I’m told your co-singer in the Alibaug number is Sanjay Dutt?
That’s right. Sanju not only has a good voice but great musical sense too. He’s just recorded a song with Ashaji (Asha Bhosle) too. When you hear him you don’t feel ki koi hero ga raha hai.

What was your reaction when Bappa came along with the song?
Bappa has been arranging my songs. The boy’s a genius! He had told me that he was making song for me and when I heard it I was floored. It’s so melodious!

Your relationship with Sanjay Dutt goes back a long way…To Thanedaar’s evergreen hit, ‘Tamma tamma loge…’
I also sang for him in another film, Kanoon Apna Apna but yes, ‘Tamma tamma loge…’ was a phenomenal success. It was the first computerized song. Those days the African band, Mory Kante were a rage. Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s ‘Chumma chumma…’ had been inspired by one of their songs. Sanju wanted me to use their tune too. ‘Tamma tamma loge…’ was influenced by one of their rhythm patterns but the style was my own. It took us three days to record the song that I sang with Anuradha Paudwal. I was in London when they filmed it but when I saw it I realised why every star was wowed by it. Madhuri Dixit and Sanju were outstanding!

You’ve sung for Sunil Dutt too, right?
(Beaming) Yeah, ‘Nothing is impossible…’ in Tahir Hussain’s Zakhmee. Back in ‘74 I was still a newcomer and when on reaching the studio I discovered that I had to sing with legends like Kishore Kumar and Mohd. Rafi I became so nervous I started shaking. But they were however really nice to me.

You’ve lent your voice to another father-son combination, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek.
Yes, I was Amitji’s voice in ‘Aana jana laga rahega…’ What made this Giraftaar number doubly special was that it was picturised on a trio of badshahs – Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan. Keeping in mind Amitji’s distinctive baritone I used low notes and took my scale a notch higher. Giraftaar is one of my favourite films and the song a personal best so it was an unexpected thrill when AR Rahman called to say that he wanted me to sing a song for him. It was the title song of Guru and filmed on Abhishek. Abhishek is my bachcha and I even changed my voice so it would suit him better. It’s a very different kind of song. We started at 11 pm and wrapped up at 7 a.m. Rahman recorded it himself and Gulzarsahab who’s penned the lyrics, was present too. Earlier, I had also sung for Dharamji (Dharmendra) in Naukar Biwi Ka (‘Zamana to hai naukar biwi ka…’) and Sunny in Ghayal (‘Aaya aaya...’).

It’s nice to hear Bappi Lahiri after a long self-imposed exile. Where did you disappear?
(With a sigh) After Kishoreda’s untimely demise in ‘87 I had become a little shaky. Kishoreda and I were a team. We had such perfect understanding that when his flight from London was late and I decided to sing ‘Yaad aa raha hai tera pyaar…’ at the live recording and get him to dub it later. But when we played the track back to him, he insisted that he’d not be able to better what I had done. It was on his insistence that B Subhash retained my version of this Disco Dancer chart-topper. After Kishoreda passed away I felt that if I started singing too much people would think I was trying to fill the void he had left behind...a void that still exists. So for the one song I composed for Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam I used Kumar Sanu. It took a long while for me to step in front of the microphone again for a film song.

There was an album...
Yes, Habiba in ‘88 that earned me the distinction of being the first Indian composer to feature in the year’s Billboard Chart. Then in 2003, my song, ‘Kaliyon ka chaman…’ made it to the top three even though I had to move court to be given due credit. But it was only last year that I returned to Hindi film playback. Vishal-Shekhar confessed that they had been listening to me since their childhood and gave me a very nice song, ‘Bambai nagariya…’ (Taxi No. 9211). That was the first time I sang for an outside composer. (With a smile) The composition had been inspired by my Aap Ke Khatir all-time favourite, ‘Bambai se aaya mera dost…’

I’m told that song was not a part of the film originally?
Yeah, those days we had long-playing records and after all the tracks had been recorded we realised that we still needed one more song to complete the L-P. I was living in Khar and there were a lot of Goans around. The rhythm of one of the songs I heard there inspired ‘Bambai se aaya mera dost…’ It wasn’t a part of the film originally but after the record came out the song became so popular that Vinod Khanna and Rekha gave extra dates for the shoot. One of my recent songs that is playing everywhere, the title track of Journey Bombay To Goa also has a distinct Goan flavour.

Isn’t that’s the song shot on the Laughter Challenge comedians?
I love comedies and comedians, particularly Raju Shrivastava, Sunil Pal and Ehsaan Qureshi on whom the track has been filmed.

