In a scene from AP Dhillon: First of a Kind, Kevin Buttar, Dhillon’s manager, can be seen discussing Out of This World, Dhillon’s second tour, after 2021’s Over The Top – The Takeover. Buttar, while speaking to the singer on phone, says that the tour will have over a thousand meet-and-greets. “This is literally going to be a moment… It will be the highlight of their (fans’) lives”, he says. “I know India… India gave us PTSD,” adds Buttar as Dhillon bursts into a laugh—the implication being that the meet-and-greets in India are likely to be mismanaged.
Brown solidarity, with a dash of racism
In his Prime Video documentary, AP Dhillon: First of a Kind, the Indo-Canadian singer talks about Brown solidarity multiple times, especially in context of his hit song 'Brown Munde'. "Millions of us have gone to Canada, America, UK...it is everyone's story," says Shinda Kahlon, the lyricist and composer credited on Dhillon’s songs. It is therefore surprising to see Dhillon and Buttar share a joke on how Indian crowds back home gave them “PTSD”. It is important to note here that Dhillon spent a considerable part of his adult life in Punjab and migrated to Canada in 2015.
For an artist whose tracks are popular not just among the diaspora but also among Indians, it seems odd that Dhillon finds the Indian crowds trauma-inducing - without underplaying or trivializing any genuine security threat. In another scene, we see the singer displeased with Mumbai’s pollution before his performance at Lollapalooza India.
Streaming now on Prime Video, AP Dhillon: First Of A Kind claims to be a deep dive into Dhillon’s life. The artist with over six international hits has never once appeared for an interview or spoken in public about his musical journey—until this documentary. However, at the end of the four-part series, you wouldn’t know much about Dhillon than what is already in the public domain.
Will the real AP Dhillon please stand up?
"There's AP and there's Amrit. See AP on Insta and Tik Tok. Amrit is like...a regular normal being, you know," says the singer. The entire documentary has multiple men speaking to camera in thick Punjabi-American accents, trying their best to intellectualize Dhillon’s artistry. Twice the phrase “stepping out of the comfort zone” is used in context of Dhillon’s upcoming tour, in which he was accused of lip syncing his songs and having a poor stage presence by a section of concertgoers.
“We need to add theatrics to it,” says Dhillon at one point and adds a group of dancers to his performance who dance in the backdrop. Most of the bits where Dhillon’s entourage speaks to the camera sounds at least partly if not completely rehearsed. Same is the case with the “mishaps” that happen on his tour where the timing of a meet-and-greet clashes with Dhillon’s sound check. The documentary feels lacking in authenticity and spontaneity; and should have just been an interview in an ideal world.
Punjabi music after Sidhu Moose Wala
There are, however, endearing moments which play out when Dhillon talks about Sidhu Moose Wala’s death and the impact it had on his mental well-being. In the aftermath of Moose Wala's death, Dhillon had to postpone his EP Two Hearts Never Break The Same which was due Summer 2022.
"He is the greatest rapper on this earth. I spoke to him two days before his death. We built a relationship through 'Brown Munde' (music video). For a while after his death, I didn't want to listen to music." Dhillon also addressed how some of his shows in north India, especially the one in Chandigarh, were held under security threats by gangsters. "It's our responsibility to carry what this guy left behind. We all are Brown. If we aren't going to carry each other forward, who else will do it?"
Less emotion, more spectacle
While the documentary does address Moose Wala’s impact on the Punjabi music industry, it doesn’t go deeper into gang violence in Punjab. The documentary also lacks heartfelt moments. Barring one scene where we see Dhillon’s father, a single parent, tear-up on his son’s return to his ancestral home in Punjab, there aren’t many moments where we get a peek into the lives of the people on screen. The gender ratio of the documentary is also skewed. Barring Nirmika Singh, the editor of Rolling Stone India, no woman is interviewed for the documentary.
The documentary ends with Dhillon saying: "I want the next AP to come out (soon)... and I want them to come out of India." Besides the impactful quotes, the documentary doesn’t really give us a peek into Dhillon’s life and personality beyond shiny visuals and backstage conversations. Those expecting a raw, no-holds-barred deep dive into Dhillon’s artistry might have to make peace with a sanitized version of his life.
AP Dhillon: First Of A Kind is streaming now on Prime Video.
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