Book Review: RD Burman- The Prince of Music

Book: RD Burman: The Prince of Music
Author: Khagesh Dev Burman
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Pages: 550pp
Rs 795

As the music world celebrated the 76th birth anniversary of Rahul Dev Burman on June 27, along with a documentary and a Rs5 stamp came a book on the life and times of the composer who changed the Hindi film music landscape forever with his love for jazz, rock, folk and classical. Khagesh Dev Burman's RD Burman: The Prince of Music looks at his childhood in Kolkata, his failure in studies, his beginning as an assistant to his father, SD Burman, his rise as a musician and his eventual downfall due to ill-health and some bad decisions.

"He brought a new appeal to film music. His father mixed folk songs with classical music, while he mixed folk music with Western in such a way that the songs sounded Indian.There are many things he's brought to Bollywood music, like the concept of two tracks, the use of the spoon as an instrument and natural sounds like the sound of raindrops," says Khagesh.

His book is peppered with anecdotes and details from RD's life and also speaks of the time when he was upset with his father for lifting one of his tunes. The story goes that the father did not know how accomplished a musician his son was as RD — known fondly as Pancham — was brought up in Kolkata while SD worked in Mumbai. "In 1955, because he was not too good a student, SD took him to Bombay so that he could assist SD. In 1956, he came to Kolkata for a few days, and went to watch Funtoosh, whose music was composed by SD. He suddenly heard a tune which was his, the song in question being, Ae Meri Topi Palat Jaa. He was completely taken aback," says Khagesh.

"When he asked his father why he took the tune without permission, SD told him he was testing the tune to see if people liked it or not. But RD did not take it favourably and told his father: 'I will become a bigger composer than you'," Khagesh discloses.

The Tripura royal family has a rich musical lineage with the kings being both patrons and players. RD, however, was not too close to his family and was trained in classical music by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (santoor) and Samta Prasad (tabla). He was also inspired by the music of The Beatles, the Carpenters and Cliff Richards to name a few. European and African music had an influence too.

"SD believed in an Indian mood of music, so you'll find in his music kirtan, bhajan, folk songs. RD was a lover of all things western. When Dev Anand was making Hare Rama Hare Krishna, he offered the music direction to SD, who did not like the idea of the relationship between the brother and sister," says Khagesh. Dev Anand then offered it to both father and son, asking SD to direct the Indian bits and RD the Western.

The book also talks about the role of the film director in shaping its music, especially those that shaped RD's career. Guru Dutt was always confused about which tune to zero on, Dev Anand was keen to give RD his big break, while Shammi Kapoor was not. Shockingly, when the going wasn't good for him, Vidhu Vinod Chopra gave RD the chance to compose the music for 1942 A Love Story, and later told a publication that it was "because of 1942 A Love Story that he (RD) is alive in our hearts today." "I was flabbergasted at how a junior director like Vidhu Vinod Chopra could say that about a veteran like RD Burman, who was quite old then. Chopra said that RD's music was bad and strange," says Khagesh.

The book also talks about RD's personal life and his failed marriage with Rita Patel. And of his relationship with singer Asha Bhonsle. "Asha was his muse, but she never cared for him. She did not stay in his flat because she did not get along with his mother, Meera Devi. A few years after his death, she put Meera Devi in an old age home," says Khagesh. Meera Devi was reportedly found in the old age home only when the Tripura government wanted to honour her with an award.

"Even now, years after RD's death, she (Asha) is not recognised as his legally wedded wife.