Amir was born and raised in the Fiji Islands in a small village called Vuci, in the city of Nausori. His grandfather was part of a slave labor workforce sent to Fiji from India by the British. After they arrived in Fiji, his elder's, and later generations decided to settle there, with little desire to return to India. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Shiu Shankar Dhani, proprietor of Viti-shipping Co. and owner of the ship 'Kailas'. He's a self taught artist who is perceived to be one of the higher achievers in music from the Fiji Islands. He managed to progress by listening to the radio, practicing and experimenting on his own as there was limited opportunity to obtain lessons. Every chance that came his way was utilized.

He also played rhythm guitar and back-up lead for the original "The Sonnets" band from Nausori. In 1980, he migrated to the USA and continued the band "The Sonnets", playing guitar and keyboards for the group. From the late 1980's, he expanded interests in singing Bhajans, Ghazals,Jain, and Bollywood songs. He has performed with Kajal Das from San Francisco and has done band shows all over the United States and Canada. He has also performed with several famous international artists from India and Pakistan, with guitar and keyboards, when they toured the United States. To name a few, Gulaam Ali khan sahib, Anup Jalota Ji, Jaspinder Narula ji, Mangal Singh ji, Razak Aziz Naza sahib, Sohail Najmi sahib, Shushil Bewaja ji, Satish Babar ji, Sumeet Tapoo and manymore.