{"id":4980,"date":"2019-06-08T00:03:05","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T18:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=4980"},"modified":"2022-02-16T09:26:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T03:56:00","slug":"the-super-hits-and-forgotten-gems-of-bappi-lahiri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/the-super-hits-and-forgotten-gems-of-bappi-lahiri\/","title":{"rendered":"The Super Hits and the Forgotten Gems: 50 Years of Bappi Lahiri"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Young<\/a>

Rare picture of Bappi Lahiri on HMV’s Sharad Arghya<\/em> Brochure (1980) (Pic courtesy: Sounak Gupta)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was late in the night after a sold-out concert in Fiji. Bappi Lahiri was in his hotel room with his father when a call from the reception informed him that a lady wanted to meet him. The composer asked the hotel attendant to usher the lady in. As soon as the woman entered the room, she handed him a bag. Bappi opened it and was shocked at its contents. The lady said that she knew of his fascination for gold and had brought him all the gold she owned as a token of appreciation for his rendition of Yaad aa raha hai tera pyaar<\/em> (Disco Dancer<\/em>, 1982) earlier in the evening. The story does not end there. Before Bappi could react, his father burst out laughing, telling the woman that his son was wearing as much gold on him as she had brought.<\/p>\n

Ridiculed as much for his penchant for flashy jewellery as for his heavily accented Bengali voice and taken to the cleaners as much for his predilection to \u2018lift\u2019 tunes as for being the one composer responsible for Hindi film music reaching its nadir in the 1980s with his \u2018Tathaiyya, tathaiyya<\/em>\u2019 brand of cacophony in the Jeetendra-Sridevi-Jaya Prada starrers that ruled the decade, one tends to overlook the many achievements of the composer. Yes, he is probably \u2018guilty\u2019 of each of these charges, but it is also unfair that these have overshadowed his really good, different, at times even great compositions.<\/p>\n

Inspired By<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Bappi

Bappi Lahiri<\/p><\/div>\n

As far as being \u2018inspired\u2019 by Western music is concerned, Bappi wasn\u2019t the first one, and he definitely won\u2019t be the last. Indian composers \u2013 right from classicists like Pankaj Mullick and Hemant Kumar to SD Burman to the most popular composers of the 1970s, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and RD Burman, have been guilty of copying songs \u2013 tune, riff and rhythm. The examples are too many to recount here \u2013 that could be the subject of a whole feature of its own: Danny Kaye\u2019s O boy jingo<\/em> transforming into Hemant Kumar\u2019s madcap Kishore number Shing nei tobu naam taar shingo<\/em> (Lukochuri<\/em>, 1958), My darling Clementine<\/em> finding its way to OP Nayyar\u2019s Aye dil hai mushkil<\/em> (CID<\/em>, 1956). Shankar-Jaikishan\u2019s corpus is full of such \u2018inspirations\u2019. Salil Chowdhury memorably transformed Mozart into Itna na mujhse<\/em> (Chhaya<\/em>, 1961) and repeatedly dipped into east European compositions for inspiration. The theme from Bridge on the River Kwai<\/em> resulted in Yeh dil na hota bechara<\/em> (Jewel Thief<\/em>, 1967). Laxmikant-Pyarelal did it on the sly with Boney M (Brown girl in the ring<\/em> getting a Hindi avatar as Tere naam ke hum diwaane hai<\/em> (Judaai<\/em>, 1980) while Daddy cool<\/em> transformed into Gumsum si khoi khoi<\/em> (Badalte Rishte<\/em>, 1978). Even their hit Karz<\/em> numbers Ek haseena thi<\/em> and Meri umar ke naujawano<\/em> were \u2018inspired\u2019 rip-offs.<\/p>\n

One also tends to forget that composers are often at the mercy of the producer, director or even the star when it comes to filching a popular Western tune. Nasir Hussain, for example, was adamant about using the ABBA number Mamma Mia<\/em> in the sensational back-to-back song sequence in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin <\/em>(1977). RD Burman could never live down Mil gaya humko saathi mil gaya<\/em>. Similarly, Amitabh Bachchan insisted on adding a whole new song in Kaalia<\/em> (1982) only because Zia Atabi\u2019s Persian sensation Heleh maali<\/em> had captivated him \u2013 it went on to become Jahan teri yeh nazar hai<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This is not to condone this blatant copying but to underline that Bappi has borne the cross more than the others \u2013 maybe he copied more well-known numbers or maybe what he copied became hits in their Hindi versions and thus stood out. To his credit, he has admitted to lifting entire songs and never giving the act the euphemisms of being \u2018inspired\u2019 or \u2018influenced\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Dev

