A leading and influential music director of the Hindi film industry, Rahul Dev Burman was born on June 27, 1939 in Calcutta. He died on January 4, 1994. R.D. Burman\u2019s father S.D. Burman was a renowned film composer himself. His mother Meera Dev was a lyricist.<\/p>\n
R.D. Burman, known as Pancham da in the film world, studied at Calcutta\u2019s St Xavier\u2019s School. He was trained in Hindustani classical music by stalwarts such as the sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He started his career by assisting his father in films such as \u2018Kaagaz Ke Phool\u2019 (1959), \u2018Bandini\u2019 (1963), and \u2018Guide\u2019 (1965). As an independent music director his first released film was \u2018Chhote Nawab\u2019 (1961), produced by the comedian Mehmood who had initially approached Burman\u2019s father for the job.<\/p>\n
Burman\u2019s first hit as music director was the film \u2018Teesri Manzil\u2019 (1966). The film\u2019s six songs were sung by Mohammed Rafi (of which four were duets by Asha Bhosle) and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The songs included such popular numbers as \u201cO Mere Sona Re Sona Re\u201d, \u201cO Haseena Zulfonwali Jaane Jahan\u201d and \u201cAaja Aaja Mein Hoon Pyar Tera\u201d. Burman later married Bhosle.<\/p>\n
The producer of \u2018Teesri Manzil\u2019 Nasir Hussain signed the Burman and Sultanpuri pair for several films including \u2018Baharon Ke Sapne\u2019 (1967) and \u2018Yaadon Ki Baaraat\u2019 (1973).<\/p>\n
The latter\u2019s hit songs included \u201cYaadon Ki Baarat Nikli Hai\u201d (sung by Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar) and \u201cChura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko\u201d (sung by Rafi and Bhosle).<\/p>\n
The 1968 comedy \u2018Padosan\u2019 had several popular songs such as \u201cMere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein\u201d (sung by Kishore Kumar) composed by Burman. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Burman teamed up with his father in films such as \u2018Jewel Thief\u2019 (1967) and the 1969 film \u2018Aradhana\u2019. Later, recalling his early days as a music director, in an interview to Filmfare magazine in June 1984, Burman said: \u201cTill the end of 1964 I didn\u2019t have much work. \u2018Teesri Manzil\u2019 was the only big hit to my credit. It was only after I assisted my father in \u2018Aradhana\u2019 that producers thought \u2018Pancham ko bhi kaam dena chahiye\u2019. Shaktida [director Shakti Samanta] who had seen me work in \u2018Aradhana\u2019 gave me his \u2018Kati Patang\u2019. My assignments started picking up then on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teaming up with singer Kishore Kumar in the 1970s, Burman delivered several hit songs such as \u201cYeh Shaam Mastani\u201d, many of them in films starring Rajesh Khanna who then was going through his super-stardom phase. Burman tried something new in \u201cDum Maro Dum\u201d, which was sung by Asha Bhosle in the film \u2018Hare Rama Hare Krishna\u2019, making it one of the great numbers of the era.<\/p>\n
Some famous numbers composed by Burman in the early 1970s include \u201cRaina Beeti Jaaye\u201d; \u201cRaat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi\u201d and \u201cPiya Tu Ab To Aaja\u201d. Other popular films in which his music played an important role included \u2018Aap ki Kasam\u2019 (1974), Aandhi (1975), and Sholay, one of Indian cinema\u2019s biggest hits. Burman\u2019s hit run continued in films such as \u2018Gol Maal\u2019 (1979) and \u2018Khubsoorat\u2019 (1980). However, he found commercial success a little elusive as the eighties progressed.<\/p>\n
In the Filmfare interview he agreed that the way a song was filmed had a big impact on its eventual success. \u201cThe song Na Mein Dhan Chahun (\u2018Kala Bazar\u2019) sounded very good when recorded and might have helped the film. It was a key song in the film but was filmed very badly; the placement was wrong and didn\u2019t sound good at all,\u201d he said. \u201cIn \u2018Mehbooba\u2019 all the songs were badly filmed and harmed the film. Shakti Samanta is of course good, but in this case he missed the bus. Before this film was released the songs could be heard blaring from loudspeakers but two weeks after the release they too were rejected by the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burman underwent surgery in 1989 after suffering from a heart attack in 1988. He died in 1994. Many singers and musicians in India have been influenced by Burman. The jazz artiste Aarti Rao-Shetty told The Hindu<\/em> in June 2013: He [Burman] had the pulse, the groove and the melody to drive the most conservative [person] to the dance floor and the most inhibited [person] to break into song. His music was compelling, his melodies were ear worms and his clever incorporation of rhythms of the world with bongos and congas were simply superb. If anyone knew how to blend jazz, Latin and rock \u2019n\u2019 roll into Hindi film music, creating a brand new sound, it was R.D. Burman.\u201d<\/p>\n Burman was once asked which award mattered to him the most of all the awards he had won in his lifetime. He replied: \u201cWhen in any railway station, I listen to any of my composed songs in the voice of a porter \u2014 perhaps he doesn\u2019t know me \u2014 is there any appreciation or recognition bigger than this?\u201d<\/p>\n Also on this day:<\/p>\n 1950 \u2014 Binayak Sen, human rights activist, was born<\/p>\n 1957 \u2014 Gurdas Maan, Punjabi singer and actor, was born<\/p>\n 1965 \u2014 Aditya Pancholi, Hindi film actor, was born<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A leading and influential music director of the Hindi film industry, Rahul Dev Burman was born on June 27, 1939 in Calcutta. He died on January 4, 1994. R.D. Burman\u2019s father S.D. Burman was a renowned film composer himself. His mother Meera Dev was a lyricist. R.D. Burman, known as Pancham da in the film world, studied at Calcutta\u2019s St… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history"],"yoast_head":"\n