Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attended the naming ceremony of Bappi Lahiri Marg in Mumbai on Monday, as the Hindi film industry gathered to formalise a public memorial for the late composer-singer. Actors Jeetendra, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff and Gulshan Grover joined Lahiri’s family, who felicitated Fadnavis during the event.
A tribute colleagues called long overdue
The recognition drew an emotional response from Lahiri’s collaborators. Suniel Shetty said he believed the honour should have come earlier, adding, “better late than never,” and described his family as “absolutely thrilled.” Gulshan Grover called Lahiri a legend in cinema, music and art, saying the recognition was a matter of pride for the family.
Jeetendra, who said he and Lahiri were neighbours, recalled working with him on 40 films. He argued that Lahiri’s reliability mattered as much as his music. “My producers and directors were always very happy, because he provided both good service and good music,” Jeetendra told the media.
The arc of a career
Lahiri’s route to a Mumbai road sign began early. Key milestones from the record:
- Born Alokesh Lahiri on November 27, 1952 in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
- Began playing the tabla at three; later learned saxophone and guitar
- First Bengali assignment, Daadu, in 1972, at 19
- Hindi debut with Nanha Shikari in 1973; first Hindi composition, “Tu Hi Mera Chanda”, sung by Mukesh
- Voiced Tamatoa in the Hindi version of Disney’s Moana in 2016
- Received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award at the 63rd Filmfare Awards
- Died on February 15, 2022, aged 69
That career ran through a family steeped in music. Lahiri was the only child of Aparesh Lahiri, a Bengali singer, and Banshori Lahiri, a classical musician and singer; his maternal uncle was Kishore Kumar.
Why a road matters
Naming a Mumbai marg after a musician is a different kind of tribute from a playlist or a biopic. It turns an artist into part of the city’s everyday geography, a sign encountered by commuters rather than only by fans. For readers who follow Hindi cinema’s memory, the ceremony is a reminder that official recognition often arrives as a coda: Lahiri’s work is now fixed in municipal space as well as in the film record.
Source: The News Mill
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