RD Burman @86: Musical genius who gave Hindi cinema music new identity and flavour

New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) His first hit was the 1966 blockbuster "Teesri Manzil" and last was the lyrical "1942: A Love Story"... the two films bookending a music career that lasted just 28 years. In between came albums such as "Padosan", "Kati Patang", "Sholay" and "Ijaazat"... different moods and different genres bound together by one incomparable genius.

The man was R D Burman.

Burman, whose songs veered from the soulful to the irrepressible, would have been 86 on Friday.

The Calcutta born was the only child of S D Burman and Meera Dev Burman, who hailed from the Tripura royal family. He was given proper musical training by his illustrious father, among one of India's greatest composers, who recognised his son's brilliance early and other gurus.

He was further trained in sarod by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and in tabla by Samta Prasad. Burman loved playing harmonica.

There are stories that the young Rahul Dev Burman, who was not doing great in his studies in Kolkata where his father had sent him off to study, composed a tune when he was just 17. His father used it in "Fantoosh". The song was "Ae meri topi palatke aa".

"The tune of the song 'Sar jo tera chakraaye' was also composed by him as a child; his father included it in the soundtrack of Guru Dutt's 'Pyaasa' (1957)," according to “RD Burman: The Man, The Music” by Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal.

His independent musical beginnings in the industry were not that successful as films "Chhote Nawab", "Bhoot Bungla", "Teesra Kaun" and "Pati Patni" failed to create a ripple and he was judged for not living up to his father's legacy.

But "Teesri Manzil", starring Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh, was to change not just how people saw him but also the way music was composed in Hindi cinema.

"O mere sona re sona", "O haseena zulfo wali", "Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera" and many others from the movie have been recreated and repurposed time and again by the generation after in advertisements, remixes and reels.

In "Padosan", he famously pitted Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey for "Ek chatur naar" and composed evergreen romantic numbers like "Mere samnewali khidki mei" and "Kehna hai kehna hai".

There are stories that Burman played a crucial role in making Kishore Kumar the voice of Rajesh Khanna though the singer-actor duo had already given a hit like "Aradhana", which was composed by Burman's father.

Some of biggest and most memorable hits of Kishore Kumar's career were composed by Burman. Burman is often credited for peppy, fun and cabaret songs in numerous films. But he was also behind the melodious "Ye shaam mastani", "Pyaar deewana hota Hai" and "Yeh jo mohabbat hai" and "Jis gali mein tera".

In "Amar Prem", another standout album from Burman, the composer gave hits such as "Chingari koi bhadke", "Kuchh toh kog kahenge" and "Raina beeti jaye". There are also hits like "O mere dil ke chain", "Chala jaata hoon", "Dekha na", "Lekar hum deewana dil", "Meri soni, meri tamanna", "Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko", "Dekho maine dekha hai yeh ek sapna", "Dilbar mere". Almost too many to take note of at one go.

Burman was also behind the popular "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" album which had memorable hits like "Dum maaro dum" and "Phoolon ka taaro ka".

Many of his songs were with Asha Bhosle, his long time associate and then wife who he got married to despite opposition from his mother. The musician was first married to Rita Patel but that marriage did not last long.

"His music was his inspiration. He used to do something new with it. He used to tell me to change my voice. And he has given me a lot of inspiration. He brought in jazz for the first time... He brought in all the new instruments and rhythm and voice and because of that, my song became famous," Bhosle told reporters on Friday.

Burman's collaboration with Gulzar on films such as "Masoom", "Ijaazat", "Parichay" and "Aandhi" can be a separate category as they combine his musical versatility with Gulzar's lyrical acumen.

Stories abound about how Burman was quick to come up with tunes, sometimes in seconds and minutes and from ordinary things like beer bottles and the sound of a floor being wiped or the pouring rain.

From the Arabic touch in "Mehbooba mehbooba" to the tribal notes in "Hum bewafa hargiz na the", from the calm melancholy of "O Manjhi re" to the sadness of "Dil ke jharokhe me", from using cups and saucers in "Chura liya hai" to a combination of sandpaper and bamboo sticks to create train sounds in "Hoga tumse pyara kaun", the ever-experimenting Burman was justifiably deemed a "music scientist" by his peers and fans.

His music blended international influences to create tunes that were true to Indian sensibilities and rooted in his Indian classical music education. His tunes carried a flavour that felt tasteful and exotic.

"Most of his tunes that you appreciate, like ‘Ek ladki ko dekha’, were created in five to six minutes. That was the level of his creativity, the energy he had.

"Today, modernity and dignity have become an either/or matter, you are either modern or you are dignified. It’s a bad choice! But you don’t have that in RD’s music. His music is modern, cool and has a certain dignity; there’s nothing cheap about it," lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, who worked with him on "Saagar" and "1942: A Love Story", wrote in the foreword of “RD Burman: The Man, The Music”.

Akhtar also remembers how Burman came up with a new tune.

"... I said, ‘I have written the song, but please don’t get upset – I have not written the song to the tune you gave me because whatever I wanted to say was not fitting the metre.’ So RD said, ‘Okay, let me write down the song.’ He took a pen and paper, and I started dictating the song.

"By the time he finished, in some part of his brain he had already made the tune – while jotting down the song! As soon as he finished writing the last word, he opened the harmonium and started singing. That is how ‘Chehra hai ya chand khila hai’ was born," Akhtar recalled in the book.

After ruling the charts for three decades, Burman went through a career decline in the 90s. In fact, hits had started drying up during the mid 80s with the exception of "Ijaazat", "Parinda" and a few others. He was confident and waiting for a comeback with "1942: A Love Story" but passed away before he could see it climb the charts.

Burman died following a heart attack in 1994. He was just 54. "You are remembered if you have done something new and different, and have set a milestone. Pancham has been becoming more important with time. Earlier, he was merely successful. Now, with more distance, the contours are becoming more visible," Akhtar wrote. PTI MAH BK BK MIN MIN