Hours after the news of music director and singer Bappi Lahiri’s demise, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi took to social media to share his condolences. He was nostalgic as he recalled his association with the composer: “He gave numerous chartbusters for me which contributed immensely to the popularity of my films. He will always be remembered for his unique style and his great enthusiasm for life, which reflected in his music.”
One of Bappi Lahiri’s immensely popular Telugu albums is the Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanti-starrer Gang Leader (1991). The film and its music have a high recall value among Telugu film buffs to date. Think of a catchy, hummable rain song and ‘Vaana vaana velluvaye’ is still a favourite for many. Two decades later, memories of the song were brought back into public memory afresh when composer Mani Sharma remixed it for Ram Charan and Tamannaah Bhatia’s Rachcha. The other Bappiri Lahiri and Chiranjeevi films include State Rowdy,Rowdy Alludu and Big Boss.
Bappi Lahiri composed for several Telugu films from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, predominantly for films starring Krishna, Mohanbabu, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna and Venkatesh. His musical oeuvre ranged from foot-tapping numbers to a few folksy tunes.
Vijayashanti and Chiranjeevi in ‘Gang Leader’. Bappi Lahiri’s soundtrack played a part in the film’s popularity
Lahiri’s first association with Telugu cinema was for the 1986 film Simhasanam, directed by Krishna, in which he starred alongside Jaya Prada, Radha and Mandakini. Unlike the psychedelic disco tunes that the composer was renowned for, this film required him to compose for a folklore-inspired story.
Lahiri then composed for Thene Manasulu (remake of Souten) and Trimurtulu (remake of Naseeb). Interestingly, the Hindi soundtracks of both these films were not composed by Lahiri. Usha Khanna composed for Souten while Laxmikant-Pyarelal did the honours for Naseeb.
Years later, Bappi Lahiri and his son Bappa collaborated for Action 3D (2013) starring Allari Naresh. Lahiri’s last association with Telugu cinema was for Disco Raja (2020), when he sang ‘Rum Pum Bum’ along with the film’s lead actor Ravi Teja and Sri Krishna, for tunes composed by S S Thaman. The song, as well as the film, did not make a mark.
