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From holding a Guinness Book of World record to giving voiceover for Disney’s Moana - lesser known facts about Bappi Lahiri

Veteran music director and singer Bappi Lahiri passed away on last night on February 15, 2022, leaving a deafening silence in the hearts of his fans, family and friends. Bappi da as he was fondly called was well-known for his unique vocals and his foot-tapping chartbusting music.

However, there are a number of lesser known facts about Bappi Lahiri that made him a class apart. Here are some trivia about the legend:

RECOMMENDED READ: From Tamma Tamma Loge to Ooh La La, Bappi Lahiri’s best peppy songs that made him the Disco King of Bollywood

1.Bappi Lahiri’s real name was Alokesh Lahiri. His parents were both renowned singers.

2.He started playing the table at the age of 3 years and was initially taught the instrument by his parents.

3.He was related to Ashok Kumar and Kishor Kumar who were his maternal uncles.

4.Bappi Lahiri made a record by composing for 12 super-hit silver jubilee movies from 1983 to 1985.

5. In 1986, Bappi Lahiri had entered the Guinness Book of World Records for recording over 180 songs for 33 movies in one year.

6. Bappi Lahiri was the only Indian music director in 1989 to be invited by Jonathon Ross for a live performance on BBC London.

7. He was honoured by the House of Lords for his contribution to the NGO Justice for Widows.

8.He was well-known for his signature style of clothing that consisted gold chains, golden embellishments, velvety cardigans and sunglasses.

9.Reportedly, in 2014, Bappi Lahiri owned 754 grams of gold jewellery worth Rs. 17,67,451.

10.The legendary singer-composer used to wear 8-9 gold chains every day. He used to believe that gold brought him luck.

11.In 2011, Bappi Lahiri had released the music album, Walking on Love Street featuring American Idol contestant Shaun Barrows.

12. Bappi Lahiri's hit song Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja featured in the Hollywood movie You Don't Mess With The Zohan.

13. Bappi Lahiri once held a record of the most number of song recordings in a single day.

14.Bappi Lahiri did a full-fledged role in the movie It's Rocking Dard-E-Disco.

15. Bappi da created a history when he vocalized a duet song with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar named Nothing Is Impossible for Zakhmee.

16.Besides Bollywood, the veteran music composer also composed music for Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Gujarati films.

17.He also had dubbing credits to his resume. He dubbed for Kingsman:The Golden Circle and voiced Elton John’s character in Hindi. Bappi Lahiri also gave Hindi voiceover for Tamatoa in Disney’s animated feature film Moana.

18. Bappi Da never sang for other composers till 2006 when he lent his vocals to Vishal-Shekhar composition Bombai Nagariya in 2006 film Taxi Number 9211.

19.He fought the 2014 General Elections on a BJP ticket from Srerampur constituency but lost to Kalyan Banerjee of Trinamool Congress.

20. Bappi Lahiri's track Come Closer featured in Oscar-nominated film Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman

21. Bappi Lahiri has collaborated on songs with international music icons Lady Gaga, Akon and Biddu among others.

22. He made acting cameos in several films like Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi, Om Shanti Om, Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna, Nayan Mony.

23. He was the only music director who was invited by Micheal Jackson to attend his first-ever live show in Mumbai, which was held in 1996.

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