Legendary music director and singer R.D. Burman, lovingly known as Pancham Da, was born in Kolkata on June 27, 1939. He gifted us countless superhit songs from the 1960s to the 1990s over three decades. Although he left us on January 4, 1994, his incredible legacy continues to be celebrated. This year marks the 31st anniversary of his passing.
Having composed musical scores for 331 films, he is considered one of the greatest and most successful music directors in Hindi and Bengali film music history. Some of his iconic songs include Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun, Mehbooba Mehbooba, Yeh Vaada Raha, Gulabi Ankhen, Ye Ladka Hay Allah, Saagar Jaisi Aankhonwali, and Koi Haseena, among many others.
Let’s take a look at five lesser-known facts about the legendary music director.
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Lesser Known Facts
1. R D Burman, fondly known as ‘Panchamda’, was also lovingly called ‘Tablu’ by friends and fans.
2. The legendary musician had a knack for incorporating everyday objects into his songs! For instance, he famously used cups and saucers in ‘Chura Liya Hai’, and even combs featured in ‘Mere Saamne Waali Khidi Mein.’
3. Panchamda composed his very first song when he was just nine years old. It was for the film ‘Fantoosh,’ which emerged in 1956.
4. R. D. Burman’s first car was a Fiat with the unique registration number ‘BMC 1139’. Also, he was a big fan of plants and had a fantastic collection of 200 varieties of chillies in his garden.
5. There’s a fun story about his love for the mouth organ. He often played it alongside his best friends and talented musicians, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and once even played it while floating on water in Calcutta. Not everyone knows that he also played the mouth organ for the lovely song ‘Hai Apna Dil To Awara,’ which was sung by the wonderful Hemant Kumar in the film Solva Saal.
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