SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi
By: Souvik Chatterji. Master of Law from Case Western REserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Master of Law from Warwick University,UK.
Sachin Dev Burman was born in Tripura, where the fields, soil, trees and nature as a whole had shaped the music. There cannot be any music which is sweeter than the compositions that God has created in nature for human beings to cherish generation after generations. What is required is the poetic and musical mind to realise the melodies evident in the breeze, in the rainfall, in the fragrance of flowers blossoming at the arrival of spring. Tripura is situated at the border of East Bengal, and as a landmass has similarity with East Bengal and West Bengal which in Bengali we term as “nodi matric” meaning being fed by a number of rivers.The minds of the people in this part of the world is as soft as the alluvial soil of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Padma and other rivers.
SD Burman came to Kolkata and learned Classical Music from the Giant of Ustadi Gharana named Viswadev Chatterji.Viswadev’s famous song “Nabaruno Rage” used to be played as the first song in All India Radio in the morning, everyday and acted as messanger of dawn.The genius had taught SD Burman, ragas of different origin and created a legacy of Hindustani classical which shaped SD Burman into a grand creator as known by the later generations.
SD Burman had his own basic discs in Bengali, some having flavour of folk songs, others having the orthodox ragas embedded in them.His notable songs include “Paddar dheu re”, “Jhilmil jhilmil jhiler jole dheu kheliya jaire”,”mono dilona badhu”,etc. When he went to Bombay, he took Manna Dey with him, another legendary singer of the Bengali modern era. Manna Dey dominated the BEngali film arena with his tremedous performance in Uttamkumar’s films “shankhobela”, “Antony firingi”,etc in the 60s and 70s.
SD Burman got involved with the Navketan Banner and composed most of his songs for that banner. But he developed an everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi, the man with the golden voice who had an answer for the different emotions of human being, including happiness, tragedy, comedy,etc.
SD Burman had composed the songs “yeh mahalon ,yeh takhton, yeh tajho ki duniya” in the film Pyasa, 1957 and “Bichre sabhi, bari bari” in the film Kagaz ke phool, 1959, for Gurudutt, with whatever pathos he had in him. Rafi brought tears in the eyes of music lovers with his compassionate andaz.
Manna Dey sometimes had a grievance, that inspite of the classical control being possessed by him SD Burman had preferred Rafi in some of the classical compositions. In the film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen, Manna Dey gave a superlative performance with the song “Pucho na kaise maine rain bitayi.” Rafi had superceded SD Burman himself with the performance of “Tere bin sune” composed in raag Pilu which was the hindi version of SD’s own song”Ami chinu Eka basoro
Jagaye”.
In the film Tere Ghar ke saamne, 1963, SD Burman’s composition “tu kahan yeh bata”,”tere gharke saamne” “dil ka bhanwar karen pukar”and the rest of the songs combined sweetness of Rafi’s voice with the folk effect in the orchestration. In the film “Teen deviyan” Rafi’s song “aise to na dekho” and “Kahin bekhayal hoker” had Ghazal andaz.Besides Rafi’s preformance in Guide,
1965, with the songs “Tere mere sapne”, “din Dhal Jaye”"Kaise kya ho gaya bewafa hogaya tere pyar me” brought out the softer side of SD Burman.
Mohd Rafi with S.D.Burman
There are other songs like “Hum bekhudi me tumko pukare chale gaye” in the film kalapani,1960, where Rafi matched SD Burman himself (his bengali song was “Ghum bhulechi”) and “yeh di diwana hai” and “mehbooba teri tasveer” in te film “Isqe par zor nahin” where Rafi’s excellence is balanced with SD Burman’s orchestration.In Rajenderkumar’s film Talash, SD Burman brought out his best for Rafi in the song “Palkon ke peeche se.”
