A Soulful Farewell To The Gold Man of India- Bappi Lahiri

Bappi Lahiri, the veteran music composer, and singer passed away in Mumbai on 16th February 2022. Bappi Lahiri or Bappi Da was popularly known as the ‘Disco King’ of Bollywood. Apart from being an exceptional singer, he also became famous for his exclusive voice and the fans could easily relate themselves to his distinctive style of music. However, as time passed by, Bappi Da transformed the Hindi film industry and brought the element of disco and beats to film music. And because of Bappi Lahiri’s hard work and perseverance he was able to give some best foot-tapping hit numbers in the 1980s. In this article, we will be sharing some unknown facts about the ‘Disco King’ and will be cherishing his great legacy which he has left behind.

Unknown Facts About Bappi Lahiri

1. His Real Name was not Bappi Lahiri

This may surprise you all, but Bappi Lahiri’s real name was Alokesh Lahiri. However, to carve an identity for himself in the world of music he changed his name to Bappi Lahiri.

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2. Kishore Kumar was Bappi Lahiri’s Maternal Uncle

Bappi Lahiri received a lot of success as a musician and the credit can be attributed to his maternal uncle Kishore Kumar. In fact, on one of the reality shows, Bappi Lahiri mentioned that even though they both are not related by blood, Kishore Kumar’s mother saw Bappi Lahiri’s mother as her daughter. Bappi Lahiri was often seen narrating stories about how he used to spend his childhood days at his ‘mama’s’ place. Moreover, every year Bappi Lahiri used to throw a small party to honor Kishore Kumar’s legacy on his birthday.

3. Made his Film Debut with Kishore Kumar

Many people know Bappi Lahiri as a versatile and impeccable singer but not many know that he even made a small debut as an actor. Back in 1974, Bappi Da made his on-screen debut with Kishore Kumar’s directorial venture ‘Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi’. He even shared a throwback picture on his social media handle about the same.

4. Bappi Lahiri was a Tabla Player

It seems that Bappi Lahiri was way too talented and this can be proven by the fact that he started playing tabla when he was 3 years old. With his inclination towards music from a very young age, Bappi Lahiri managed to succeed at all the things that he undertook.

5. A Versatile Record Maker

Bappi Lahiri was able to earn a safe place in the Guinness Book of World Records for recording over 180 songs for 33 films. And all these films were released in a single year and that is 1986.

6. Collaborated with Vishal and Shekhar in 2006

Till 2006 Bappi Lahiri had only sung his compositions and things certainly changed in that year. The popular duo Vishal and Shekhar managed to rope in Bappi Da for a song ‘Bambai Nagariya’ in the movie Taxi No. 9211. And without a doubt, the song became an instant hit amongst the masses.

7. His Last Composition Came Out in 2021

Bappi Lahiri’s last musical composition was released in 2021. The composition was a devotional one and it was made for Lord Ganesha. The song was titled ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ and it was sung by Anuradha Juju.

8. His Love for Gold was Eternal

He was also known as the ‘Goldman of India’ and his love for gold cannot be described in simple words. At a single time, he used to wear 7-8 gold chains and as per him, gold was his lucky charm. You’d be surprised to know that as per a legal affidavit filed in 2014, he owned 754 grams of gold. In fact, on last Dhanteras he bought a gold tea set. His first-ever gold chain was that of a Hare Krishna chain.

9. ‘Jimmy-Jimmy’ earned him Global Recognition

‘Jimmy-Jimmy Aaja’, from the movie ‘Disco-Dancer’ earned Bappi Lahiri global recognition. Moreover, it was recreated for a Hollywood movie, You Don’t Mess With Zohan. Julius Dobos was the man responsible for rearranging the song and it is featured towards the end of the film. Furthermore, Bappi Lahiri was also recognized by London’s World Book of Records for his contribution to global music via this song.

10. Composed a Welcome Jingle for Mike Tyson

He is also credited with composing a welcome jingle for Mike Tyson. In 2018, Mike Tyson was invited to India to attend the Kumite 1 League MMA tournament. And for this reason, he composed a welcome jingle. The jingle started with ‘Om Swagatam’ and the jingle also featured his disco elements.