Revisiting Bappi Lahiri's best contemporary songs on his birth anniversary
Multifaceted artist Bappi Lahiri passed away on February 15, 2022, but his music has made him immortal, ensuring it fills the chasm he left behind. Reportedly, Lahiri started his career in 1972 and made music or sang until a few months before his demise; such was his passion for the craft. On his birth anniversary, let's look at some of his memorable contemporary songs.
'Bumbai Nagariya' (2006)
Bumbai Nagariya from Taxi No. 9211 captures the essence of Mumbai like nothing else does—the fabled city of dreams that never stops for anyone nor ever sleeps. Sung by Lahiri and composed by Vishal-Sheykhar, it also featured the voices of the two lead actors: Nana Patekar and John Abraham. Taxi No. 9211, a thriller featuring an excellent Patekar, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
'Ooh La La' (2011)
Ooh La La, from The Dirty Picture, fit right into the narrative because it was fiery, peppy, and unapologetically sultry—as the film demanded it to be. A rage through and through, when it was first released, Ooh La La was co-sung by Shreya Ghoshal, with lyrics by Rajat Arora. Directed by Milan Luthria, the film starred Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan.
'Tune Maari Entriyaan' (2014)
Ali Abbas Zafar's Gunday featured several songs that are to be remembered for ages, and Tune Maari Entriyaan is one of them. Sung by Lahiri, KK, Vishal Dadlani, and Neeti Mohan, it was set to the tune by Sohail Sen. Lahiri also co-penned the lyrics for the Bengali version of this song. Gunday was headlined by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Arjun Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh.
'Arey Pyaar Kar Le' (2020)
Arey Pyaar Kar Le from Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is a remake of Lahiri's Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re (1985), so it was only fitting that he was roped in to sing the newer version, too. Lead actor Ayushmann Khurrana was his co-singer in this groovy song recreated by Tanishk Bagchi. Gajrao Rao, Jitendra Kumar, and Neena Gupta were also part of the ensemble.
