source : www.khaleejtimes.com
'Abhijit Sawant is more famous than Abhijeet'
17 January 2008
Flamboyant music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri muses on his Bollywood journey and his tiff with singer Abhijeet in an interview
HOW WOULD you describe Bappida in your own words?
Very humble and down to earth person. I have been around in this industry for 34 years and have composed for more than 450 films. Today, everywhere I go, be it Muscat, Spain, London, Dubai or Istanbul, I have a huge fan following. Children are specially very fond of me. They find me really sweet.
Apart from being a singer and music composer, you are also a style icon. Do you have a personal fashion or jewellery designer?
Not at all. There was never a designer for me. My wife selects all my clothes and jewellery. As gold is very lucky for me, I prefer wearing lots and lots of it. I also pick a lot of items during my various visits abroad. My style sense is much inspired by Elvis Presley. Around the world I'm known as bling-bling Bappida.
Have you ever gifted anything to your son or daughter from your personal collection?
No, I haven't. Bappa doesn't like wearing gold. Moreover, gold isn't very lucky for him. And my daughter prefers diamond.
Post Dus Kahaniyaan, things have changed for your son Bappa Lahiri. Tell us about the positive developments.
Bappa is an established music director. And now, after the release of Dus Kahaniyaan, he hardly gets time for anything else. I want him to be the torch bearer of our family. My father Aparesh Lahiri was a great music composer. His song 'Ekbar Bidai De Ma Ghure Aashi' is still famous. I carried his name further and I want the third generation to be equally good. At the moment, things are looking positive for him as he has his hands full with Sanjay Gupta's, Alibaug, Mimoh's debut venture Jimmy and Shyam Bajaj and Ekta Kapoor's next. As a father, I feel very happy and I'm proud of him.
And what about your daughter? Will she take the family legacy forward and become a singer?
Rema is trying hard to make her presence felt in the industry and this year is vital for her. She will be releasing an album soon and will also be singing for a few films.
You have been a part of a reality show which was subject to lot of controversies, especially because of the bitter relations between you and singer Abhijeet.
Yes, he is one person on this earth, whose sight I cannot stand. After what he has done to me, I don't even consider him to be a human being. The incident occurred a long time back and I don't want to talk about it now. Today, I'm really happy judging shows like K for Kishore and Bathroom Singer. Everyone in the show (including other judges like Amit Kumar, Sudesh Bhonsle) behave cordially and respect me.
There are so many reality shows that are being aired these days. But do these singers really get a chance to prove themselves once the show gets over?
Yes, they do. I don't know about other music directors but I have given a chance to a lot of them. Aneek Dhar, Amanat Ali, Raja, Mauli Dave and Sumedha are singing for me. They have done a great job.
How do you cope with so much mimicry that's done?
I think people only talk about those who are famous. The way I talk and carry myself makes me an ideal subject for mimicry. Someone will never mimic a singer like Abhijeet as anybody hardly knows him. I think Abhijit Sawant is more famous than him.
What are the projects that are in the pipeline?
The big ventures that are coming up include B Subhash's Jhoom, KC Sharma's Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Nikhil Advani's Chandni Chowk to China and Satish Kaushik's Tere Sang.