The list of songs showing Rafi’s combination with SD Burman can go on. But one thing is common, whenever SD Burman was passionate about the hindi version of his own songs, Rafi appeared in his mind automatically. Rafi’s Archive should contain SD Burman’s creation also to show the background of folk song and hindustani classical, used in the songs composed in 50s, 60s, 70s.
Souvik Chatterji - the author along with his wife, Rumi Chatterji
Other articles by Mr. Souvik Chatterji
October 25th, 2007 at 8:23 am
ref post 65:
binuji, that’s what I suspected all along. But rd’s mama is writing this nonsense in a bengali magazine. I’ll provide you the name of the periodical and the issue date. Maybe we need to lodge a protest against publishing such false stuff.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Post 55 : haldar ji..
The news item and interest of the legend reported ‘may’ not be
true.
today, i spoke to shahid rafi and he confirmed that the maestro not
to be very adept at cooking…
binu nair. mumbai.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:23 am
The songs of Pyar ki Kahani are great. can my friend parvez send
me these two songs and also the two songs of Maryada. Only rafi
numbers from the movies mentioned.
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Myk.
thanks for the S.D.B. article. do you have the illustrated weekly article
too on rafi saab - written by raju bharatan.
by the way its noted that there are two great writers who can
write exclusively on - legend rafi saab.
both happen to be raju. one is raju bharatan and the other raju korte
one of the best and the biggest fan of rafi saab. my the magic grow.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
ref post 59:
myk, technically speaking, the precursor to “maine poochha chand se” is “koyi aur duniya mein tumsa haseen hai” from pyar ki kahani.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zXIaE7BC3Q8
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:20 pm
myk, here’s ka-shashi trying to emulate sj-shammi. The common weapon? Rafi. Here’s “pyar to ek din hona tha” from “ek shriman ek shrimati”:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YM9Q4ACUApE
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:13 pm
who is usha ?kindly give me some detail.
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I would have preferred Lata-Rafi for “Salam E Isqu” in Mukadar Ka Sikandar. Now I know this isn’t popular opinion, but I’d rather have Rafi’s more melodious voice for happy version of title song and KK’s somber voice for sad version of title song (so I’m flipping it). KK did a great job with the few lines in sad “Yeh Dosti” in Sholay.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:55 am
Haldar-ji,
Excellent story you have posted there. Hopefully Binu-ji can confirm the ‘cooking’ angle.
I have a query. Who was Dada Burman’s regular tabla player ?.
I absolutely adore the way SD used the tabla, it is just pure class. We know Samta Prasad played in MSTA, and I believe Shivkumar Sharma also played it along with the santoor in SD’s orchestra. Then we have Maruti Keer who was a SD regular as well.
The IPZN song is a masterpiece. “Mehbooba teri tasveer” is one of the best Rafi solo’s of the 70’s. Not only the amazing tabla but the excellent orchestration as well. Rafi is as usual top class, you can just close your eyes and listen to him singing this song the whole day.
I am not sure if this is true, but I read once in an Anand Bakshi article that for IPZN, this song was chosen over “Maine Poocha Chand Se”. RD then used “Maine Poocha” in Abdullah ten years later, which was in fact composed by SD.
If you compare the tunes that SD gave to Rafi as opposed to Kishore or other male singers, there is a difference. Rafi had the voice and the range to sing such beautiful SD creations. With Rafi, SD was never limited in any way, with others he was, as simple as that.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:44 am
Narayanan-ji,
Thanks for your post. I agree, in the 70’s KA made some choices that should have gone the other way, towards Rafi saab. I agree with all the examples that you have listed. Rafi saab sang excellent solo’s for KA but for now I would like to focus on the ‘duet’ aspect in the 70’s. In many films even if Rafi saab only sang one song in the film which was a duet, that song proved to be the best, and most long lasting, not to mention the most popular of the film. There are numerous examples (these are only for the 70’s), just to name a few:
Wada karle sajna (with Lata) - Haath Ki Safai
Tumse door rehke (with Lata) - Adalat
Yeh wada raha dilruba (with Asha) - Professor Pyarelal
Main tujhse milne (with Lata) - Heera
Kya dekhte ho (with Asha) - Qurbani
Hum hain pyar ki (with Lata) - Do Musafir
Pyar se dilbar de (with Asha) - KKAK
Ban ke saathi pyar (with Lata) - Sweetheart
Yunhi tum mujhse baat (with Lata) - Sachcha Jhoota
Mere mitwa mere meet (with Lata) - Geet
Bheege hue jalwon par (with Asha) - Shankar Shambu
O meri chorni (with Lata) - Kaatilon Ki Katil
KA only used Rafi once for Amitabh in Adalat and the song turned out to be a stunner. I wonder why they didn’t make more Rafi-AB combo’s.
