Kolkata: Disco King Bollywood singer-cum-composer Bappi Lahiri on Friday turned 67.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted him on the occasion."Warmest birthday greetings to @thebappilahiri Da. May you continue to bring us joy with your music," Ms Banerjee posted on her social networking page."We were honoured to have felicitated you with Sangeet Samman and Mahanayak Samma," she added.
Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee in a tweet massage said, "A very #HappyBirthday to the man with the golden heart, the legendary composer #BappiLahiri da."Born on this day in 1952 into a family with a rich tradition in classical music, Bappi has his own unmatched personal style.
He is the perfect blend of East and West, and his wardrobe ranges from the traditional Indian kurta and sherwani to the western sweatshirts and blazers.Bappi is fond of wearing pieces of jewelry that represent significant symbols in his life. He is famous throughout India for his trademark gold ornaments and sunglasses.
His father, Aparesh Lahiri was a famous Bengali singer and his mother, Bansari Lahiri was a musician and a singer who was well-versed in classical music and Shyama Sangeet. His parents trained him in every aspect of music.He received his first opportunity in a Bengali film, Daadu (1972) and the first Hindi film for which he composed music was Nanha Shikari (1973).
The film which established him in Bollywood was Tahir Husain's Hindi film, Zakhmee (1975), for which he composed music and doubled as a playback singer. This film brought him to the heights of fame and brought forth a new era in the Hindi film industry.
Bappi rose from strength to strength, and the music for his subsequent films Chalte Chalte and Surakshaa were tremendously popular, placing Bappi on the pedestal of stardom, making him the youngest music director of his time to have attained such intense success in such a short duration.
Bappi was the pioneer of disco beats in India and his refreshing, vibrant, and rhythmic music had the entire nation dancing for decades. Bappi Lahiri is widely recognized throughout India as the sole originator of the disco beat in India.He is widely known as the "Disco King" in India, even today.
Bappi was the most popular music director in the 1980s and 1990s due to his famous compositions for films such as Disco Dancer, which have left a lasting imprint in the minds of all those who heard the music.
The famous song from Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh starrer film Saaheb released in 1985 is sung by Bappi Lahiri and the female vocals are by S. Janaki. In the song, Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh are seen visualizing themselves as two dancers dancing before them on the song.
His popular filmi soundtracks such as Wardat, Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal, Dance Dance, Commando, Saaheb, Gang Leader, Sailaab and Sharaabi.He is famous for his constant desire to reinvent himself and face the challenge to keep up with the rapidly changing preferences of current generations.Bappi is the complete entertainer and superstar with his multiple talents as a singer, music director, and percussionist.(UNI)