Music legend Rahul Dev Burman — fondly referred to as Pancham by his legion of fans — would have turned 76 today.
Unknown to many, Pancham had a close association with Chennai and its musicians. On the occasion of his birth anniversary, two of his close associates share a few anecdotes of those times when the famed music director made Chennai his temporary home.
Kersi Lord, the maestro who created magic on the piano-accordion and keyboards for Pancham’s films (the opening notes of ‘Roop Tera Mastana’, for example), remembers spending close to a month in Chennai with R.D. Burman during the background score of the early 1980s Amitabh Bachchan-Zeenat Aman starrer Mahaan , directed by S. Ramanathan.
“We stayed in Chennai for almost a month then. But one of Pancham’s first recordings in Chennai was even earlier in the early 1970s for Lakhon Mein Ek . The film, directed by S.S. Balan, had Mehmood and Aruna Irani in the lead,” Lord said.
“Chennai’s musicians loved Pancham. I remember Raja (referring to maestro Ilaiyaraaja) coming for one of Pancham’s recordings and saying that he is a big fan. But guess what Pancham’s answer was? Pancham said he was an even greater fan of Raja and that he was following his work since Red Roses ( Sigappu Rojakkal )!”
Lord, now 81, remembers one occasion when another legend, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam went out of his way to help Pancham and his troupe. “This was during one of the Pancham-Asha (Bhosle) shows close to Marina Beach. Somehow, our sound system had come undone and SP took it upon himself to not only get it replaced with his own, but personally took care of balancing all the sound instruments. Imagine a musician of such calibre spending four hours for a colleague from another city. Pancham was truly loved in Chennai!”
Ulhas Bapat, the santoor maestro who collaborated with Pancham since 1978 (music aficionados will remember Ghar, Ijaazat and many more), recalls one special incident on the first day of recording during the making of Mahaan . “During lunch break at Prasad Studio, Pancham, leading all of us from Mumbai, went in to the dining area and shared a meal with the local musicians. Considering that Pancham was a star, it would not have been at all unusual for someone of his stature to go for a five-star lunch. But Pancham chose to enjoy his lunch with Chennai’s own musicians. That gesture was appreciated by everyone in the dining hall.”
“In my life, I have seen people suffering from complexes – superiority or inferiority, as the case may be. Pancham had an equality complex. That’s why he was adored by all musicians.”
