Exclusive! Telugu writer, lyricist Bhuvana Chandra looks back at his association with Bappi Lahiri

Any work of art, more so in a mainstream storytelling medium like cinema, is a result of immense teamwork. It is a culmination of a lot of brainstorming, years of absorbing life experiences, influences and several sources of inspiration to produce art that's not only instantly gratifying but also stands the test of time. 

Such was the memorable collaboration between Telugu lyricist Bhuvana Chandra and composer Bappi Lahiri, who brought out the best in one another and gave music that made viewers jump out of their seats in theatres with joy. With the passing away of Bappi Lahiri today, there's no doubt that an era has ended, but for Bhuvana Chandra, what's more painful is the loss of a good, old friend. In a conversation with OTTplay.com, the ace lyricist tells us why Bappi Lahiri will always hold a special place in his heart.

Remembering the sensation that Bappi Lahiri created

With a wave called Bappi Lahiri, the musical landscape of Indian cinema had changed forever. Wrapping himself around a series of gold chains, ornaments, wearing a maxi for his concerts, he had created a unique stamp for himself with his attire and back then in London, a few even mistook him to be a woman. When we remember him in past tense today, I recall the impact he had created with the title track of Chalte Chalte in 1976. 

Like what the lyrics say in the song, Chalte Chalte Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, (While moving on, always keep my song in your memories and never say goodbye), he may not be there with us today but his songs remind us of his genius. He took the entire industry by storm with his entry and created history, so much that it left the biggest of names in the industry without work, someone as legendary as RD Burman himself.

The first interaction with Bappi da

I still remember meeting him for the first time in Madras. He preferred staying in Taj Coromandel whenever he was here and generally booked a suite. He was accompanied by his parents wherever he went. While he left a room for his parents, he had another room that he used for music sittings. Like most artists, he had his own eccentricities but his life revolved around music. Manoj-Gyan was his composing assistant.

While we sat together and he began playing some music, we got talking in Hindi. My stint in Air Force meant that I could speak Hindi fluently and he felt quite comfortable about it, unlike most occasions where had to alternate between Hindi and broken English to get work done. As the music kept playing in the tape recorder in no particular sequence, I had to absorb the rhythm of the tune, be alert and write lyrics accordingly.

On their musical collaborations

We both shared a great understanding in terms of lyrical and musical sense. We were in perfect sync with each other's strengths and the way he reimagined a few iconic yesteryear songs to compose hard-core dance numbers surprised me. During the music sittings of Gang Leader, even before the title was finalised, he was the one to come up with lines like 'Gang Gang...Bajaao Bang Bang' that made it to the final lyrics. 

Would you imagine that Vaana Vaana wasn't initially liked by a few in the team? It took Allu Aravind garu a lot of convincing to say yes. A part of the problem was also because rain songs posed a lot of difficulty on locations. One had to be careful with the hairdos, makeup and the actors had to dance amid many limitations without losing the spirit of the song. Gang Leader was special to me not only because of Bappi da, but also the director Vijaya Bapineedu, who is more like family. 

Most of Bappi Lahiri's Telugu film recordings used to take place at Sunny Sounds in Mumbai, owned by Dharmendra's son Sunny Deol. On occasions, I, however, used to insist he record it at Mehboob Studios. Some of the biggest legends in Indian cinema produced their best work there and I felt the place had an unmatched aura. I did a 'sashtanga namaskaram' as I entered the studio, for stepping on the same land as the many greats of Indian cinema.

Why Bappi Lahiri is special to me?

Before Gang Leader, I had only written for Chiranjeevi's films and for reasons best known to the industry, the people behind films of other heroes didn't approach me. It was Bappi Lahiri who opened my horizons in Telugu cinema. I vividly remember the times when the music sittings of Balakrishna's Rowdy Inspector were going on and they weren't able to finalise a song for many days. 

When Bappi Lahiri was under pressure to come up with a song for Rowdy Inspector, I reminded him of a tune he had composed during the sittings of his another film Rowdy Alludu. I happened to still remember it and asked if he could use it for Rowdy Inspector. He had forgotten about it surprisingly and was very excited when I sang the tune to him. The rest was history.

Incidentally, Rowdy Inspector was the first-ever occasion I wrote all the songs for an album - we used to call it a 'single card' then. He used to tell me, "Many lyricists come and go, writing songs as if it's work but none of them had the taste, musical/lyrical sense as you." After the success of Rowdy Inspector, the makers behind projects featuring stars beyond Chiranjeevi too began approaching me. From Nagarjuna to Venkatesh to Rajinikanth, my career reached newer heights.  

That I was a reasonably good singer also helped forge a strong association with him. I used to sing and give him a feel of the lyrics and it's not surprising In Telugu cinema that as a combination, we enjoyed a 100% success rate. The audio release of his films was like a festival for fans. 

On a parting note

Music may be looked at as work and as a profession here but for Bappi da, he was obsessed with it as if his life depended on it. After Hindi and Bengali cinema, it was the Telugu industry that brought a lot of glory to his career. Language was no barrier to him. The language of music is universal and he grabbed the meter, spirit of the lyrics even without understanding Telugu. His contribution to Telugu cinema will be etched in the record books forever.