Jimmy goes to Hollywood

Jimmy goes to Hollywood

SUDESHNA BANERJEE

Calcutta, Aug. 27: Bappi Lahiri’s Jimmy has disco danced its way to Hollywood.

Adam Sandler’s latest flick, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, which hits the halls on September 19, features Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja, a chartbuster from the 1983 superhit film Disco Dancer. The song was picturised on Mithun Chakraborty.

“They are keeping the original song as was sung by Parvati (Khan). The situation is supposed to be a Bollywood night with people dancing. I have asked them to send me the DVD,” Lahiri, who earned the sobriquet “disco king” for his music in films like Disco Dancer and Dance Dance, told The Telegraph on Wednesday.

Columbia Pictures, the producers of Zohan, have taken the requisite permission from Saregama, which holds the rights for the music of Disco Dancer.

“A publishing company called The Royal Network represents our catalogue in the West. The deal was handled by them,” said Atul Churamani, vice-president, Saregama.

Lahiri has reasons to feel relieved at being given credit by the West. In 2002, he had to fight a $500 million case in US courts against Dr Dre, the producer of a single called Addictive by R&B singer Truth Hurts, for unauthorised sampling of his song Kaliyon Ka Chaman, sung by Lata Mangeshkar. He had won a court injunction halting the album’s sale.

Since then, the West seems to be handling Lahiri with care. Last year, a London-based singer, M.I.A, recorded a remixed version of Jimmy Jimmy, which carried the line “Written by Bappi Lahiri”. The album reached the top 10 on the UK charts.

Saregama is happy its archives are yielding a fresh source of revenue. “Melody writing is dying worldwide. With India becoming cool, our older songs, rich in melody, are finding new takers,” Churamani said.

Saregama owns 20 per cent rights to The Black-Eyed Peas number Don’t Phunk With My Heart, which uses the tune of the Asha Bhonsle number Aye Naujawan from the 1972 film Apradh.

Zohan is the story of a Mossad agent, Zohan Dvir, who fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York as a hair stylist.


Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/