ਕਰਮਜੀਤ ਅਨਮੋਲਕਰਮਜੀਤ ਅਨਮੋਲ

ਮੁੱਢਲਾ ਜੀਵਨ

Karamjit Anmol was born Karamjit Singh Benipal on 2 January 1972 in Ganduan, a village in the Sunam tehsil of Sangrur district, Punjab. His parents were Sadhu Singh and Murti Kaur. Music reached him early: he began formal lessons at the age of six, and at school he was the boy who mimicked neighbours, friends and teachers to make the class laugh. He studied at Seaba International Public School and graduated from SUS College, Sunam. In college he met Bhagwant Mann, the comedian who would later become Punjab's chief minister, and began doing theatre with him. After graduation he took professional training in music, but the stage had already claimed him.

Music and the stage

Anmol's first career was in music. He released his first album, Aashiq Bhaaji, in the mid-1990s (music databases date it to 1995), and followed it with a run of cassettes through the late 1990s and 2000s, including Katt Ta Challan Dil Da, Gall Tere Mere Pyaar Di and Balori Akh. In parallel he built a stage career in Punjabi comedy theatre alongside Bhagwant Mann, in plays such as OMG!! Oh My God, Naughty Baba in Town and Just Laugh Baki Maaf. These productions toured Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia, making him a familiar name to diaspora audiences years before his film breakthrough. He also appeared in Punjabi television comedy serials.

How did Karamjit Anmol break into films?

His screen career began modestly around 2007 to 2010 with small parts in Punjabi films; BookMyShow lists Chak Jawana (2010), opposite Gurdas Maan, as his acting debut, and he also appeared in the British film West Is West (2011) alongside Om Puri. The breakthrough came with Jihne Mera Dil Luteya (2011), and he soon became a fixture of the ensemble comedies that defined 2010s Pollywood: Jatt and Juliet (2012) as the marriage broker Natha Vichola, Carry on Jatta (2012) as Tajji veer, Daddy Cool Munde Fool (2013), Best of Luck (2013), Disco Singh (2014), Jatt James Bond (2014) and Ambarsariya (2016).

Through it all he kept one foot in music, singing on the soundtracks of films he acted in: Main Tu Assi Tussi (2006), Singh Vs Kaur (2013), Jatt Boys Putt Jattan De (2013), and Nikka Zaildar (2016), in which he played Bhola. Songs like Yaara Ve, Waqt, Baagi, Bhola and Channa Mereya were sung by an actor who was on the same film's cast list, a rare double credit in Punjabi cinema.

The Carry on Jatta years

Anmol's long collaboration with Gippy Grewal's circle gave him his most visible roles: Carry on Jatta 2 (2018) as Tony, Vadhayiyaan Ji Vadhayiyaan (2018), Mar Gaye Oye Loko (2018) as Hakalchu, Mindo Taseeldarni (2019) as Teja, Muklawa (2019) as Fattu, Kala Shah Kala (2019) and Uda Aida (2019). His comic turn in Main Teri Tu Mera won him the PTC Best Comedian of the Year award in 2017, and he had been nominated for a PTC comic-role award in 2015 for Disco Singh. The collaboration peaked with Carry on Jatta 3 (2023), the first Punjabi film to cross Rs 100 crore at the box office. He also moved behind the camera, producing Laavaan Phere (2018), in which he played Jija, Mindo Taseeldarni (2019) and No Life With Wife (2020). Later films include Mastaney (2023), Ni Main Sass Kuttni 2 and Manje Bistre 3 (2024), and Madhaniyan and Kuriyan Jawan Bapu Preshaan 2 (2025).

Why did Karamjit Anmol enter politics?

In March 2024 the Aam Aadmi Party named Anmol as its candidate for the Faridkot (SC) Lok Sabha seat, counting on his popularity as a comic actor and his long association with party leader Bhagwant Mann. His election affidavit listed him as a 52-year-old artist with declared assets of about Rs 15.05 crore and no criminal cases. In the 1 June 2024 vote he finished second with 228,009 votes (22.48 percent), losing to independent candidate Sarabjit Singh Khalsa. The campaign made him one of the few Punjabi entertainers to carry a village-theatre following directly into a general election contest.

Personal life

Anmol married Gurjot Kaur on 4 June 2000. The couple have two sons, Armaan Singh Benipal and Gurshaan Singh Benipal. He remains based in Punjab and is known in the industry for staying close to his village roots.

Legacy

Karamjit Anmol's career is a model of the multi-skilled Punjabi entertainer: singer, mimic, stage comic, film actor, producer, and a 2024 Lok Sabha candidate. Coming from a small village with no film connections, he built his name through theatre tours and sheer volume of work, and his PTC award recognised what audiences already knew: that he is among the funniest men in Punjabi cinema.