Revisiting Bappi Lahiri's best Telugu album: Gang Leader, the Chiranjeevi, Vijayashanti blockbuster

Bappi Lahiri, at 69, may have reached the heavens early today but he has left behind a vast body of work that music lovers will cherish for many more decades to come. Beyond his contribution to Hindi and Bengali cinema, Bappi Lahiri had a great run in the Telugu industry working with the biggest of names, right from Krishna to Balakrishna, Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu. Even a diehard fan of Bappi da would agree that Gang Leader brought out his very best as a mainstream composer.

If actor Krishna deserves the credit of introducing this musical blitzkrieg called Bappi Lahiri to Telugu cinema, it took a Gang Leader for the composer to attain the status of a star music director in the industry. The 1991 release, directed by Vijaya Bapineedu, featured Chiranjeevi, Vijaya Shanti in the lead roles and helped the 'mega star' commence the 90s with a bang. Any discussion surrounding the mass entertainer is not complete without its music by Bappi Lahiri.

While Ilaiayaraaja and Chakravarthy composed for the bulk of Chiranjeevi's mass films in the 80s, Gang Leader proved that Bappi Lahiri was no less than his South Indian contemporaries in understanding the pulse of Chiranjeevi's fans and his unmatched stardom. Gang Leader, as an album, is a gift that keeps giving and provides an unmatched high whenever you revisit it. From Vaana Vaana to Panisasasa to the title track and of course, Bhadrachalam Konda fill the hearts of movie buffs with joy even today.

Lyricist Bhuvanachandra, who was just making his mark in Telugu cinema then, besides an experienced Veturi, with a wonderful understanding of mainstream cinema, had a terrific rapport with Bappi da and the results are for everyone to see. One can't remember a more iconic introduction song in Chiranjeevi's career than Gang Leader. Bappi, similar to Hindi cinema, brought a new energy to the Telugu cinema landscape.

Vaana Vaana is a trendsetter in terms of rain songs in Telugu cinema and even Chiru's actor-son Ram Charan Tej paid a tribute to it in his film Raccha later. Right from the interludes to the fantastic use of Indian instruments, Bappi Lahiri's music was quintessentially desi and was replete with an appeal of a folk song with an unconventional orchestration. Pala Bugga, Bhadrachalam Konda from Gang Leader are great examples of that and no wonder, the songs that can still lift your spirits on a lazy evening today too.

In times when music was probably the only promotional tool to draw audiences to theatres, Gang Leader's album contributed immensely to its buzz. Very rarely do audiences remember every song from an out-and-out mass film like Gang Leader fondly and it's truly a testimony to Bappi da's capabilities. Imagine Gang Leader without its music and you'll certainly understand what we're talking about!