Given your popularity as a singer and your showman image, you could have easily made a name for yourself as an actor-singer the way Himesh Reshammiya has today.
I respect Himesh as a singer and composer. He has his own style and as an actor too he’s very successful. However, I have to remind you that in my 34 years career I have sung for every superstar from Dev Anand, Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor and Jeetendra to Dharmendra, Amitabh, Vinod Khanna and Rajesh Khanna. I’ve also lent my voice to Sunny, Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Aamir, Sanju and of course Disco Dancer Mithun. Mithun and I were the Royal Bengal Tigers and when we came together again for Classic Dance Of Love two years ago, despite the film not doing well, people were dancing in the aisles during ‘Aa aa mujhe dekh…’ Shah Rukh Khan is the only superstar missing from my list and I’ll sing for him someday. My range, both as a singer and composer, has been very varied, from ghazals and soft melodies to disco, rock and pop. I’ve sung in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu…I’ve worked in 445 films with 37 releases in a year—1987—which is a Guiness Record. My first film as a producer, Lal Darja won the National Award for Best Feature Film. As the judge of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa I’ve entered households not just in India but across the globe too. When I was in the US two American cops confessed that they had seen the show that’s become a favourite with their Asian wives. As a showman my image modelled on Elvis Presley, made me a brand name – Bling Bling Bappi Lahiri— the world over. My position in the industry is incomparable.

Will the entry of Bappa now bring the curtains down on a long and eventful innings?
Arrey nahin, I’m still in the race. As a music director I have KC Bokadia’s Junoon, Pahlaj Nihalani’s Khushboo, Rahul Rawail’s Buddha Mil Gaya, Sanjay Sharma’s Jeene Bhi Do Yaaron and Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik’s first production coming up. Then, there’s Mudrank which has a great item number, a Bengali film, Chiro Shakha He in which I have scored two songs written by Tagore himself and Kumar Mohan’s Ho Jayega Balle Balle that will launch Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’s discovery Mouli Dave who I call the Indian Shakira.

You seem to be enjoying your stint as a talent scout?
Yes, it’s been very enjoyable. Vishal, Shekhar, Ismail Darbar and Himesh are all talented composer who respect me a lot. I’ve not had any disagreements with them. The people like me and as long as they do I’ll continue.

Any unfulfilled khwaishein?
I want to been seen and heard in a few more albums. B Subhash’s Jhoom coming up features tracks by Daler Mehndi, Adnan Sami, Shaan and me. I’ve given the music too. I’m also planning to bring the Jackson Five to India to sing for a film I will be producing.

Michael Jackson?
No, not Michael but his siblings, Jermaine, Randy, Jackie, may be even Janet.

Whoa, that’s a big one?
(Smiling) Yeah, and I want to be nominated, may be even win a Grammy. When it’s Bappi Lahiri nothing is impossible.

BAPPA LAHIRI
Dad sang the song late at night and we retained that vocal
His father insists he’s a prodigy. Just like him...
Bappi recorded his first Bengali song at the age of 11. Bappa did it when he was 9. The song was the title track for a serial, P For Police sung by Asha Bhosle.

Bappi flagged of his career as a composer at the age of 15 with Nanhe Shikhari. Bappa landed his first film offer at the same age, a Govinda starrer Shaher for which he even recorded an Udit Narayan-Alka Yagnik number. Unfortunately, the film was shelved and the bubbly schoolboy retreated into his famous father’s shadow, helping him arrange his compositions.

It was Sanjay Gupta who has known Bappa since he was a kid, who last year began to see him as a composer in his own right. Gupta’s mind was made up the day Bappa played one of his tunes for him. “We’ve been planning my launch ever since and in the interim I’ve already recorded 15 songs,” the boy wonder smiles.

One of these, ‘Raat khamosh hai…’ has been rendered by Sanjay Dutt and Bappi Lahiri. It was shot at Mumbai’s Hard Rock Café on the duo with Bappi on the piano, Sanjay strumming the guitar and Bappa himself playing the drums. It took three days to record and was shot in two.

“Mr Gupta sent me the lyrics one night on SMS. Since we have a studio at home I started on it immediately,” recalls Bappa. Bappi was recording in another studio and it was 1.30 a.m. by the time he returned home, exhausted. “Everytime I’ve worked on a new tune I’ve wanted to hear it in dad’s voice, even if it was meant for the heroine because I love the way he sings. This time too he indulged me and despite the late hour sang it so well that we later decided to retain the vocal and not dub it,” informs Bappa.

The track has already become a favourite with Sanjay Dutt who has contributed to the vocals during “jamming sessions in the home studio”. The song will feature in Sanjay Gupta’s Alibaug and mark Bappa’s debut as a music director. Dus Kahaniyan for which he has composed a couple of songs, will follow.

Bappa whose favourite Bappi Lahiri track is ‘Intaha ho gayee..’ from Sharaabi admits that it was a dream come true to direct a legend like Bappi. “I felt so proud that he was singing my song and so important that he was treating me as any other music director,” Bappa confides.

The third generation of Lahiris is aware of the responsibility on him. He knows that there’s going to be comparisons. But he’s not wilting under the pressure. “I love my music and want to enjoy it,” he grins endearingly.