Bappi Lahiri with Dev Anand, S Janaki and Amit Kumar during the recording of the song Poocho naa<\/em> for the film Awwal Number<\/em> (1990) (Pic: Pakanati Lakshmi Priya and Old is Gold Group)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Dismal 1980s and Its Consequences<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As for bringing down the standard of film music in the 1980s, again it is possible to argue that he was only providing what his producers wanted. At the end of the day, he had to make a living. Before he hit the big time in the 1980s, he had largely remained on the fringes, despite lilting compositions in Zakhmee<\/em> (1975), Chalte Chalte<\/em> (1976), Dil Se Mile Dil<\/em> (1978), Ek Baar Kaho<\/em> (1980), and many others. It is only because the audience of the era patronized \u2018Taaki re taaki<\/em>\u2019 and its ilk that the composer fed them that. And surely there\u2019s musical justice in what disgusted the purists, say, Ui amma<\/em> (Mawaali<\/em>, 1983), becoming cool retro when used as Ooh la la<\/em> in The Dirty Picture<\/em> (2011).<\/p>\n

At the same time, as he rues, the flak that he copped for this phase has taken the shine off some of his more serious, classical-based, romantic and folk compositions like Jaana kaha hai<\/em> (rendered by him with Sulakshana Pandit, Chalte Chalte<\/em>, 1976), Yeh kis bandhan mein<\/em> (Bhupinder, Doosri Dulhan<\/em>, 1977), Maana ho tum<\/em> (Yesudas, Toote Khilone<\/em>, 1978), Char din ki zindagi<\/em> and Raakh ke dher mein<\/em> (Yesudas and Jagjit Singh respectively, Ek Baar Kaho<\/em>), Zid na karo<\/em> (Yesudas) and Mathe ki bindiya bole <\/em>(Anuradha Paudwal and Mohd. Rafi, Lahu Ke Do Rang<\/em>, 1979), Dard ki raagini<\/em> (Pyaas<\/em>, 1984), Kisi nazar ko tera intezaar<\/em> (Bhupinder and Asha Bhosle, Aitbaar<\/em>, 1985) to name only a few.<\/p>\n

\"With

With Bappi Lahiri, Aparesh Lahiri, Mukesh, Lata Mangeskar and Hemant Kumar.
(Pic courtesy: From the collections of Dibyendu De)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Beginnings<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A child prodigy, Bappi (Alokesh Lahiri) debuted playing the tabla at a concert at Kolkata\u2019s Eden Gardens at the age of four. His parents, Aparesh and Bansari Lahiri, were well-known singers in Kolkata. Kishore Kumar was close to the family (Bappi addressed him as maama, maternal uncle). Lata Mangeshkar, a close family friend, suggested they send the young man to train under Pandit Samta Prasadji, the iconic tabla guru.<\/p>\n

Bappi composed his first song at the age of eleven and scored his first film Dadu<\/em> (1969), in Bengali, before running away to Bombay. His first Hindi film, Nanha Shikari<\/em> (1973), was received well. Meanwhile, he also had a cameo in Kishore\u2019s Badhti Ka Naam Daadi<\/em> (1974), before a phone call from Tahir Hussain led to the film that established him, Zakhmee<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Top of the Tops<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So here are the top 5 bona fide hits (of the many of Bappi Lahiri\u2019s illustrious career) and 5 of the best songs that people forgot he had composed or, even more sadly, he could compose.<\/p>\n

THE TOP 5 HITS <\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. Bambai se aaya mera dost<\/em> (Aap ki Khatir<\/em>, 1977)<\/h3>\n

In an otherwise forgettable film (anyone remember what it is about, except that it starred Vinod Khanna at his handsomest best?), it is this song, with its peppy melody and crazy lyrics, that has endured even forty years later. Hindi music discovered a new unmistakable voice \u2013 Bappi himself. Music may have morphed from vinyl to cassette to CD to USB drive to Smartphone, but this song is an essential part of youngsters setting out on a holiday to Goa \u2013 as essential as beer, sunglasses, shorts and sand shoes (though the song itself had nothing to do with Goa!).<\/p>\n

Bambai se aaya mera dost, dost ko salaam karo<\/em><\/strong> (Aap Ki Khatir<\/em>, 1977) Shaili Shailendra \/ Bappi Lahiri<\/span><\/p>\n