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Bappi Lahiri turns 65, set to direct feature film

Published

6 years ago

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By Radhika Bhirani
New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) Reinvention has been at the heart of everything that Bappi Lahiri — who turned 65 on Tuesday — has done in his 50-year journey in showbiz. The celebrated singer-composer, who introduced synthesised disco music in India and has taken Indian sounds to the world, is now set to don the director’s hat for a feature film.

Bappi had earlier helmed a documentary “Slumstars”, but his new project will be in the fiction space. It is titled “Ek Adhura Sangeet”.

“I always think I should keep doing something every year. This time, I will begin a big journey as a director of a feature film. It’s a huge journey,” Bappi told IANS over a recorded response from Mumbai.

On “Ek Adhura Sangeet”, he said: “Like the song ‘Zindagi mera gaana, main isi ka deewana… I am a disco dancer’… Without music, people’s lives are incomplete… Music can bring happiness in life. So, this is a journey that I am beginning.”

He said the subject of his film is “very good”.

“After doing 600 films across Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Oriya and Gujarati languages, I have gained a lot of experience. So, I thought I should give it a try. Maybe it does well. My wife Chitrani had produced ‘Lal Darja’ which won a National Award in 1997… Whatever film I make, it won’t be average. I can’t say it will be superhit, but nobody will say it’s a bad film. I am confident I will make a good film, whether it works or not,” said Bappi.

Bappi also hinted at doing “something” in Hollywood.

“My son Bappa and I are working with a Latin group,” he said, adding that one never knows he may just be directed by a Hollywood filmmaker.

Adding another feather to his hat, Bappi has also written a book titled “World, Peace, Love and Harmony: We Are One”.

“It has good words like ‘our colour of blood is one’, ‘our emotion is one’… It’s all in the form of poetry,” said the “Ooh la la” and “Tamma tamma” singer, who is proud of his journey in the film industry and beyond.

“The journey is still on… The public loves me so much. I perform all over the world. I am not just a composer, I am also a singer. I sing with the public one-to-one, and it feels so good when the public, including youngsters, sway to and sing along songs that were made 20-25 years ago.

“I performed ‘Chalte chalte mere ye geet yaad rakhna’ at a recent event. I sang and the public joined in with the words ‘Kabhi alvida naa kehna’. It was beautiful,” he said of the evergreen track, sung by Kishore Kumar and penned by Amit Khanna.

He said while it is very difficult to choose a favourite song from his discography, “Chalte chalte…” is special as “it feels like a Bollywood anthem”.

Tracing his glorious journey that has spanned generations, Bappi, who has even collaborated with international artistes, said: “From Dev Anand to Dilip Kumar to Varun Dhawan and Ranveer Singh, the journey in Bollywood has been great. In Bengali cinema, the journey has spanned from Uttam Kumar, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Tapas Paul to Dev.

“My songs don’t get old. Everyone likes to dance to these songs, and there are also sad and romantic songs.”

The 50 years, he says, have been all about getting a lot of love and happiness. He expressed this by breaking into his song “De de pyaar de… Humein pyaar de de”, and said: “I have really got a lot of love, blessings, and I thank everyone for all of this.”

His mantra in life is to “Keep working. Don’t look back. Do something new.”

And so, he has also sung a song for a Marathi film “Lucky”.

“I am sure it will bring a celebratory mood in Maharashtra,” he said, exuding his signature exuberance.

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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3 months ago

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September 3, 2024

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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