Recently, rumours were rife that Bappi Lahiri had lost his voice due to ill-health. Talking to mid-day, son Bappa had cleared the air, stating that his musician-father had been advised not to talk as part of his recovery from a lung ailment. Now, Lahiri is back in action — he has collaborated with National Award-winning actor Rituparna Sengupta for a Durga Puja song titled Phulmoti.

The singer-music composer, 68, has given a modern twist to the Bengali folk song — while Sengupta has lent her voice, Lahiri has tried his hand at rapping with the number. He says that he was keen to explore the musical side of the noted Bengali actor. “I am familiar with Ritu’s work and voice. When I had this idea of [creating a song for] Durga Puja, Ritu was the first person who came to my mind. I thought, who could pull it off better than Ritu? We share the same sentiments for folk songs and the festival.”