|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MUCH before Oscar-wining A.R. Rahman came on the Bollywood stage and reinvented the rules of Bollywood music and placed it on the world map, there lived (actually not too long ago) a music composer R.D. Burman who was no less a pioneer. The musical genius, who introduced mixed rhythm patterns, piquant chords and sound mixing, traversed a musical expanse few nay no composer before him had. As the book makes you soak the essence of his musical oeuvre ranging from the raga-based compositions like Kuch to log kahnege to jazz and funk inspired songs of the movie Yaadon ki Barat, it’s hard to believe that one man alone could have packed such amazing versatility in his lifetime. That too a relatively short one, for R.D. died rather prematurely at the age of 55 in 1994.
Without doubt, the book is insightful, providing an analysis of not only R.D.’s music but also the cinema of the times the maverick composer lived in. However, the detailed information of the movies that were touched by R.D.’s music does make the reader wish that the writers should have focused more on its principal subject. But then at the same time by providing the backgrounder to the movies, the writers establish how R.D. got under the skin of the movies’ basic leitmotif to create just the right kind of feel. It’s because of this deep understanding of film music that R.D. was able to create songs as disparate as Chingari koi bhadke for classics like Amar Prem and Dum maro dum for Hare Rama hare Krishna that went on to become the anthem for the Hippie generation. Of course, the musical intricacies of Pancham’s music elaborated upon in great detail may bog down the lay reader. But then, what is R.D.’s music sans these musical subtleties and inflections? In chronicling the story of the prodigal son of legendary music composer S.D. Burman, R.D. the man also surfaces, albeit in bits and parts. So, you learn about the fissures in his first marriage with Rita Patel, the acrimonious divorce, and even the alimony amount. The childhood years—why he was named Pancham—, tidbits—he killed a serpent that wound up on his leg—and his formative years, when he trained at the Ali Akbar Khan School at Calcutta, too, are duly recorded. In between, some tender moments with his muse and beloved wife Asha Bhonsle are captured. So are the strains in their relationship quoted of course through the third person, a doctor who tended to R.D. when he underwent heart surgery in the UK. However, the book’s main focus is Burman the melody maker, the avante garde musician who was much ahead of his time. Each and every detail of his musical innings right from his career as an assistant to his illustrious father to his first film Chotte Nawab to the time when charges of plagiarism hit him are knit into a fine musical narrative. Indeed, by and large, the book celebrates his great music. Not so great as well. Allegations that surfaced against his music—he was even accused of peddling his father’s tunes—find their way, too. Even R.D.’s confession, "I meet people who hold me responsible for having started a lot of noise in Hindi film music", finds mention. So does a cruel joke connecting S.D.’s fatal stroke with R.D.’s song Mehbooba oh mehbooba that was trashed by critics. But there is no doubt that the book is penned by R.D. aficionados. That the tribe of R.D. fans is growing by the day is well illustrated in the "Epilogue" which reinforces how R.D.’s musical legacy lives on. The book, a treasure trove of information, will go a long way in establishing and cementing it further. A laudable and well-researched effort indeed!
|
And it is from this tragic
moment that the writers begin their book. Taking you down in an
anti-climax kind of musical journey rather adroitly, they build many
climaxes in the roller-coaster ride that defined the fascinating odyssey
of the man and his music. More music than the man? Of course. But then
as the authors themselves elucidate in the beginning they have no
intention of writing a biography. So, a "musicography" it is!
Often delightful, as carefully chosen anecdotes exemplify the great
composer’s quest for new sounds. So, you have actor and dear friend
Randhir Kapoor recounting the incident when he stumbled upon R.D.
filling air in half-filled bottles. The whir of a ceiling fan, a faulty
note, a foot scrapping against paper`85anything and everything inspired
R.D. One fine day when he saw a man trying to start a car on a dead
battery, he told his musicians that he wanted the same sound.