‘Kanneda’ Songs Set a New Standard for Punjabi Hip-Hop and OTT Soundtracks
(right) Parmish Verma and Aadar Malik in a promo still from ‘Kanneda.’ Photo: JioHotstar
In one of the key opening scenes of the new JioHotstar series Kanneda, Parmish Verma’s lead character, Nimma (aka Nirmal Chahal), is casually driving around Toronto with his friend Daljeet, played by Aadar Malik. What elevates this otherwise simple sequence of two immigrant friends conversing in Punjabi is the track blasting in the background: “Desiya Da Daur,” a song composed and sung by Verma himself. The scene isn’t just about the track—which already has all the makings of a future chart-topper—getting the quintessential car stereo test drive. It also kicks off Kanneda on a strong note, brimming with the swagger of Punjabi hip-hop while setting up its major thematic explorations of Punjabi music and the desi immigrant experience in Canada.
The lyrics, written by Verma’s longtime collaborator Laddi Chahal, make it all the more impactful, highlighting how, even in the 1990s, Indian immigrants were paving the way for their time in the spotlight. If you think back to Chahal and Verma’s previous team-up tracks like “Rubicon Drill,” you know they’re a hitmaking pair. And “Desiya Da Daur” is just further proof of that.
Verma takes the reins for the Kanneda soundtrack, and it’s evident that the makers have complete trust in him. It marks the start of a new kind of association between Punjabi music and OTT content, a burgeoning space that is only slated to grow in the coming years.
Whether it’s the fusion music-influenced show Bandish Bandits commissioning Bollywood heavyweights like the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for their first season, music duo Sachin-Jigar enlisting rising hip-hop talent like DRV to rap on a song for the crime thriller series Farzi or composer-producer Anurag Saikia creating “Ishq Hai” for the romantic series Mismatched, OTT music is bursting with creativity in a way that mirrors the format’s ingenuity.
Kanneda makes big strides as a series that features only Punjabi hip-hop—helmed by its lead actor, no less. Verma’s personality has long shone through every track he’s been a part of – from “Check It Out” with hip-hop artist Paradox to “No Reason” with Punjabi rapper GD 47. With Laddi Chahal penning lyrics straight from the chronicles of Nimma’s life in Kanneda, Verma brings an added intensity. He’s now singing and rapping from the perspective of his character—a hustler, an immigrant, and a fearless one at that.
For all those who are perhaps drawn to the story of Kanneda without any context on who Verma is, the power-packed soundtrack is bound to keep them hooked.
There are tracks like “Assin Munde Aan Punjab De,” where producer Kabeer Arora’s slick trap beats let Verma ride over immutable bars about his Punjabi roots. In “Desiya Da Daur,” Verma raises the energy to unrelenting levels with a rap about surviving schoolyard scraps and high-stakes confrontations, while Arora even works in a gunshot sample to make things all the more ominous. Meanwhile, “Je Dar Kolon Daronge” shifts the mood to a more hopeful vein, proving just how much range the soundtrack has. It feels especially relevant at a time when our soundtracks assume the responsibility of helping us process every experience and come out the other side feeling slightly more hopeful.
Verma sings with a world-wise perspective, reflecting on legacy and life’s unfairness but without any bitterness. Instead, he keeps faith close and fights fearlessly, despite being aware that in the end, we all meet the same fate. The narrative of Kanneda gets wistful with a song like “Saah” for the contemplative moments. Translating to “breath,” there’s a certain breathiness in Verma’s vocal approach that feels entirely new for him. Verma ruminates on the rat race and how we’re expected to never stop, perhaps a nod to the show’s themes of the toll it takes on its characters, especially Nimma.
With “Gori Police (Laal Rang Dian Akhan),” Verma breaks out a bar fest which cuts fast and loose in the gangsta rap vein, summing up Nimma’s headstrongedness while embodying his reckless-and-proud-of-it lifestyle.
The Kanneda soundtrack signals a new direction for Verma, one that no one would ever mistake for any of his solo material. These five songs, of course, feature his distinctive rap style, but the level of experimentation proves that Verma is sticking fairly close to Nimma’s life and times. With Kanneda’s soundtrack, Verma not only carves out a new path, but also sets a high bar for other rappers to step up and follow suit.
