A composer who came of age in the 1970s and early '80s, Bappi Lahiri got his start composing for Bengali films before he made the move to Bollywood. A precocious singer and musician, Lahiri's parents were both singers and he actually wrote his first film song at the age of 14. Despite charges of crass commercialism and catering to the lowest common denominator, Lahiri has always been known for his bright compositional style and uninhibited borrowing (some would say plagiarism) from other songs. He will forever be aligned with the disco era, thanks to his 1981 soundtrack for the film Disco Dancer.