Remembering Bappi Lahiri’s Telugu cinema chartbusters

Bappi Lahiri’s association with Telugu cinema from the mid-1980s resulted in several popular tracks, including the catchy ‘Vaana vaana velluvaye’

Hours after the news of music director and singer Bappi Lahiri’s demise, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi took to social media to share his condolences. He was nostalgic as he recalled his association with the composer: “He gave numerous chartbusters for me which contributed immensely to the popularity of my films. He will always be remembered for his unique style and his great enthusiasm for life, which reflected in his music.” 

One of Bappi Lahiri’s immensely popular Telugu albums is the Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanti-starrer Gang Leader (1991). The film and its music have a high recall value among Telugu film buffs to date. Think of a catchy, hummable rain song and ‘Vaana vaana velluvaye’ is still a favourite for many. Two decades later, memories of the song were brought back into public memory afresh when composer Mani Sharma remixed it for Ram Charan and Tamannaah Bhatia’s Rachcha. The other Bappiri Lahiri and Chiranjeevi films include S tate Rowdy, R owdy Alludu and B ig Boss.

Bappi Lahiri composed for several Telugu films from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, predominantly for films starring Krishna, Mohanbabu, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna and Venkatesh. His musical oeuvre ranged from foot-tapping numbers to a few folksy tunes.