RD Burman's birth anniversary: Revisiting his earliest iconic albums
Rahul Dev Burman, or Pancham Da, would have turned 84 today. One of the shining jewels of the Hindi-Bengali music landscape, Burman is credited with composing music for a staggering 331 films, majorly from the 1960s to the 1990s. His artistic merit has stood the test of time, and today, we look back at how he achieved immortality through his earliest hit Hindi albums.
'Teesri Manzil' (1966)
Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle weaved magic in the album of Teesri Manzil, with evergreen songs such as O Haseena Zulfonwali Jaan-E-Jahan, Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera, and O Mere Sona Re, Sona Re. The drama may have come out decades ago, but artists continue to recreate/cover/remix these songs, such is the popularity of this classic Burman creation. Watch the film on ZEE5.
'Padosan' (1968)
Do you find yourself regularly humming Main Chali, Main Chali Dekho Pyar Ki Gali, Ek Chatur Naar Karke Shringar, or Mere Samnewali Khidki? Even if you have not watched Padosan, there are high chances that you might have grown up on these songs, considering they're a huge constituent of the Hindi music space. Rajendra Krishnan had penned the lyrics for all the melodies.
'Kati Patang' (1970)
Kati Patang was acclaimed as much for Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh's acting as it was for its album, which was embellished with immortal songs such as Yeh Shaam Mastani, Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai, and Aaj Na Chodenge. With lyrics by legendary lyricist Anand Bakshi and vocals by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, there was little that could go wrong with the aforementioned numbers.
'Mere Jeevan Saathi' (1972)
Ravikant Nagaich's Mere Jeevan Saathi is remembered for songs such as O Mere Dil Ke Chain, Chala Jaata Hoon, Kitne Sapne Kitne Armaan, and the title track. The lyrics were by Majrooh Sultanpuri and all the songs, except the title track, featured Burman's frequent collaborator Kumar. The movie starred Khanna, Utpal Dutt, Tanuja, and Helen, and is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and ZEE5.
