Bollywood personalities, his fans and well-wishers turned out in large numbers to bid an emotional adieu to ‘Disco King’ and “Chalte Chalte, Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna” fame Bappi Lahiri on Thursday, as his musician-son Bappa performed his last rites at the Pawan Hans crematorium at Vile Parle in north-west Mumbai.
Bappa, who returned to Mumbai along with his wife from Los Angeles in the early hours of Thursday to be with his family in their hour of grief, lit the funeral pyre. Bappa broke down as he performed the last rites of his father in the presence of his other family members. The priests consoled the weeping Bappa.
Earlier, the mortal remains of Bappi were taken in a procession from his Juhu bungalow in a flower-bedecked open truck with a huge hoarding of his photograph showing him sporting the trademark gold chains and jewellery, to the nearby Pawan Hans crematorium.
Bappi’s son Bappa and daughter Rema and other family members were seen weeping inconsolably, as the body of the iconic music composer and singer was placed on the open truck, which made its way slowly from Juhu to the crematorium at Vile Parle.
Several Bollywood personalities, including Alka Yagnik, Shaan, Vidya Balan, Ila Arun, Bhushan Kumar, Mika Singh, Shaan, Kumar Sanu, Shakti Kapoor and Rupa Ganguly attended the funeral.
Many other Bollywood personalities, Amitabh Bachchan, Asha Bhosale, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Shabana Azmi, Rakesh Roshan, Boney Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Nusshratt Bharucha, Anupam Kher, Riteish Deshmukh, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Ashoke Pandit, Hansal Mehta, Poonam Dhillon and Jacqueline Fernandez either visited Bappi’s bungalow or attended the funeral to pay their respects to renowned music composer and singer.
A maternal uncle of late legendary singer Kishore Kumar, Bappi Lahiri ruled the hearts of filmgoers in the seventies, eighties and early nineties through his compositions from films like Disco Dancer, Naya Kadam, Aangan Ki Kali Hathkadi, Namak Halaal, Masterji, Dance Dance, Himmatwala, Justice Chaudhury, Tohfa, Maqsad, Commando, Naukar Biwi Ka, Adhikar and Sharaabi,
“I Am A Disco Dancer,” “Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja”, “Auva Auva Koi Yahan Nache,” “Ramba Ho” “Yaar Bina Chain Kahaan Re” , “Raat Baki”, Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost, Naino Main Sapna, TaakiTaaki, “Chalte Chalte, Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna”, “Inteha Ho Gayee”, “Pag Ghungroo Bandh” and “Thodi Si Jo Pee Li” are still fondly remembered by the film buffs across the country.