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Music icon: R.D. Burman’s melodies had a haunting quality.

R.D. Burman. The very name evokes a variety of emotions. This writer met R.D. after a stage show in Kochi in December, 1993. “I like this beautiful place,” R.D. has said and added, “I will come again to Kochi. In fact, I might compose music for a Malayalam film soon.”

But that was not to be. Ten days later, on January 4, 1994, R.D. died in Mumbai. Fourteen years later we still hear his music all over the place, be it on TV, the radio, internet, remixes or stage shows. R.D. was truly special. Rahul Dev Burman, son of ace composer Sachin Dev Burman, achieved greatness on his own and is rated one of the country’s greatest composers ever.

Having debuted in the mid-Sixties with ‘Chote Nawab,’ R.D. (popularly known as Pancham in Bollywood) reached iconic status by the early Seventies when he formed a formidable combination with Kishore Kumar to conjure super hit after super hit.

Initially, purists scoffed at his Western orientation, but he produced an array of spellbinding melodies and semi-classicals in ‘Amar Prem,’ ‘Aandhi,’ ‘Parichay,’ ‘Kinara,’ ‘Khushboo,’ ‘Mehbooba’ and many other films to prove his versatility and sheer genius.

R.D. used new instruments and constantly experimented with composing and orchestration styles. His peppy tunes such as ‘Piya Tu,’ ‘Dum Maro Dum,’ ‘O Mere Sona Re,’ ‘Aa Aa Aa ja’ and ‘Duniya Mein’ were a class apart.

And his melodies had a haunting quality. These have remained fresh in public memory for over three decades.

Whether it was a romantic ditty or a melancholy number or a semi-classical song or a philosophical track, R.D. had the ability to infuse something extra to transform it into an evergreen hit.

No wonder then that many of today’s composers idolise R.D. Melodies were set apart for Lata, while the peppy numbers were the preserve of Asha Bhonsle, who married R.D. in the Seventies. And the male numbers were mostly given to Kishore.

During that 1993 meeting, R.D. was asked if he had under used Rafi. Then R.D. had replied: “I have given Rafi hit numbers such as ‘Chura Liya,’ ‘Kya Hua’ and ‘Hum Kisi se.’ Yes, Rafi was really a great singer, an epitome of technical perfection. Kishore was an untrained singer, but a volcano of talent who could improvise incredibly and provide vocal insights and expression beyond the composer’s imagination.”

RD’s splendid compositions for ‘1942-A Love Story’ would have put him back in the limelight after a lull, but he died before the movie and its music came out in mid-1994. Unfortunately this film was to be his swansong. But the R.D. magic lives on.

‘Beeti na’ and ‘Musafir’ in ‘Parichay’

‘Chingaree,’ ‘Kuch To Log,’ ‘Raina Beeti’ and ‘Ye Kya Hua’ in ‘Amar Prem’

‘Tere Bina Zindgi’ and ‘Is Mod’ in ‘Aandhi’

‘Naam Gum Jayega’ in ‘Kinara’

‘O Mere’ in ‘Mere Jeevan Saathi’

‘Ye Jo Mohabbat,’ and ‘Ye Shaam’ in ‘Kati Patang’

‘Meri Bheegi Bheegi in ‘Anamika’

‘Tere Bina’ in ‘Ghar’

‘O Majhi Re’ in ‘Khushboo’

‘Phoolon Ka Taron Ka,’ ‘Kanchi Re’ and ‘Dekho O Diwano’ in ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’

‘Diye Jalte’ in ‘Namak Haram’

‘Chura Liya’ and ‘Yaadon Ki’ in ‘Yaadon Ki Baraat’

‘Yaad Aa Rahi’ in ‘Love Story’

‘Sagar Kinare’ in ‘Sagar’

‘Kya Hua Tera’ in ‘Hum Kisi se Kam Nahin’

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