The visibility and arrival of the transnational new Sikh middle class in the cinematic experience of the turbaned hero Diljit Dosanjh: Its implication for emerging Sikh identity politics

ABSTRACT The paper attempts to understand the emergence of a New Sikh middle class in Panjab and its growing, transnational visibility in a transnational spread through the kaleidoscope of Panjabi cinema. The paper seeks to map this new middle class both locally and globally with the emergence of the icon of the New Sikh middle class, the turbaned Diljit Dosanjh. His persona and the popularity of his films give a vivid portrayal of the visibility of this transnational New Sikh middleclass, the imagination of which transcends local, national and transnational borders.