The King of Bling had shocked the country with his response to one of the biggest nation-wants-to-know questions back in 2014 when Bappi Lahiri — who took the plunge in politics as a BJP Lok Sabha candidate in Kolkata — told the Election Commission of India that he owned only 754 gm of gold jewellery (worth Rs 17. 7 lakh).

“We were, frankly, a little shocked to see he owns so little gold. You look at him and you think he owns kilos of gold jewellery, but that’s not true. His wife, a homemaker, has more gold,” an election official had said.

The Golden Man — as he had come to be known after the self-mocking ‘sone ke nimbu’ ad he did for a lemon drink — had highlighted his fondness for all things gold before it became a surprisingly brand image. If his fixation for multiple chains and pendants can be traced back to his “inspiration and idol” Elvis Presley, the collection dates back to 1975.

“Unlike others, I wear my gold at all times. That’s why it’s become my image and people call me the Gold Man. . . Gold is my pehchaan,” he would say.

If his gold ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ chain that his mother had gifted him after the success of Zakhmee, his first hit film in 1975, was his “lucky charm”, the large Ganesha pendant was one that he loved to flaunt and with good reason.

“Michael Jackson when he had come to Bombay, only I met. He loved my Ganpati Baba’s chain,” he had said in an interview years ago. The giant gold ‘B’ dangling from one of the many chains was a gift from his wife Chitrani, during his wedding.

But he wasn’t the kind of golddigger one would imagine despite his display of gold. “Today’s gold price, you know? High price! My Mrs always purchases some beautiful silver bartan because gold we have so many,” he would often say.