Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

BURMAN, S.D. and R.D.

Sachin Dev Burman (1906-75) and his son Rahul Dev Burman, aka Pancham (1939-94), composers of Indian film music. In filmi (Indian film music) the role is called 'music director'. Sachin Dev was a Gershwin among Indian popular composers, receiving his initial grounding in Hindustani (Northern Indian) classical music from his father, Nabadwipchandra Dev Burman, who was a classical singer and sitar player; he also studied classical music with other masters. He began his career as a vocalist singing folk and light classical repertoires, and debuted as a singer in Indian film in 1933 but his contributions to Yahudi Ki Ladki were canned: his proper debut was in Sanjher Pidim '35. He graduated to film composition, from '39 based in Calcutta, but his star rose until he bowed to the inevitable '44 and moved to Bombay, the capital of India's film industry (nicknamed Bollywood). His film compositions were informed by a knowledge of Bengali and related geographical folk music forms, themes later incorporated cleverly into film music. He was one of the best music directors of the so-called golden age of filmi, usually reckoned as 1948-60, and especially associated with the work of producer/ director Dev Anand. His career spans the period from 1937 to the posthumously released Arjun Pandit, Barood, Deewangee and Tyaag (all released '76) and includes such well-loved song vehicles as Taxi Driver '54, Guide '65, Jewel Thief '67 and Prem Pujari '71. Anthology All-time Favourites Of Music Director S.D. Burman gathers a range of playback performances from himself, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd. Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar. Najma Akhtar's Forbidden Kiss on Shanachie '96 (subtitled 'The music of S.D. Burman') revisited his repertoire, and on one track that of his son.

Rahul Dev began his apprenticeship as assistant to his father, and was also influenced by sarodist Ali Akbar Khan; playback singer Asha Bhosle recalled how Burman would make a beeline to any of Ali Akbar's recitals. Burman's career took off at the same time as the reawakening of interest in romantic (not to say soppy) love stories on film; he went on to produce musicals for Nasir Hussain such as Baharon Ke Sapne '67 as well as Zeenat Aman's teen-flick Yaadon Ki Baraat '73. Youth films were a trademark; the work was modern to the point of instant obsolescence at times, because production novelties and instrumental gadgetry are often a matter of fashion. Singers Bhosle and Kishore Kumar were associated with him; Bhosle in fact found herself forever denying that they were secretly married. R.D. Burman is one of the seminal music directors of Indian film because he took the music of its golden age into the rock era. He was an 'ideas man'; his work not always timeless but always the latest thing, and enormously influential.