Asha Bhosle, Sukhwinder, Shaan: A playlist of RD Burman songs from the industry's best

Pancham — such an apt musical nickname depicting the fifth musical note Pancham or “Pa” of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Today, 27 June is the 77th birth anniversary of Rahul Dev Burman aka RD Burman, the composer who was so ahead of his time. [caption id=“attachment_2858210” align=“alignleft” width=“385”]  Image Courtesy: Creative Commons/Flickr[/caption] He experimented and introduced various new elements in film songs that were so modern that his songs are being remixed even today. He gifted us timeless melodies like ‘Dum Maro Dum’, ‘Mere Naina Saawan Bhadon’, ‘Piya du ab to aja’ and numerous more. Pancham daa or RD Burman is a brand which continues to dominate the music industry with an unshakable presence. And so on this special occasion, a few celebrities from our music industry speak about their favourite RD Burman number: Asha Bhosle (Playback Singer) Pancham was the only man who understood me. We had tremendous musical compatibility. He gave me the confidence to improvise and sing better than before. He introduced me to the western style of singing. The Asha-RD Burman Pair created magic which still continues. My non filmy albums with him i.e. Dil Padosi Hai and many more have created ripples in the music world. My Bengali songs under his music direction have also been equally popular like the Hindi songs. All songs I sung for him are my favorite. However, right now I feel like humming my all-time favorite “Mera Kuch Saamaan” from the film Ijaazat.

Abhijeet (Playback Singer) Pancham da is my most favorite music director. He gave me my first break as a playback singer in Dev Anand’s film Aanand aur Aanand. The song was “Main awara Hi sahi”. I learnt to be a hardcore professional like him. His music has universal appeal. He was so ahead of his time that the music he composed so many decades back is being remixed even in contemporary times! All his compositions are my favorites. I always sing his songs in my stage shows.

Sukhwinder Singh (Playback Singer) I call Pancham da ‘Peer Baba’! His sense of scale change in his songs is tremendous. The magic of his compositions were so inspiring that I consider him the best composer of the world. My most favorite is “Gulaabi Aankhen” from film The Train.

Jaspinder Narula (Playback Singer) He is a kind of artist who never dies. He remains alive within through his musical work. All his songs are my favorites so it is difficult to categorize. However, the song “Aya hoon main tujhko le jaoonga” from the film Manoranjan is one of my favorites because of its awesome beat and rhythm.

Shaan (Playback Singer) RD Burman is my most favorite composer. The music industry is incomplete without him. His position in irreplaceable in the world of music. I am lucky that my first break as a playback singer was given to me by Pancham da in the film Parinda. I was only 17 then. I sang only one line in the song “Kitni Pyari dosti hamaari”. However, it was a great blessing for me to have got a chance to sing for him. I sang various remixes of his compositions; “Mere Sapnon ki Rani” is one of them. My most favorite of his compositions is “Tere Bina Jiyaa Jaye Naa” from the film Ghar.

Chitty Pillai (Music Arranger) I worked with Pancham da for around 5 years. I started with the accordion since Kersi Lord had it given up, and among the newcomers I was one of the players. I was lucky that I got chance to play the accordion and keyboards with him for his stage shows also. I traveled with him in India and abroad for many of his shows. I remember him as a very energetic and lovable person. He always used to encourage musicians to experiment with new sounds on acoustic and electronic instruments. My favorite song of Pancham da is “Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain” from the film Aap Ki Kasam.

Daboo Malik (Music Director) I have followed his music since my childhood. He is the real God of Indian music industry. His inventions of new sounds created chart-busters and classics. His compositions were path breaking! I was lucky to have got the chance to interact with him during the background score of Betaab. My all time favorite is “Kuch toh log kahenge” from Amar Prem.

Listen to the whole playlist here!