On his 77 th birth anniversary, R.D. Burman’s music still proves to be popular and pleasing. We take a look at some of his unforgettable numbers and their lasting impact on us.
Teesri Manzil
One of Burman’s first-ever hits, Teesri Manzil was also the last film by Nasir Hussain where Mohammad Rafi sang all the songs. And this combination gave us gems like ‘O Mere Sona Re’, ‘O Hassena Zulfonwali’, and ‘Aaja Aaja Mein Hoon Pyar Tera.’
Padosan
Another early and well-received album was Padosan. This album had a Lata Mangeshkar-Asha Bhosle duet, ‘Main Chali Main Chali’, a light airy tune that showcased the sisters’ different voices. Other hits from the film include ‘Mere Samne Wali Khidki’ and ‘Meri Pyari Bindu’.
Kati Patang
The Asha Parekh-starrer brought us evergreen melodies like ‘Yeh Shaam Mastani’ and ‘Pyar Deewana Hota Hai’. This was also a movie where Mukesh got to sing the number ‘Jis Gali Mein Tera Ghar’ for Rajesh Khanna — the others were by Kishore Kumar — a rare combination.
Yaadon Ki Baaraat
Burman’s score for Yaadon Ki Baaraat is well-remembered not only for the great music, but for that eternal Bollywood trope of long-lost siblings who can’t recognise each other. While ‘Chura Liya’ is the most famous of the album, the Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle song ‘Meri Soni Meri Tamanna’ is a classic.
Hum Kisise Kum Naheen
With ABBA becoming popular in India around the time this film was released, Burman masterfully included their hit number ‘Honey Honey’ in ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada’. And who can forget Kishore Kumar’s excited and joyous vocals for ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno.’
Amar Prem
This film also marked the beginning of the most prolific period of Burman’s career. The song ‘Bada Natkhat Hai Yeh’ was redone, after the composer’s father S.D. Burman felt the song didn’t do justice to the situation. He also entered into the classical hall of fame with ‘Raina Beeti Jaye’, a song that showcased Lata Mangeshkar’s vocal prowess.
Aandhi
1975 saw the non-release of Aandhi. The Gulzar film was released two years later, as the government felt its protagonist looked too much like Indira Gandhi. The music was aided by the presence of classical greats like Hariprasad Chaurasia and Zarin Daruwala.
Sholay
That was also the year of the biggest moie of India — Sholay. And with it we also got R.D. Burman’s larger-than-life vocals for ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’. The song has since been remixed many times, beyond recognition in some cases, but the original is sure to bring back memories for many.
Caravan
An album that evokes different sounds for every song, Caravan’s most famous hit is arguably ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’. Asha Bhosle’s vocals and Helen in the film, make for a heady cocktail. Also notable was the Rafi-Lata number ‘Chadti Jawani’.
1942: A Love Story
R.D. Burman’s swan song, his last ever soundtrack was this Anil Kapoor-Manisha Koirala film. It was also a posthumous release for the composer. And it brought us the beauties that are ‘Kuch Naa Kaho’ and ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To’.
