Gunday marks the coming together of YRF and Bappi Lahiri

In a first, Yash Raj Films has tied up with music director cum crooner Bappi Lahiri in their upcoming film Gunday that stars Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor along with Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan. Like it’s hard to imagine Hindi music of the 80’s without Bappi Da, even harder is to fathom pop music from Kolkata minus its beloved crooner cum music director. So, when director Ali Abbas Zafar decided to record a cabaret song for the YRF film set in Calcutta of the 80s, Bappi Da was the inevitable choice. It brings together YRF and the music director for the very first time. Says Sohail Sen, the composer of Gunday, “For months we were trying to come up with this cabaret song, but a good melody was eluding us. Since it is meant to be Priyanka Chopra’s introduction song in the film, it had to be special. Then one day, a melody fell into place. It was bang on. It’s a number that combines jazz with brass and drums, something that was hugely popular those days. With not too many days left for the shoot, the team got into action immediately.” Neha Bhasin, who had earlier sung Dhunki from YRF’s Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, was roped in to be Priyanka’s voice for this song and when it came to the male voice for Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor both Ali and Sohail were very clear- “It had to be Bappi Da”. In contemporary times, his is perhaps the only voice that strikes a chord with all age groups. And the magic that he generates is something only he alone can do. On his part, Bappi Da was thrilled to be a part of Gunday. He added some of his characteristic nuances to the song that were a rage in the 80s. “I’m very excited to be a part of this film; I have worked with Sohail’s father Sameer many years ago and now I’m working with his talented son. This song would be a guaranteed crowd puller especially in Kolkata.” Gunday, produced by Aditya Chopra, is slated to release on 14 February 2014 (Valentine’s Day).