His songs have been sampled by music bands abroad and reprised in latter-day Hindi films. His composition Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja became a r...
His songs have been sampled by music bands abroad and reprised in latter-day Hindi films. His composition Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja became a rage in many countries. His name appears in the Guinness Book of World Records for composing 180 songs in a single year (1986). He has trademarked his look and unfailingly maintains it in every public appearance. His gold ornaments and pendants make him a walking jewellery store. He is the big daddy of disco in Hindi films.
Bappi Lahiri’s flashy, unabashed public persona has been fodder for the media. That, and the fact that he single-handedly set off the decline of melody in Hindi films in the 1980s, have overshadowed the fact that he also created a long string of memorable songs, several of which are timeless classics.
Alokesh Lahiri was born in 1952 in Jalpaiguri in Bengal. Meera Lahiri, an aunt, gave him the nickname Bapi (years later, he changed it to Bappi at producer Shomu Mukherjee’s suggestion).
Lata Mangeshkar, who was close to his parents Aparesh and Bansari Lahiri, noted singers and composers of Bengali music, noticed Bapi’s interest in music when he was a tiny tot. At her suggestion, the child started learning to play the tabla at the...
