A 'desi' disco legend - How Bappi Lahiri made the impossible possible in Bollywood
There are many things about Bollywood music composers to croon over, but few that can rival the joy of listening to a Bappi da song.
Those of you who swear by the rich, artistic and nuanced musical traditions of India can only be looked at with pity if you had the misfortune of underestimating the cult of Bappi Lahiri.
This is a man who stirred the disco-electronic cauldron of India and the public absolutely loved the synthesized-seismic impact that he had on music lovers who had not heard anything like that before.
Almost 45 years in the Hindi film industry, Bappi Lahiri is still making music.
His upcoming project, Disco Dancing Star, with filmmaker B Subhash of Disco Dancer fame will also mark the first instance where three generations of the Lahiris are coming together. According to this Mumbai Mirror report, Bappi Lahiri has composed the soundtracks for the film, Bappa, his son has arranged the music, and Swastik, Bappi's daughter Rema's son, has given playback.
It was in 1975 when a young Bengali man broke into the Bollywood music scene with Zakhmee and its versatile mix of "Aao Tumhe Chaand Pe Le Jayein" and "Jalta Hain Jiya Mera Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein". His first Hindi film was Nanha Shikari (1973) though.
Then came Chalte Chalte (1976) which established him as a music director in his own rights. But it wasn't until 1980 that Lahiri became Bappi da — the disco king.
An emerging middle class India had not heard anything like that before — Disco Dancer (1982), Namak Halaal (1982), Dance Dance (1987) and the magic that continues with "Ooh Lala Ooh Lala" (Dirty Picture, 2011), or "Tune Mari Entriyan" (Gunday, 2013).
Over the years, Bappi da remained relevant with a careful mix of music. It wasn't just the foot-tapping disco beats. He kept reinventing himself. If there was a "I'm a disco dancer" and "Jimmy Jimmy" for the footloose and fancy-free, melancholics met their soul partner in "Manzilein Apni Jagah Hain", only to break into a "Tamma Tamma" (Thanedar, 1991).
Far from an elite India that was still reeling under Elvis and The Beatles nostalgia, Bappi Lahiri gave ordinary Indians — who could hardly understand or sing along a Michael Jackson number or a Madonna — their own desi pop.
This is something even Bollywood genius and the much-loved RD Burman couldn't do, despite his mix of classical-rock-funk-jazz-disco-Afro music.
If Pancham was class, Bappi was crass, but still a municipal hysteria.
It's true that most of the lyrics and picturisation of Bappi Lahiri songs left many of us cringing — Chad Gaya Upar Re Atariya Pe Lotan Kabutar (1993; lyrics: Maya Govind) to what Lahiri himself famously wrote for the 1995 film Rock Dancer — You Are My Chicken Fry — picturised on British pop star Samantha Fox.
But Bappi made Indian youngsters believe that it's absolutely possible to create our own brand of pop music in the style that we understand and enjoy — something which budding artists continue experimenting with.
If Lahiri was accused of lifting tunes from foreign musicians, he, in turn, also inspired a whole generation of rappers and DJs in India as well as abroad who are making a living by remixing and recreating Bappi da songs — Jimmy Jimmy (the most popular recreation is by British rapper M.I.A), or Come Closer (Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki — the song made its way to Hollywood movie Lion in 2016), or that one line from Thoda Resham Lagta Hai (Jyoti, 1981) that DJ Quik sampled without permission and got into legal troubles.
Of course, the 65-year-old Lahiri is not considered among India's top film music composers, despite his over 650 films in a four-decade-plus career.
But the man doesn't seem to mind. That's also why he never took offence or showed his angry side to his critics parodying him, making fun of his music, his sartorial sense, his accent, his love for gold jewellery. In a true gentlemanly spirit, Bappi da remains Zen-like calm. If anything, he has helped people laugh at his style with his great sense of humour.
Back in 1993, Pepsico India in its 7UP ad — "7UP sone ke nimbu" offer that offered audience an opportunity to win seven lemons made of gold and Rs 7 crore in cash — featured the golden man and king of bling, Bappi Lahiri.
Every generation needs an icon with whom they can dance and sing along, they can love and laugh at. Bappi da gave us both songs and reasons for every mood and season.
It's only natural that no matter what one calls Bappi Lahiri — sometimes fun, sometimes subtle, sometimes tacky, sometimes sucky — we can't deny that his disco beat fills our heart with joy and girds our loins with desire.