-following.

From doing music videos of songs based on varying genres including friendship, romance and family relations in his earlier days to releasing four back-to-back songs which lay priority and pre-eminence on the gun culture, excessive drinking and keeping someone under one’s thumb, Aulakh has taken a different route altogether.

Names who have contributed in all these songs apart from Aulakh is video director, Sukh Sanghera and renowned music label in the Punjabi music industry, Speed Records. Not that these songs are not doing well. Each one of them is a hit. The most recently released, ‘Daang’, is trending on #2 on YouTube at the time of writing this article. But, the problem lies in the fact that these songs tend to have a detrimental effect on the youth (of Punjab).

A name like Mankirt Aulakh, need not to do such violent songs back to back just to taste some success. Mankirt has tasted even bigger success with romantic and meaningful songs like Gallan Mitthiyan, Kadar, Choorey Wali Baah, Jugaadi Jatt to name a few. No doubt he has sung some peppy numbers like Kaka Ji, Jatt Da Blood in the past as well but those songs were released with a proper gap between them and Mankirt was still finding his way around in the music industry.

It is true that a singer has to sing what the lyricist offers him. But, it is also true that a singer can reject a song or put it on hold for some other time. It is true that as a singer, you have to cater to all sections of the society. Accepted. Having said that, it is also true that as a singer you should feel a certain responsibility towards the society. One or two songs of this genre in an album or a year is justifiable, but, what reasons does one have for singing four consecutive songs of this genre? Isn’t it the too much of too much?

About Dixit Bhargav

<p>Engineer. Sports Management student. Cricket enthusiast. Ardent follower of the Punjabi cinema.</p>