S. D. Burman | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Sachin Dev Burman (1906-10-01)1 October 1906 |
| Died | 31 October 1975(1975-10-31) (aged 69) |
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| Years active | 1932 – 1975 |
Spouse | Meera Dasgupta |
Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer.[1] He was a member of theTripura royal family.[2][3] He started his career withBengali films in 1937. He later began composing forHindi movies and became one of the most successful and influential Indian film music composers. Burman composed the soundtracks for over 100 movies, includingBengali films and Hindi.[2][4][5]
Apart from being a versatile composer, he also sang songs in folk style of EastBengal and light semi-classical. His son,R. D. Burman, was also a celebrated music composer for Bollywood films.[2][3]
Burman's compositions were sung by the leading singers of the era, includingKishore Kumar,Lata Mangeshkar,Mohammed Rafi,Geeta Dutt,Manna Dey,Hemant Kumar,Asha Bhosle,Shamshad Begum,Mukesh andTalat Mahmood. As a playback singer, Burman sang 14 Hindi and 13 Bengali film songs.[6][7]
S. D. Burman was born on 1 October 1906,[8] inTipperah Palace,Comilla,Eastern Bengal and Assam (in present-day Bangladesh) to Rajkumari Nirmala Devi,[3] the royal princess ofManipur andNabadwipchandra Dev Burman ofTripura, son ofIshan Chandra Manikya, theMaharaja of Tripura. Sachin was the youngest of the five sons of his parents, who had nine children in all. His mother died when he was just two years of age.[9]
S. D. Burman's first school was at Kumar Boarding inAgartala,Tripura. It was a boarding school for sons of the royalty and the very rich.[10] Burman's father, Raja Nabadweepchandra Deb Burman noticed the teachers were more busy with pampering the sons of the nobility than educating them. Burman's father took him from Kumar Boarding and admitted him atYusuf School inComilla,[10] before he was admitted in Class V inComilla Zilla School. He completed his Matriculation in 1920 at the age of 14. He then got admitted at Victoria College, Comilla, which is presentlyComilla Victoria Government College from where he passed his IA in 1922 and then BA in 1924. Burman left for Kolkata to start an MA inCalcutta University, which he did not finish as music got the better of him for good.[11][12] He started his formal music education by training under the musicianK. C. Dey from 1925 to 1930; thereafter in 1932 he came under the tutelage ofBhishmadev Chattopadhyay, who was only three years his senior. This was followed by training from Khalifa Badal Khan, thesarangi maestro, andUstad Allauddin Khan, the sarod player.[2][3]
Burman started working as a radio singer on Calcutta Radio Station in the late 20s,[8] when his work as a singer-composer was based on Bengali folk and light Hindustani classical music. Consequently, his compositions were mainly influenced by his huge repertoire of folk-tunes from present Bangladesh and later other parts of India and around the world. His first record was also released in 1932 (Hindustan Musical Product), with "Khamaj" (semi classical), "E Pathey Aaj Eso Priyo" on one side and the folk "Dakle Kokil Roj Bihane" on the reverse side, on 78 rpm for Hindustan Records. In the following decade, he reached his peak as a singer, cutting as many as 131 songs inBengali, and also sang for composers like Himangsu Dutta (8), RC Boral (1), Nazrul Islam (4), Sailesh Das Gupta (2) and Subal Das Gupta (1).[13] He also sang for Madhavlal Master (1) and his sonR.D. Burman (1).[5]
In 1934, he attended the All India Music Conference, at the invitation ofAllahabad University, where he presented his BengaliThumri, all to an illustrious audience, with the likes ofVijaya Lakshmi Pandit and the inimitableAbdul Karim Khan ofKirana Gharana. Later in the year, he was invited to Bengal Music Conference, Kolkata, which was inaugurated byRabindranath Tagore, here again he sang his Thumri, and was awarded a Gold Medal.[13]
He built a house in Southend Park,Ballygunge,Kolkata. He married his student,Meera Das Gupta (1920–2007), the granddaughter of Magistrate Raibahadur Kamalnath Dasgupta fromDhaka on 10 February 1938 inCalcutta (now Kolkata),[14][15] though according to some, having married a non-royal, created a furore within the royal family, and subsequently he severed ties with his family, and forfeited his inheritance.[16][17] According to some others, S.D. Burman severed ties with his royal family because he was frustrated with the unjust and unfair treatment meted out to his father and his brothers by the royal family of Tripura. The couple's only child,Rahul Dev Burman was born in 1939, and later, both Meera Devi and Rahul assisted S.D. Burman with some of the musical compositions.[18][5] S. D. Burman also did a singing role in theUrdu filmSelima (1934) and another role in Dhiren Ganguli's filmBidrohi (1935).
As a music composer, he started with the Bengali playsSati Tirtha andJanani, and eventually gave his first score in the filmRajgee. In 1937, his second filmRajkumarer Nirbashan (1940) became a hit. He gave music inBengali films such asProtishodh (1941),Abhoyer Biye (1942) andChaddobeshi (1944) and only one Bengali film in 1969/70 after he permanently moved to Mumbai in 1946. He composed for over 20 Bengali films and 89 Hindi films in all.[13]
He made his film debut singing inYahudi ki Ladki (1933) but the songs were scrapped and re-sung byPahari Sanyal. His first film as a singer was finallySanjher Pidim (1935).
