RD Burman birth anniversary: The composer who could do anything

Was RD Burman the greatest most versatile and skilled composer of all times? More importantly, was RD more versatile than his venerated father Sachin Dev Burman ? I would say yes, RD was ahead, far ahead of his father in terms of the diversity that the younger Burman’s music projects.

Listen to the staggering range, from Asha Bhosle ’s Piya tu ab toh aaja in Nasir Hussain’s Caravan to Lata Mangeshkar ’s Raina beeti jaye in Amar Prem. No Indian composer barring perhaps Ilaiyaraaja could boast of such a staggering range and versatility.

In many ways, the hurdles that RD faced in the beginning of his career were similar to what Asha Bhosle faced vis-à-vis her more illustrious sister Lata Mangeshkar. Until OP Nayyar and R D Burman came into her life and career, Asha would get only the songs that Lataji didn’t want to sing. She had to forge her own singing idiom to break through the charts.

Likewise RD was threatened with being labelled a poor shadow of his father when at the start of his career he composed semi-classical songs like Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra (Chote Nawab) and Oh ganga maiya ( Chandan Ka Palna ). These were fine, even outstanding songs. But they were not distinctive. They were what his father could compose without blinking.

RD Burman discovered his melodic métier in Nasir Hussain’s Teesri Manzil where he utilized Asha Bhosle’s vocals to great westernized effect. RD’s litmus test was Dev Anand’s Hare Rama Hare Krishna. When after working with Sachin Dev Burman to such outstanding heights of excellence in his directorial debut Prem Pujari Dev Anand opted for RD in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, the world stood up to listen.

Apparently, Burman Senior was not happy when Dev Anand gave Hare Rama Hare Krishna to his son. Like many dads, SD had a low opinion of his son’s virgin skills. It was only after he heard the songs that RD had composed in Hare Rama Hare Krishna that papa Burman was convinced of his son’s talent.

The hits from R D Burman just flowed in the 1970s: in 1971 alone RD Burman composed twelve soundtracks, out of which Amar Prem, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Caravan and Mela were outstanding. In 1972 RD released a mind-blowing seventeen albums, all excellent in their own way; the outstanding ones were Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Do Chor, Bombay To Goa, Jawani Diwani, Rampur Ka Lakshman and Parichay.

The streak of pathbreaking chartbusters from RD Burman continued in 1973 with Anamika, Heera Panna, Yaadon Ki Baarat , Jheel Ke Uss Paar and Aa Gale Lag Jaa. Significantly, only one out of these five films Yaadon Ki Baraat was a hit. But the songs in all the five films are hummed to this day.

However, by 1974 the uninterrupted flow of chartbusters-in-blockbusters began to wane. Although RD still composed pathbreaking songs for Zehreela Insaan ( Kishore Kumar ’s Oh hanseeni), Ishq Ishq Ishq (all the songs), Humshakal (Kahe ko bulaya mukhe balma, Rasta dekhe tera), and Goonj (Ah meri jaan), the films were miserable flops. The Shammi Kapoor directorial Manoranjan in 1974 had one of RD Burman’s most outstanding soundtracks. But the songs sank with the film.

1975 was one of RD’s most productive years, creatively and commercially, with Khel Khel Mein , Aandhi, Sholay and Dharam Karam hitting the bull’s eye. But when in 1976 one of RD’s most prestigious films Mehbooba flopped it was time for Laxmikant-Pyarelal to take over the charts from RD.

For the rest of the 1970s, R D Burman waded through rejections. His creative abilities were at their summit in Kinara (1977), Ghar (1978) and Jurmana(1979). But a large section of the film industry had lost faith in RD’s ability to deliver chartbusters. The final blow was when Nasir Hussain with whom RD had done some of his most successful work, couldn’t convince his son Mansoor Ali Khan to go with RD’s music in Mansoor’s directorial debut Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak .

In his final years, RD would frantically dial filmmakers asking why they had deserted him.

RD died an unhappy man. Posthumously his music is monumentally alive. Going by the perennial popularity of his repertoire, it would seem there is no other composer quite like Pancham.

So was he better than Laxmikant-Pyarelal ? The latter duo completely eclipsed RD in his final years. Though officially he died of a cardiac arrest he actually died of heartbreak. RD felt let down by the film industry which doesn’t worship the setting song.

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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