ਮਨਕੀਰਤ ਔਲਖਮਨਕੀਰਤ ਔਲਖ

Mankirt Aulakh (born 2 October 1990) is a Haryana-born Punjabi singer best known for the 2015 blockbuster 'Gallan Mithiyan', which crossed 100 million views on YouTube. A former pro-kabaddi player and wrestler whose sporting career ended with a knee injury, he broke through with 'Kaka Ji' (2014) after his 2013 debut 'Darshan Karke' flopped.

Early life and the road from sport

Behbalpur, a small village in Haryana's Fatehabad district, is where Mankirt Aulakh's story begins. Born on 2 October 1990 into a Jatt Sikh farming family, he grew up in the fields and akharas of rural Haryana, more interested in sport than in singing. He finished his schooling in Behbalpur and later graduated from DAV College in Chandigarh, where he first sang in public at college youth festivals.

Sport, not music, was his first calling. Aulakh was a serious kabaddi player and wrestler, known in his circle as 'Mani Pahalwan' for his build and strength. A knee injury cut that career short, and with the sporting path closed, the singing talent his college friends had noticed at youth festivals became his second chance.

How did Mankirt Aulakh become famous?

His first attempt at stardom failed. 'Darshan Karke', his 2013 debut with DJ Sanj, did not connect with listeners, and by his own later telling neither his voice nor his look had quite landed yet. Instead of quitting, Aulakh went back and worked on both.

The comeback was 'Kaka Ji' in 2014, which became a worldwide hit and announced him as a serious new voice. A year later came the song that made him a household name: 'Gallan Mithiyan', written by Bittu Cheema, which went viral, crossed 100 million views on YouTube, and earned him the Best New Age Vocalist award at the PTC Punjabi Music Awards and the Mirchi Music Awards in 2016.

The hit years

Since 2015, Aulakh has kept up a steady run of hits that made him one of the defining voices of the streaming era of Punjabi pop. 'Badnam', 'Jugaadi Jatt', 'Jatt Da Blood', 'Charda Siyaal', 'Gangland', 'Choorhey Wali Baah', 'Khayal', 'Kamli', 'Kadar', 'Daang', 'Vail' and 'Ali Baba' followed, several of them crossing 100 million YouTube views. His sound is high-energy Punjabi pop with hip-hop edges, built for weddings, parties and gym playlists, and his music videos regularly feature top models such as Himanshi Khurana, Sonia Mann and Tanvi Nagi.

He also moved into producing and releasing his own music under his own banner, and he tours heavily in India and across the diaspora, where Punjabi wedding and party staples like 'Gallan Mithiyan' and 'Badnam' are fixtures. In 2016 he added acting to the mix, debuting in the Punjabi film 'Main Teri Tu Mera' alongside Roshan Prince and Yamini Malhotra.

Is Mankirt Aulakh Punjabi or Haryanvi?

This question follows him everywhere. Aulakh was born in Haryana, in the village of Behbalpur in Fatehabad district, but he is ethnically and culturally Punjabi, from a Jatt Sikh family. Fatehabad sits in the part of Haryana with deep Punjabi roots and a large Sikh population, and his heritage, language and entire musical identity are Punjabi. The short answer: he is a Haryana-born Punjabi who has always worked within the Punjabi music industry.

Personal life and controversy

Aulakh keeps his family life deliberately private. He is married to a Canada-based wife whose name he has kept out of the public eye, and the couple has a son, Imtiaaz Singh Aulakh, born in June 2022.

In February 2020, Punjab Police registered a case against him and Sidhu Moose Wala for allegedly promoting violence and gun culture in a song clip shared on social media. After Moose Wala's murder in May 2022, Aulakh's name was dragged into speculation about the case; he posted a video saying he was being framed and that his name was being dragged into the matter unnecessarily. The Anti-Gangster Task Force chief Parmod Ban later gave him a clean chit, saying his name had never come up during the investigation. Aulakh has said he spent about a year receiving threats and isolated himself to stay safe.

Awards and recognition

His breakout year brought his biggest honours: the Best New Age Vocalist award for 'Gallan Mithiyan' at the PTC Punjabi Music Awards 2016 and the Mirchi Music Awards 2016.

Why he matters

Aulakh's arc, from a village kabaddi player to a self-made music entrepreneur, is the streaming era's classic Punjabi success story: no industry family, a failed debut, and a willingness to rebuild. He counts fellow singers Ammy Virk and Parmish Verma among his close friends in the industry, and his consistency over more than a decade has kept him one of the most toured Punjabi acts of his generation.