One of India’s favourite musicians, Bappi Lahiri, fondly known as Bappi da, passed away earlier today. He was suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea which caused his demise. Known as the disco king of Bollywood, Bappi da never failed to churn out groovy numbers. A fan of Elvis Presley, Bappi da followed his style as well. His signature gold-chained look can be attributed to his fondness for the American rockstar.
Bappi da popularised the use of synthesised disco and gave us innumerable hits. Here’s taking a look at some of Bappi Lahiri’s famous songs.
1. Disco Dancer (1982)
You still can’t help but dance to this song. Bappi Lahiri’s music direction, Vijay Benedict’s vocals, and Mithun Chakraborty’s iconic moves make this an evergreen hit.
2. Raat Baaki (1982)
Namak Halaal is a comedic masterpiece from the 80s. This Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Smita Patil and Parveen Babi starrer has given us fabulous songs.
3. Pag Ghoongroo (1982)
Bappi da was behind the music for this film and this song was sung was Kishore Kumar, who was also Lahiri’s maternal uncle. Apart from the great songs, the movie also gave us a dialogue that we still reference, “I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English because English is a very funny language.”
4. Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re (1985)
Listen to Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re
Sung by S. Janaki and Bappi Lahiri, Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re is the most famous song from the movie Saaheb. The song was also recreated for the 2020 Ayushmann Khurrana starrer, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.
5. Yaad Aa Raha Hai (1982)
Mithun Chakraborty’s character Jimmy sings this song in remembrance of his mother who passed away. The soundtrack of Disco Dancer was a huge success going platinum in India and receiving a Gold Award in China.
6. Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost (1977)
Listen to Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost
Aap Ki Khatir‘s song Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost was a memorable hit in the late 1970s. The movie itself was a remake of the American movie, For Pete’s Sake.
7. Humko Aaj Kal Hai Intezaar (1990)
Listen to Humko Aaj Kal Hai Intezaar
Humko Aaj Kal Hai Intezaar was the most popular song of the movie Sailaab. Composed by Bappi da and sung by Anupama Deshpande, the song won Saroj Khan the Filmfare Best Choreography award.
8. Tamma Tamma (1990)
Tamma Tamma Loge from the movie Thanedaar was an instant hit when it was released. The quirky dance and the lyrics won over people in a snap. The choreography has similarities to Michael Jackson’s song, Bad.
9. Naino Main Sapna (1983)
The most famous number from Himmatwala, Naino Main Sapna won Sridevi Bollywood stardom. She dominated the screen in her bejewelled outfits and headgear throughout the song.
10. Ooh La La (2011)
The Dirty Picture wasn’t just a successful movie, but its songs, especially Ooh La La, found immense success too. The Vidya Balan song was sung by Bappi Lahiri and Shreya Ghoshal and has won numerous awards. The song was also featured in an episode of the American sitcom New Girl.
11. Tamma Tamma Again (2017)
Badrinath Ki Dulhania used a reprised version of Bappi da‘s original Tamma Tamma Loge. Tamma Tamma Again was sung by Bappi Lahiri, Anuradha Paudwal, and Badshah, while the music was by Tanishk Bagchi.
12. Bhankas (2020)
Bhankas from Baaghi 3 is a remake of the song Ek Aankh Marun To from the 1984 movie Tohfa. The song’s original composition was done by Bappi Lahiri. He also sang the reprised version along with Dev Negi and Jonita Gandhi.
We can never encapsulate the wonders of Bappi Lahiri in a small list. But these are a few of his songs that still have us grooving to their beats. Bollywood and the entire country mourns the loss of this legendary singer, composer, and music director.
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Related: 10 Iconic Songs Choreographed By Bollywood’s Master Ji, Saroj Khan
