He is known for innumerable accomplishments and by innumerable names- the man who, with his global taste in music, completely and single-handedly transformed the Indian film music industry.
Yes, you guessed it! We’re talking about RD Burman.

RD Burman, fondly known in the creative circles of India as Pancham Da, was an unstoppable force from the 60s to the 90s. Born on June 27, 1989, to legendary Bollywood composer SD Burman, Rahul Dev Burman is said to have earned the nickname of ‘Pancham’, coined by veteran actor Ashok Kumar, when he saw that the baby Rahul cried only in the 5th (panch) note of music notation. In his career spanning 30 years, he has composed musical scores for a total of 331 films. He took the tradition of musical genius passed on by his father and carried it to international heights.

Today, we remember some of Pancham Da’s most enduring classics, a list of select songs that have permanently occupied the top spots in our classical playlists.

1. Dilbar Mere Kab Tak (Satte Pe Satta): ‘Dilbar Mere’, like all the songs of the movie ‘Satte Pe Satta’ was a super hit. The song that picturizes the emerging and growing love and affection between the characters of Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, is made more majestic by the melting voice of Kishore Kumar against a backdrop of a gorgeous countryside view.

2. Jaane Do Na (Saagar): The ‘Jaane Do Na’ song from Saagar is an epitome of intelligent music composition. The song holds itself perfectly even with simple lyrics with just its superb score. This was the magic of Pancham.

3. Jab Hum Jawan (Betaab): The cute love saga depicted in the film ‘Betaab’ starring Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh was aptly picturized by Burman in its music score and songs. ‘Jab Hum Jawaan Honge’ was such a powerful song that the lyrics became a poignant foreshadow of the ultimate fate of the characters.

4. Kitna Pyara Vaada (Caravan): The best evidence of the singular genius of Burman was his ability to create amazing songs that blended various genres. No wonder he pioneered the revolution in Bollywood music through his art. He perfectly exemplified his superior skills in combining tribal folk with contemporary music to create the soundtrack of ‘Caravan’, a story about a rich girl (Asha Parekh) who runs into and gets involved with a band of performing gypsies while escaping trouble.

5. Kitne Bhi Tu Karle (Sanam Teri Kasam): It was the legendary Pancham Da, who scored the phenomenal soundtrack of ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’, starring Reena Roy and Kamal Haasan. Especially the title track ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ voiced individually by both Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar, was such a massive hit, that it single-handedly lifted the career of actor Reena Roy.

It is said that RD Burman was truly, a music man. It is said that he experimented with different musical sounds produced from methods such as rubbing sandpaper and knocking bamboo sticks together. He blew into beer bottles to produce the opening beats of “Mehbooba, Mehbooba”. Similarly, he used cups and saucers to create the tinkling sound for the song “Chura Liya Hai” from the film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). For Satte Pe Satta (1982), he made the singer Annette Pinto gargle to produce a background sound. He also rubbed a comb on a rough surface to produce a whooshing sound in the song “Meri Samne Wali Khidki Mein” from the film Padosan (1968).

Unfortunately, the great genius died when he was just 54 years old. The world may have lost him in body, but his soul continues to live on…through the amazing and heartfelt songs he composed, and through the Hindi Film Music Industry today, as he was a big factor in shaping it into what it is today.

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