Punjabi video starring Winnipeg goes viral on YouTube

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A Punjabi song about Winnipeg has gone viral online with more than a million views on YouTube.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2022 (1417 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Punjabi song about Winnipeg has gone viral online with more than a million views on YouTube.

The tune, released under Ontario-based label Brown Town Music, is a duet between Deep Dhillon and Gurleg Akhtar who are both well-known singers in their home country of India.

Simply titled Winnipeg, the three-minute song is about estranged lovers; the girl who now lives in the West whilst her ex-boyfriend has remained in East India.

The video starts off with a scene in rural Punjab and swiftly moves to a location meant to portray Winnipeg.

As of Wednesday, the YouTube video garnered approximately 1.4 million views in less than a week since its release.

Although the song is about Manitoba’s capital, there are exterior shots of the city appearing in the video.

This isn’t the first time a Punjabi song features Winnipeg.

In 2016, Indian singer, actor and lyricist Gurnam Bhullar, best known for his 2018 single Diamond, brought out a song with similar themes, also called Winnipeg.

The accompanying video was shot in both Canada and India.

Both releases seem to highlight the cultural differences new immigrants encounter when moving to North America.

Members of the local Punjabi community aren’t surprised that the city has been featured in Punjabi songs.

Winnipeg has a large Punjabi population says Amit Saini, student success adviser at the University of Manitoba.

Saini runs a monthly club night under his Winnipeg Desi Entertainments venture.

“Canada is a big influence in Punjabi culture. A lot of people from the Punjab region of India move abroad here. The general assumption is that if you move here you will have a good life and more opportunities that you might not be able to have in Punjab,” he says.

— AV Kitching

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