Bappi Lahiri's Tamma Tamma inspired Jumma Chumma? Here's the real story

Bappi Lahiri's Tamma Tamma and Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Jumma Chumma sound similar to you? The songs released one year apart and stirred controversy. Here’s all you need to know about it.

Bappi Lahiri, the Disco King of India, breathed his last on February 15. He gave us many timeless songs, including party numbers like I Am A Disco Dancer, Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re, Ooh La La and more. But, if you find his Tamma Tamma and Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Jumma Chumma similar, well, there’s a reason behind the controversy. Read on.

Bappi Lahiri ruled the 80s and 90s for his own brand of disco music. Who wouldn’t want to dance to his Tamma Tamma? The song starred Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit and was featured in the 1990 movie Thanedaar. It was sung by Bappi Lahiri and Anuradha Paudwal.

A year later, Jumma Chumma De De composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal released. People spotted similarities between the two songs.

Well, the real story is that Tamma Tamma and Jumma Chumma De De were inspired by the same song, Tama, by Guinean singer Mory Kanté. Bappi Lahiri actually mixed Mory’s Yeke Yeke song’s music in Tamma Tamma also

Tamma Tamma’s popularity led to its recreation in Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan’s Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya.

Bappi Lahiri had once addressed the accusations of plagiarism. He had said in an interview qwith AajTak, “If we talk about copying, it is a tradition. Salil Chowdhury also copied Mozart. SD Burman also copied, RD Burman copied a lot. What they did was, they’d be inspired by a small piece. Now what do I do in modern environment? Mithun Chakravorty was dancing like John Travolta, Michael Jackson. So I had to take that beat.”