'I’m lucky because of the gold jeweIlery I sport'

Composer-singer Bappi Lahiri on his long innings in Bollywood and more
Bappi Lahiri is a happy man these days hopping from one city to another enjoying the popularity of his song Ooh La La from The Dirty Picture. So much so, that the song was played overseas and has topped the music charts for six consecutive weeks. In a heart-to-heart chat, he tells us why the Gen Y enjoys melody more than lyrics and music is more about versatility and innovation.Excerpts:
This is your second trip to Ahmedabad in a month. Do you enjoy coming here? Yes, if possible I would make Ahmedabad my second home. People here are so warm and know how to enjoy and entertain themselves and others. I am seriously planning to invest in real estate in Ahmedabad and live here.
What’s on your plate right now? I have composed a song Boka chor tu hai dil ka chor for a movie called Dard-e-Disco. The song is a mix of English, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati languages. I feature in the song and have acted in the movie. I am sure it will also be another hit like Ooh La La.
Ooh La La had objectionable lyrics…were you comfortable with that? It is not about being comfortable. I have been in the industry for 40 years now. Long time back I had composed a song for Mawaali — where Jeetendra sings tere badan se saari hawa ho gayi, people enjoy the melody and that song was a hit in those times. In times like now when songs are being played at discotheques and weddings, people love to dance and enjoy their evenings so such songs become an instant hit with the masses. There was Jumma chumma and Choli ke peeche… so I don’t know why people made such an issue of “boombaat and gira de pallu baar baar” in the Ooh La La song. I think Vishal-Shekhar did a marvellous job with the song and I enjoyed singing it.
What is your comment on the shelf life of songs today? Don’t you feel they are forgotten easily? My song disco dancer was again played in Golmaal 3. Even today the Raat baaki song in Namak Halal where I sang for Shashi Kapoor is played at discotheques. I think what we lack today is real singers and voices. There is a strong need to keep the Indian folk and melody alive. I mean where are the voices like Kumar Sanu and Kavita Krishnamurthy? We have good singers like Shreya Ghosal and there are new singers like Raja Hussain, Mauli Dave, Abhijeet Sawant but I feel there is a need to look for more trained voices. I did the song Humko intezaar hai koi aaye, for Madhuri Dixit in Sailaab, long time back, or Jaya Prada’s Mujhe naulakha manga de (Sharaabi). People are still listening to these songs. We need to create songs like Ek do teen to keep the Indian rhythm and beats alive.
You continue to be fascinated with gold. Gold is my pehchaan. It is my protector. I wear gold jewellery because God is there to protect me. I am lucky because of this gold jewellery I wear. Only when I go abroad I try to be a little careful about wearing it.
What are your future plans? I am the only Indian to be a jury member of the Grammy Awards. I have composed for a jazz album — Walking On Love Street is among the top ten charbusters in the US. Hoping that I am motivated more to make music that is always remembered.