The resemblance is uncanny, despite the obvious logic about shared genes. Swastik Bansal, aka Rego B, is the 12-year-old grandson of  music composer and disco icon Bappi Lahiri, 68. Baby-faced and bathed in bling, Rego shrugs, it’s a reaction he is used to. “My grandfather is my greatest inspiration. I love Bruno Mars, but I love my granddad more,” he tells us during a meeting at their Juhu residence. 

Bappi da as he is lovingly known in the industry, has been suffering a bout of ill health.  He is wheeled into the living area of the bungalow by staff. His mobility has taken a beating due to his impending knee replacement surgery, daughter Rema says. “But his energy is intact. After all, he has been a workaholic all his life.” It was in April this year that he contracted COVID-19 and was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital. Incidentally, he was the only one in the family to get infected. It’s been a slow recovery since. During the pandemic, however, the composer continued with collaborations over video call. “I’d call the last two years the worst of my life. They pulled me down like no other illness,” laments Lahiri. But, the ill health has hardly dented his appearance. The seven gold chains around his neck (we counted), a few rings and a snazzy shawl look as glamorous as they always have. And, now, there is someone else in the family who enjoys bling just as much.