COVID-19: Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri hospitalised after testing positive

Veteran composer-singer Bappi Lahiri has been hospitalised after testing COVID-19 positive, his daughter Rema Lahiri Bansal confirmed on Thursday.

Rema issued a statement that read: “Bappi Da has exercised immense precaution but has been detected with mild Covid symptoms. He has been admitted under the care of Dr Udwadia at Breach Candy Hospital purely as a precautionary measure due to his age. He will be fine and home soon. Thank You for keeping him in your prayers always.”

Lahiri, fondly known as Bappi da to fans and colleagues, is widely regarded as Bollywood’s Disco King, having pioneered the advent of the disco genre of music in Hindi films of the eighties and the nineties.

His biggest hits as a composer include the soundtracks of films like “Disco Dancer”, “Namak Halaal”, “Dance Dance”, Sharaabi”, “Saaheb”, “Himmatwala”, “Wardat”, and “Chalte Chalte”. In 2011, he made a comeback as a singer with the blockbuster song “Ooh lala la” in the film “The Dirty Picture”.