BAPPI LAHIRI...

Bappi was born in Calcutta in a family with a very rich tradition in classical music. His father Aparesh Lahiri was a famous singer and mother Bansari Lahiri and musician and singer was also a famous classical and Shyama Sangeet singer.He was their only child. At a very early age he had an ambition to be famous, not only nationally, but also internationally .He began to play the tabla from the age of 3 . His relatives from his mother's side include singer Kishore Kumar and the S. Mukerji clan. Initially he was trained by his own parents after which he got his first opportunity in a Bengali film Daadu in 1972.

He came to Bollywood at a very young age of 18. The first film in which he composed music was Nanha Shikari (1973). Still the turning point of his career was S. Mukherji' son Shomu Mukherji hit Tahir Husain 's Zakhmee 1975 . He himself got to sing 'Nothing is impossible' with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar in the same film. The songs of his next film Chalte Chalte, became a rage, 'Jaana kahaan hai' sung by Bappi himself and 'Pyar mein kabhi kabhi'. But for the rest of the decade his music could not do very well.The films he worked for were (Khoon Ki Pukar, Lahu Ke Do Rang, Paapi) , Aap Ki Khatir ('Bambai se aaya mera dost'), Toote Khilone ('Maana ho tum'), Dil sey Miley Dil (the title-track and Aflatoon), College Girl ('Pyar maanga hai tumhi se'), Surakshaa ('Mausam hai gaane ka') and Ahsaas ('Kitne raanjhe tujhe dekh ke').

In the 80's Bappi Lahiri has come a long way to be one of the most popular music composers in Indian filmdom. His music blasts out of car radios and ghetto blasters wherever Indian popular music is heard. Bappida, as he is more popularly known, will be remembered for at least one reason, he introduced disco music in Indian films.

His hits include 'Hari Om Hari' (Pyaara Dushmun), 'Mere jaisi haseena ka dil' (Armaan) and disco numbers like 'Rambha ho' (Armaan), 'Disco station' (Hathkadi) and 'Koi yahan naache naache' (Disco Dancer). 'I am a disco dancer' created a sensation of sort all over India, with everybody eating disco, drinking disco and sleeping disco.The same song won great acclaim in Russia and China. He received the Golden Award for the music in China. Songs like Rambha Ho in Arman and Hari Om Hari in Pyaara Dushman swept the teenagers off their feet. Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar, the legends of the music industry of India, sang to his tune.

He gave a new life to his music with hits Chalte Chalte, Namak Halal ('Pag ghunghroo'- 1982) ,Himmatwala (1983),and Sharabi, for which he won the Filmfare Awards for best music director in 1984.

In the '90s, Bappi had to exist amongst a very talented newcomers and competitive atmosphere . So he tried to give his music a diffrent touch with songs like 'Tamma tamma' (Thanedaar), 'Gutur gutur' (Dalaal) , Andaz and Amaanat. But except for a few songs like 'Gori hai kalaiyaan' (Aaj Ka Arjun), 'Maahiya teri kasam': and the melodious 'Lambada' recycle 'Sochna kya' (Ghayal) and still fewer films like Zindagi Ek Juaa, Dalaal and Policewala Gunda,he could not stand the changing era of music lovers with a different taste .

Being called as "The Father of Remixes" he has developed a new passion for fusion music .Though he is not doing big banner films but fusion music keeps him busy. His latest album 'Ghungta' is a rocking original album with tremendous mass appeal in Bappi da's own voice! and the other 'Bappiwood Remixes'.

Modern music to him lacks creativity. Though there has been technical boom, but music had to pay the heavy price of losing creativity. As a result, songs of 90s seems very familiar and mundane to him.

He is a true Bengali and wants them to shine all over the world.He has a special place for Calcutta , his birthplace.His children, daughter Rema Lahiri and son Bappa Lahiri are already making positive dents in the world of music, thus fulfilling one of his dreams as a father.