Stream It Or Skip It: ‘AP Dhillon: First Of A Kind’ on Prime Video, A Look at the Punjabi Singer’s Rise to Fame

AP Dhillon is now a household name in the South Asian diaspora, but not much is known about the star himself. In this four-part docuseries, Dhillon and his entourage will break down their sudden rise to fame as they embark on a North American tour. Does the documentary actually give us the insights we’re craving?

AP DHILLON: FIRST OF A KIND: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Cameras flash in a sold out arena, as millions chant “AP” while they await a performance. A voiceover from the star AP Dhillon recounts how many naysayers he had as he was attempting to break onto the scene.

The Gist: Punjabi singer AP Dhillon is one of the biggest Indian artists today, and is notoriously press-shy—until now. This new docuseries traces his first visit back to Punjab in 2021 after leaving for Canada in 2015, and gives fans a peek behind the curtain as he prepares for his first North American tour in 2022.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Because of its focus on the forthcoming tour, this docuseries veers close to other concert-centric projects like JLo’s Halftime.

Our Take: If you’re part of the South Asian diaspora, you’ve likely heard of AP Dhillon—or at least heard his smash hit “Brown Munde” that has been a calling card and anthem for brown people everywhere. The Punjabi-born and Canada-based singer Amritpal “AP” Singh Dhillon hasn’t done much press since exploding onto the scene in 2020, but he now has a docuseries dedicated to his rising star.

Given his reluctance to be in the spotlight, one would expect that AP Dhillon: First of a Kind would spend a significant amount of time on his upbringing and highlight the circumstances that pushed him towards music, but the first episode of the docuseries only briefly discusses those details. Instead, the majority of the 34-minute runtime is spent introducing the team around him—from his collaborators to his managers—showing audiences how some of his hit songs came to be and how the sudden ascent into the spotlight changed their lives.

But in that presentation, we don’t really learn much about AP Dhillon himself. He’s humble and soft spoken and consistently connected to his roots, but most of the episode’s insights come from the people that surround the subject of the series rather than the subject himself. And given that his star has risen higher than all of the others, it leaves audiences wanting more from the private star while also wondering why the others in the group haven’t seen the same amount of success and name recognition.

In watching ahead, the remaining episodes lean more into the specifics about his North American tour rather than provide more insight into his artistry and his past. It’s still a fascinating watch, as fans still get to see him write and record new music while also learning about the logistics of putting on a massive tour, but AP Dhillon: First of a Kind misses an opportunity to give us more insight into who Amrit is behind the stage name AP. But for those who are happy to see the hit songs come to life and the tour take shape before their eyes, the series will satisfy those curiosities.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: AP and his team contemplate what their first set of North American dates might look like before settling on one non-negotiable: more theatrics.

Sleeper Star: Shinda Kahlon, a rapper in AP Dhillon’s sphere, is shown as the brains behind what eventually became “Brown Munde.” His explanation of the lyrics are a profound look at the heart of the song and music video that turned them into overnight celebrities, which pays homage to brown people in all walks of life.

Most Pilot-y Line:: “Moving to Canada changed me a lot, but I am the same person inside,” AP says in a rare moment of insight into his psyche.

Our Call: STREAM IT if you’re okay with mainly learning more about the artist’s writing process and tour logistics, but be aware that the series shies away from exploring the personal aspects of the star.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.