For all his Kishore songs, I would rank this KA-Rafi masterpiece right up there amongst the very best of Rajesh Khanna, “Yeh Raat Hai Pyaasi Pyaasi…” (Chhoti Bahu).
KA’s use of the santoor reminds me of SDB. SDB had his own special way of using the santoor, and KA too were excellent when it came to this instrument.
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Haldar ji..
the person is right (post55). rafi (is) an expert in kite flying.
I went to his old villa just behind Babha hospital. the villas name
is green view and its on waterfield road.
the pco operator confirmed to me that - people still come to this
area and describe how rafi used to fly kites and wave at groups of
people who assembled to see him. he had more pull than any hero -
of his time, usha timothi was mentioning.
rafis eating habits were subjects of great discussions. he used to
have delicious ghee soaked biryanis . He used to say : how will
i sing if i do not have energy..
about his cooking - i will report back soon…
binu nair.. mumbai.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 pm
MYK SIR,
Sorry to change this thread referring to ur enquiry on KA- Rafi saab combination. Yes I agree that they also had a successful jodi with more than 175 songs. But somehow I personally feel that KA went with popularity and the hero/producer choice post 1970.
How can u explain that for Kahani Kismat ki for Dharam Rafi saab’s voice was not used. The same is true with JMN of Devanand. Even for all the Feroz Khan movies from Apradh,Dharmatama to Qurbani [ only 1 duet for our legend}. Even the title song was sung by Anwar with KK. Also in Victoria no 203 not a single song for our legend.
THE MOST SURPRISE ELEMENT IS THAT EVEN FOR DILIP KUMAR IN GOPI EXCEPT FOR SUKH MEIN SABH…… ALL WERE RENEDERED BY MK.
Can anyone explain this partisan approach?
Also in Samjhoutha there are 3 solos of peerless Rafi saab with KA in the 70s..
This is only a debate to gain knowledge not that Rafians are particular about any association as Rafi saab has left so much anmol ratans n treasures which requires more than one birth.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:45 am
We all know about Rafi saab’s passion for kites, badminton and carrom. But does anyone know about his skills in another activity? At least, I had no idea. And I cannot fully vouch for its truth, but it has been reported in a bengali magazine, according to my friend in Kolkata. RD, in fact, was supposed to be very skilled in this activity and now I wonder where he picked up his skills from. My friend, who had the good fortune of spending a few nights at rafi mansion in the 80s, has sent this message to me. Can Binuji or anyone else on this forum confirm whether Rafi saab was indeed skilled in this area, or do you think rd’s mama is pulling a fast one on us?