In 1944, Burman moved to Bombay (now known asMumbai),[3] at the request ofSashadhar Mukherjee ofFilmistan, who asked him to give score for twoAshok Kumar starrers,Shikari (1946) andAath Din, but his first major breakthrough came the following year with the company'sDo Bhai (1947). The songMera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya sung byGeeta Dutt was his breakthrough song into the film industry. In 1949 cameShabnam, his biggest hit yet with Filmistan Studios, especially noticeable for its multi-lingual hit songYeh Duniya Roop ki Chor, byShamshad Begum, which became a rage in those days.[8]
Disillusioned with the materialism of Bombay, Burman left theAshok Kumar starredMashaal (1950) incomplete and decided to board the first train back to Calcutta. Fortunately, he was dissuaded from doing so.
In the 1950s, Burman teamed up withDev Anand'sNavketan Films to create musical hits likeTaxi Driver,Nau Do Gyarah (1957) andKala Pani (1958). In addition, he gave music forMunimji (1955) andPaying Guest (1957). His songs sung byKishore Kumar andMohammed Rafi became popular. Burman composed the music forAfsar (1950). With the success of their second filmBaazi (1951), he made it to the top and a long association with Navketan and Dev Anand was on its way.Baazi's jazzy musical score revealed a new facet of singerGeeta Dutt, who was mainly known for melancholy songs andbhajans. One song from the film stood out – "Tadbeer Se Bigdi Hui Taqdeer", aghazal that was occidentalised into a seductive song. TheJaal song "Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni" sung byHemant Kumar is an all-time great classic. The song "Thandi Hawain" from the filmNaujawan (1951) sung by Lata Mangeshkar was one of his first major hits. It made Lata very famous as also poetSahir Ludhianvi[5]who also wrote music forGuru Dutt's filmPyaasa (1957). The soundtracks ofDevdas (1955),House No. 44 (1955),Funtoosh (1956), andSolva Saal (1958) were other S. D. Burman hits. In 1959 cameSujata, and S. D. created magic again with "Jalte hain Jiske Liye" film song sung byTalat Mahmood.[8]
When Guru Dutt made comparatively light-weight films likeBaazi andJaal (1952), Burman reflected their mood with compositions like "Suno Gajar Kya Gaye" or "De Bhi Chuke Hum" and when Guru Dutt made his sombre masterpieces –Pyaasa (1957) andKaagaz Ke Phool (1959), he was right on target with "Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind" and "Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam." In 2004, the soundtrackof Pyaasa was chosen as one of "The Best Music in Film" bySight & Sound, theBritish Film Institute magazine.[19]
In 1957, S. D. Burman fell out withLata Mangeshkar and adopted her younger sisterAsha Bhosle as his lead female singer. The team of S. D. Burman,Kishore Kumar,Asha Bhosle and lyricistMajrooh Sultanpuri became popular for their duet songs. Bhosle later became his daughter-in-law after her marriage toR. D. Burman.[8]
In 1958, S. D. Burman gave music forKishore Kumar's house productionChalti Ka Naam Gaadi. The same year, he was awarded theSangeet Natak Akademi Award for his compositions inSujata and remains the only music director to have won this prestigious award.[20] S. D. Burman often took inspiration from folk music, Hindustani classical music as well as the more mundane day to day sounds of life. For example, in a later interview, he discussed how he had composed theKala Pani tune for the Majrooh Sultanpuri / Md. Rafi / Dev Anand song "Hum bekhudi mein tum" based upon theHindustani Raga "Raag Chayyanat" and theMuslimMuezzin's call for prayers that one hears daily near a mosque.[21]
Early on in his career, Burman refused to allow his voice to be lip-synced on film by actors;[13] as a result, even later on, inHindi cinema, his thin yet powerful voice was often used asbardic commentary to haunting results, as in "O Re Majhi Mere Sajan Hai Us Paar" fromBandini (1963), "Wahan Kaun Hai Tera" fromGuide (1965), and "Saphal Hogi Teri Aradhana" fromAradhana (1969),[7] for which he received theNational Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1970.
Ill health caused a slump in his career in the early 1960s, but he gave many hit films in the late 1960s. In 1961, Burman andLata Mangeshkar came together with the help ofMehmood during the recording ofR.D. Burman's first song for the movieChhote Nawab (1961). They reconciled their differences and started working again in 1962.
The Dev Anand-S. D. Burman partnership, under theNavketan banner, continued to churn out musical hits likeBombai Ka Babu (1960),Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963),Guide (1965) andJewel Thief (1967). In 1963, he composed the soundtrack ofMeri Surat Teri Aankhen (1963), in whichManna Dey sang the song "Poocho Na Kaise Maine" inragaAhir Bhairav. This song was inspired by the song "Arun kanti ke go yogi", a masterpiece that was created by Bidhrohi Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam and a Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan's Khayal which was based on raga Ahir bhairav (morning ragaa). That movie also had a song "Nache Mon Mora Magan", sung by Mohammad Rafi; these became landmarks in Hindi film songs.
