R.D. Burman needs no introduction. He is one of the greatest and most influential music composers that we have seen. From 1960s to 1990s, Burman composed music scores for over 300 films. He was the only son of composer Sachin Dev Burman and went on to redefine the music of the Hindi film industry. `Yaaron Zara Tham Ke`, Golmaal Hai Bhai Sab Golmaal`, `Pyar Hame Kis Mod Pe`, `Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko` ,`Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja`, `Dum Maaro Dum`, `Aa Dekhen Jara`, `Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi` are some of the timeless songs composed by the legend. His songs have proven to live beyond his lifetime and more. The music continues to soothe the current generation and will definitely sprinkle its magic on the generations to come.
The composer passed away in 1994 at the early age of 54. While he is no longer amidst us, he continues to live in our hearts through his music. After his demise, several filmmakers paid tribute to him through their work. We look at some of them here:
Dil Vil Pyar Vyar
This is a 2002 Hindi-language film directed by Ananth Mahadevan. The film was an ode to the music of composer R.D. Burman. The film featured 14 songs by R.D Burman which formed the crux of the film. The film featured an ensemble cast including R Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Namrata Shirodkar Sonali Kulkarni, and Rakesh Bapat, among others. As for the music, the songs were re-arranged by Babloo Chakravorty and composed by Sanjay Chakravarty. The songs in the film were sung by singers like Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Alka Yagnik, Sadhna Sargam, Sunidhi Chauhan, Babul Supriyo, and Shaan. ‘Ab Ke Saawan Mein’, ‘O Haseena Zulfonwali’, ‘Mere Saamnewali Khidki Mein’, Yaadon Ki Baarat’, Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ were some of the songs that were a part of the film.
Jhankaar Beats
This 2003 film was an ode to R.D. Burman by filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh who is popularly known for his film ‘Kahani’ starring Vidya Balan. Back in 2003, he made this film which is a story about love, friendship, and music. The film had 10 songs composed by Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani who came to be known as the entity Vishal-Shekhar with the hit of this soundtrack. While the film did not work well, its music is still loved by the audience and has the power to make them nostalgic. The superhit soundtrack earned Vishal-Shekhar their only Filmfare Award to date: the RD Burman Award for New Music Talent, appropriately enough.
Khwaish
This Govind Menon-directed 2003 film starred Himanshu Malik and Mallika Sherawat in the lead.The film is a love story between two people from different financial backgrounds. While the film failed to connect with the audience, Mallika’s character Lekha is s shown as a fan of R.D Burman and there are repeated references to R.D Burman in the film. All the songs in the movie were sung by Ash Bhosle and composed by Milind Sagar.
Pancham Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai
In 2010, Brahmanand Singh released a 113-minute documentary made on the life of the great composer. It is the most comprehensive film made on the great composer and a film that no music and film buff should miss. The documentary contains quotes from his friends, colleagues, admirers who give a deeper understanding of his work and the man himself.
Lootera
This 2013 film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane is partially based on author O. Henry`s 1907 short story The Last Leaf. The film which starred Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha was widely appreciated for its narrative and more so its music. The music and background score for the film is composed by Amit Trivedi, with all song lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. At the audio launch of the film, the music composer claimed, “The music of this film is a tribute to R. D. Burman in terms of melody and orchestration.” The film had songs sung by Monali Thakur, Benny Dayal, Mohan Kanna, Swanand Kirkire, Amit Trivedi, Shilpa Rao, and Amitabh Bhattacharya.
