RIP Bappi Lahiri: 'Disco King' ruled the charts with his catchy tunes

Lahiri passed away on February 16 at the age of 69

Legendary music composer Bappi Lahiri passed away on Wednesday leaving the film fraternity heartbroken. He was 69.

The ace musician began his Bollywood career with the 1973 release Nanha Shikari, which featured Tanuja in the lead. It was, however, his work in Zakhmee that compelled fans to take note of his abilities. The Sunil Dutt-starrer featured popular songs such as Aao Tumhe Chand Pe Le Jayen and Zakhmee Dilon Ka Badla.

Also Read | Music legend Bappi Lahiri passes away

He consolidated his standing in the industry with films such as Chalte Chalte and Aap Ki Khatir, emerging as one of the industry's finest young composers. Aap Ki Khatir featured the catchy Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost, a song that would eventually become synonymous with 'Bappi Da'. The year 1982 proved to be a particularly memorable one for Lahiri as Disco Dancer emerged as a musical blockbuster with the title song and Jimmy Jimmy attaining cult status. The album sold like hotcakes and garnered a fair deal of international attention with fans dubbing the composer as Indian cinema's 'Disco King'.

He continued his rise to stardom in 1983 with Himmatwala, directed by popular Telugu director K Raghavendra Rao. It featured chartbusters such as Taki o Taki and Naino Mein Sapna, which became a rage. Amitabh Bachchan's Sharaabi was a landmark release for 'Bappi Da' as it helped him win his only Filmfare Award for 'Best Music Director'. He delivered the timeless Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re with Saaheb widely regarded as one of the finest films of Anil Kapoor's career.

The 90s began on an impressive note for Lahiri as the Tamma Tamma number from Thanedaar became quite popular courtesy of his quirky lyrics and Sanjay Dutt's dance moves. The track was reused in the 2017 release Badrinath Ki Dulhania. His other notable releases from this decade include Tyagi, Aankhen and Shola Aur Shabnam. He took a break from composing after the release of Mithun Chakraborty's Justice Chowdhary in 2000. He returned to the industry when he lent his voice to Bumbai Nagariya song from the 2006 movie Taxi No. 9211.

His song Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dostwas used in Akshay Kumar's Chandini Chowk 2 China under the title India Se Aaya Mera Dost but it did not get wide patronage. Lahiri lent his voice to the Ooh La La track from The Dirty Picture. The Vishal-Sekhar composed song emerged as a massive hit, proving that Lahiri was still a force to reckon with. He did playback for Tune Maari Entriyaan, Asalaam-E-Ishqum from Gunday (2013), which proved to be instant chartbusters.

Lahiri's death is a major blow for the film industry and marks the end of an era.

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