Other S. D. Burman hits from this period wereBandini (1963),Ziddi (1964), andTeen Devian (1965). InBandini, Sampooran Singh (well known asGulzar), made his debut as a lyricist with the song "Mora Gora Ang Lai Le", though the other songs were written byShailendra.Guide (1965) starring Dev Anand, was probably the best of his work during the time with all the songs super-hits as well as the film; however, it did not receive theFilmfare Award in the best music director category for that year, which remained always a discussion among the Bollywood film pandits.[5]
Aradhana (1969) is considered another landmark score in Bollywood history. The music of the movie shaped the careers of singerKishore Kumar, lyricistAnand Bakshi and filmmakerShakti Samanta. According to the director Shakti Samanta, originally, Mohammed Rafi was supposed to have sung all the songs in the film (he sang only two song), but he was on 2 month long tour and they didn't want to wait for 2 months. So, he suggested Burman to use Kishore Kumar instead as Rajesh Khanna was a newcomer and he agreed. All the songs became chartbuster which made Kishore Kumar an overnight sensation.
References[22] For the song "Mere Sapno ki raani", Sachin Dev made R. D. play the mouth organ.[citation needed] Dev Anand and S. D. Burman continued their musical partnership inPrem Pujari (1970).[5]
Prem Pujari (1970),Tere Mere Sapne (1971),Ishq Par Zor Nahin (1970),Sharmeelee (1971),Abhimaan (1973),Prem Nagar (1974),Sagina (1974),Chupke Chupke (1975), andMili (1975) are some of Burman's classics from this decade.[7]
S. D. Burman married Bengali film lyricist and musician,Meera Dasgupta on 10 February 1938. They had only one son, music composer,R. D. Burman who was born on 27 June 1939.[2][3]
Burman was the only composer who had used both Kishore and Rafi in an almost equal number of songs.[7] He regarded Kishore as his second son. Kishore confessed that it was Sachin Da, who had given him the first chance. Even after the rehearsal of "Badi Sooni Sooni" fromMilli, when Sachin had a stroke, Kishore went up to the hospital and said to him "Dada, please don't worry, your recording is after three days, you just see how well it goes." The song is considered one of the best of Kishore Kumar. Sachin also used to telephone Kishore in the dead of night, and on the telephone, he would start to sing the new tunes which he composed and ask Kishore to sing with him.[citation needed]
S. D. Burman went into a coma soon after rehearsing the song "Badi Sooni Sooni Hai" (sung byKishore Kumar) for the filmMili. After lingering in a coma for some days, he died on 31 October 1975 inMumbai.[2][3]
British singer of South Asian heritage Najma Akhtar, recorded aShanachie Records CD of Burman's work,Forbidden Kiss: The Music of S.D. Burman, an album of covers of Burman compositions.
The Indian cricketerSachin Tendulkar was named after the composer by Sachin's father, who was an ardent fan of Burman.[23][24]
The singer and mimicry artistSudesh Bhonsle frequently parodies the nasal high-pitched voice and quixotic singing style of S. D. Burman.
Burman paired with tabla maestro late Brajen Biswas for his Bengali songs. The beats or "thekas" created by Brajen Babu for these songs are unique and no one in the world can sing these songs in the original "thekas". All the "thekas" are according to the mood of the songs. But recently, painter, sculptor and singer Ramita Bhaduri sang the tough songs of Burman such as "Ami chhinu aka", "Rangeela", "Aankhi Duti Jhare" etc. in the original "theka" on the taleem of Brajen Biswas. The CD from "Raga Music" (Symphony) was released at Kolkata Press Club. The CDs are available in M. Biswas & Symphony.[citation needed]
Burman had a unique style of composing film songs. While most of the composers used a harmonium or piano to compose the tune, he composed tunes using rhythm such as clapping hands. He was very fond of "Paan" which was specially made by his wife with a piece of dried orange peel and "kevda" flower (Odoratissimus flower) for flavour and taste. In addition, there were his chosen paanwalas (paan vendors) near Khar Station, his bungalow "The Jet" and Bharati Vidya Bhavan from where he could get paans to his liking. That was the reason that he would not share his paan with anyone as he will run short of his paans. He would carry only few extra paana which he would give as a reward to the one whom he appreciated for his work.[citation needed]
SD Burman's first biography in English is "Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman". Written by HQ Chowdhury. It was published by Toitoomber from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
On 1 October 2007, marking his 101st birth anniversary, theIndian Postal Service released a commemorative postage stamp, inAgartala, where an exhibition on his life and work was also inaugurated; the state government ofTripura also confers the yearly "Sachin Dev Burman Memorial Award" in music.[25]
Sachin Dev Barman Memorial Government Music college was built in Agartala, Tripura in memory of him which is also affiliated byTripura University and recognised byUniversity Grant Commission.[26]
His song "Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye" fromPyaasa was re-used in the 2022 filmChup: Revenge of the Artist.[27]
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