Veteran music director and singer, the legendary Bappi Lahiri breathed his last in Mumbai on Tuesday but for his fans the “disco king’s” legacy is immortal. The ‘disco king’ of Bollywood was among the leading music composers in the 1980s and he gained huge popularity for his splendid voice and musical sense.
He had a unique musical style that made the fans identify his beats in a few seconds. Bappi da introduced the Hindi film audience to the amazing disco trend that gave us some ever-remembering foot-tapping songs in the 1980s.
Some Lesser Known Facts about Bappi Lahiri
1: His Real Name
Bappi Lahiri was born as Alokesh Lahiri and eventually shifted to the name “Bappi”.
2: Kishore Kumar was his Maternal Uncle
On a musical reality show, Bappi da disclosed that even though not linked by blood, he was very close to the singing legend Kishore Kumar, even than his own sons (Kishore Kumar’s mother looked to Bappi Lahiri’s mother as her daughter). He often narrated events of his life memories with his “mama” and even shared that he threw a small celebration on account of Kishore Kumar’s birthday.
3: Bappi Da Made his Film Debut with Kishore Kumar
Very few people know about his short stint as an actor. He had his film debut in 1974, in a Kishore Kumar-directed movie, named Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi.
4: He Sued Dr. Dre in 2003
Bappi da sued the American rapper, Dr. Dre, in 2003, concerning one of the latter’s music albums Addictive, where he copied his tune of Kaliyon ka Chaman. However, Dr. Dree credited Bappi da later in his album and it was all fine.
5: His Last Composition
Bappi da’s last composition was devotional music for the song Ganpati Bappa Morya released in September 2021 and sang by Anuradha Juhu.
6: His Stint in Politics
He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014 and contested from the Lok Sabha seat of Srerampore but lost to Kalyan Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress.
7: He Started Playing Tabla at a Very Young Age
The legend started playing table only from the age of three and it is when his musical talent was discovered.
8: He Sang for Vishal Shekhar in 2006
He sang many of his own songs but up until 2006, he never gave vocal to any other music composer. The famous musical duo Vishal-Shekhar roped in for Bambai Nagariya, which emerged out to be a super hit.
9: His Styling Inspiration
In a recent music show, he revealed that his style was inspired by Elvis Presley.
10: World Record
The legendary music composer achieved a place in the Guinness Book of Records, for recording over 180 songs for a total of 33 films which were all released in the same year, 1986.
Read More: Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Release Date, Cast, and Other Details to Know