—————–
Recently, a person called Abhijit Dasgupta, who is RD’s mama by relation but actually younger by six years, wrote his reminiscences in a Bengali periodical. His family and SD had built houses on adjacent plots of land in Southend Park, and he and RD had grown up together. Once he had arrived at the Burmans’ s Jet bungalow on a Sunday morning from Calcutta. They all became so immersed in adda that nobody noticed that even though it was close to noon no arrangement had been made for lunch. The old man proposed they have murgi, and said to RD, ” Ki re Pancham, aurey khobor dibi naki?” The author had no idea who this ‘aurey’ might be. However, Pancham went to the telephone and called up someone. About half an hour later the doorbell rang at the Burmans’. The man who stood without was Rafi, reputed to be one of the best cooks in Bombay filmdom when it came to chicken. So, into the kitchen Rafi went, and in due time everyone, Rafi included, sat down to a lunch of chicken cooked by Rafi.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:12 am
SDB also had competition from LP and KA in the 70’s and yet managed to hold his own during that time. He is a timeless composer.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:08 am
One more thing P. Haldar, why didn’t SDB take Rafi for Sagina on Dilip Kumar ?. Here was another great opportunity for the two to team up together. I don’t think Raju Bharatan got it right when he mentions by that time (1974) Rafi refused to sing for Dilip, because he sings for him in Bairaag and Kranti both released after Sagina. I don’t understand the reason or logic behind using Kishore for Dilip Kumar. Please elaborate.
October 21st, 2007 at 4:35 am
Thanks Haldar-ji and Binu-ji for your comments.
Yes Haldar-ji, RR is indeed one of my favourite MD’s and so is SDB. Right now my whole IPOD is taken up by Dada Burman. Not only was he a trend-setter, but his music was always modern, youthful and fresh right up until his last days. Add to this his folk background, his classical base and his modern/western touch combined with his rhythm, he was the complete MD.
Your analysis of ’serves’ makes sense, and I agree Abhimaan would have been the perfect time to fix his voice on Amitabh. Imagine what the Rafi-AB combo could have done then. Looking at things, SDB was a leader in the truest sense. For eg:
a) He fixed Rafi’s voice on Dev starting with NDG, and proceeded to make the Dev-Rafi combo one of the greatest in history and by far Dev’s best and most memorable voice.
b) When Lata stopped singing for him, he moulded Asha along with OPN into a leading singer.
c) With Aradhana he changed the music scene post 1970.
d) With his help, Kishore broke through as a lead singer.
There are other examples, but based on just the above, SDB is a leader, and as you pointed out knew how to combat his son with KK. He could have also done a lot of things with Rafi in the 70’s, but that was not to be. Even if Mukesh sang very little for him, he arguably sang two of his finest songs under his baton from BKB and Bandini.
————————————–
Binu-ji,
Thanks a lot for letting us know about your metting with Yogesh. I would really like to know:
a) Who handled the song “Ae Mere Man” from Us Paar, was it SDB all the way or did RD have anything to do with it ?.
b) What his thoughts are about Rafi saab and Burman Dada ?.
c) When he wrote “Badi Sooni Sooni Hai”, did he envision Rafi singing that song ?.
Please ask him these questions if possible. I will send you the article soon.
October 20th, 2007 at 8:15 am
myk, the first serve usually goes at around 120 mph, the second at around 100 mph. When sd was competing with the likes of naushad, sj, op and roshan in the 60s, he needed his first serve. By 1972, Roshan and Jai were no longer there, naushad and op had lost their touch, and the competition was at a much lower level. Madan Mohan, as always, was composing great tunes but he never used to work for big banners. Commercially, sd’s major threat was his son and no one knew how to use the kishore weapon better than sd. True, second serves usually don’t become aces, but aces were no longer necessary in the 70s. sd hardly ever double-faulted with kishore; he managed to keep winning the points on his serves. sd’s ears were always close to the ground and he quickly adapted to the changes in musical tastes. But still I’ll have to admit that his easing out of Rafi remains a mystery to me. I’ve said this many, many times before but I’ll say it again: dada could have given the entire male score for Abhiman to Rafi. Rafi got just one duet and that became the most enduring song from the film. That was his golden opportunity to fix his voice on Amitabh.
While KA let his banarasi babu sing “jaaneman jaaneman…” to lp’s tune, it was your favourite md rr who had the conviction to bring back rafi saab to sing for the star after a gap of 10 years.