DISCO KING

Bappi Lahiri Passes Away At 69

Bollywood’s ‘Disco King’ Bappi Lahiri’s sudden demise has shocked and saddened the entire nation. Bappi Lahiri was 69 when he breathed his last on Tuesday night at a hospital in Mumbai. He had multiple health issues. He passed away due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Following the news of Bappi Lahiri's demise, several fans took to social media and paid tribute to the legendary singer. Lahiri is survived by his wife Chitrani Lahiri and a son and a daughter.Bappi da was born Alokesh Lahiri on November 27 1952. He started his career in the 70s and composed music until 2020. He also holds a Guinness World Record for recording over 180 songs for 33 movies. Born in West Bengal state to a musical family, the larger-than-life Iconic Bollywood singer-composer Bappi Lahiri was a name best known for popularising disco music to the Indian mainstream. Fondly known as Bappi Da, the musician experienced massive success in the 1980s and 90s due to his work on films such as 'Disco Dancer', 'Namak Halaal', 'Dance Dance' and 'Commando'. He earned the title of 'Disco King' for popularising the use of synthesized disco music in Indian cinema. Apart from his popular disco-electronic music, Bappi Da was also known for his signature look that consisted of gold chains, golden embellishments, velvety cardigans and sunglasses.

He was best-known for delivering popular songs in several films of the late 1970s-80s like Chalte Chalte, Disco Dancer, and Sharaabi, to name a few. He had several collaborations with international stars, including English model and singer Samantha Fox in the 1995 Hindi film Rock Dancer and with Snoop Dogg on Punjabi song Patiala Peg in 2015. The veteran singer also made an appearance during an episode of the last season of the TV reality show Bigg Boss 15, where he arrived as a guest along with his grandson Swastik ( son of Rema and Govind Bansal). In the recent years, Bappi Lahiri sang tracks like Bambai Nagariya from Taxi No 9211 (2006), Ooh La La from The Dirty Picture (2011) and Tune Maari Entriyaan from 2014 film Gunday. Other than Hindi cinema, Bappi Lahiri also gave music for films in Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Gujarati cinema. His last Bollywood song titled Bhankas was for the 2020 film Baaghi 3. He was the only Indian music director to be invited by Jonathon Ross for a live performance on BBC London and was honoured by the House of Lords for his contribution to the NGO, Justice for Widows.

                 Lahiri also had a short stint in politics when he joined the BJP in 2014. He contested from the Srerampur Lok Sabha constituency in the general elections. Bappi-da lost the election but that was one rally from which everyone left grinning.

Condolences poured in from top politicians and Bollywood celebrities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that Lahiri’s music was “all-encompassing, beautifully expressing diverse emotions” and that “people across generations could relate to his works”. “His lively nature will be missed by everyone. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” Modi added. He made our lives less dull with his music, his jewellery and his “Bappi-go-lucky” persona. Even on the dreariest day, we cannot but tap our feet and grin when “Koi yahaan aha nache nache” starts playing. Bappi Lahiri was our guilty pleasure. And a gilded pleasure too.