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S. D. Burman

Overview

Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975), popularly known as S. D. Burman or Burman Dada, was an Indian music director and singer. One of the most influential composers of Hindi cinema, he scored music for over 90 films across a career spanning four decades, blending Bengali folk traditions, North-East Indian melodies, and classical raagas with the idiom of Hindi film music. He was also a noted exponent of Bengali folk and semi-classical singing.

Key Facts

Full name Sachin Dev Burman
Born 1 October 1906, Comilla, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh)
Died 31 October 1975, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Father Nabadwip Chandra Dev Burman, of the Tripura royal family
Spouse Meera Dev Burman (composer and lyricist)
Son Rahul Dev Burman (R. D. Burman), music director
Profession Music director, singer
Active years c. 1932–1975
Notable awards Padma Shri (1969); Filmfare Best Music Director (1954, 1973); Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1958); National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (1970)

Background

S. D. Burman was born into the royal family of Tripura. His father, Nabadwip Chandra Dev Burman, was a sitar and dhrupad exponent and grandson of Maharaja Ishan Chandra Manikya. Sachin received his early musical training from his father and later from ustads such as Bhishmadev Chattopadhyay and Badal Khan. He completed his BA from the University of Calcutta in 1924 and pursued his MA before fully committing to music.

Career

Early career in Calcutta

Burman began his career as a radio singer at Calcutta Radio Station in 1932. He recorded his first songs, mostly Bengali folk and light classical numbers, for HMV around the same period. Through the 1930s he established himself as a leading exponent of Bengali songs, drawing on the Bhatiali, Sari and Dhamail traditions of eastern Bengal. He composed music for the Bengali stage and provided his first film score for the Bengali film Rajgee (1937), followed by other Bengali films through the early 1940s.

Move to Bombay

Burman shifted to Bombay in 1944, where he was associated with Filmistan Studios. His first Hindi film as composer was Shikari (1946). His breakthrough came with Do Bhai (1947), where Geeta Dutt's rendition of "Mera sundar sapna beet gaya" became a major hit.

Association with Navketan and Dev Anand

From the late 1940s, Burman developed a long-standing collaboration with Dev Anand's Navketan Films, scoring music for Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), Taxi Driver (1954), House No. 44 (1955), Funtoosh (1956), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Kala Pani (1958), Kala Bazar (1960), Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963), Guide (1965), Jewel Thief (1967) and Prem Pujari (1970), among others. Guide, with lyrics by Shailendra, is widely regarded as among the finest film scores in Hindi cinema.

Work with Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and others

Burman composed for several landmark films of Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt, including Sujata (1959), Bandini (1963), Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959). Other notable scores include Devdas (1955), Munimji (1955), Paying Guest (1957), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Bambai Ka Babu (1960), Tere Mere Sapne (1971), Abhimaan (1973) and Mili (1975).

As a playback singer

Burman lent his distinctive nasal, folk-inflected voice to a small but memorable body of songs, often sung in his own compositions. Well-known examples include "Wahan kaun hai tera" (Guide), "Sun mere bandhu re" (Sujata), "Mere saajan hain us paar" (Bandini) and "Safal hogi teri aradhana" (Aradhana). He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1970 for Aradhana (1969).

Timeline

  • 1906: Born in Comilla.
  • 1924: Graduated from the University of Calcutta.
  • 1932: Began as a radio singer at Calcutta Radio.
  • 1937: First film score for the Bengali film Rajgee.
  • 1944: Moved to Bombay.
  • 1946: First Hindi film as composer, Shikari.
  • 1951: Began long collaboration with Navketan via Baazi.
  • 1958: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
  • 1969: Awarded the Padma Shri.
  • 1970: National Film Award for Aradhana.
  • 1975: Died in Bombay; Mili released posthumously.

Musical style

Burman's compositions are characterised by the integration of regional folk forms—particularly the boatmen's songs of the Padma and Meghna rivers—with light classical raagas and Western orchestration. He was known for selecting voices that suited a song's mood, and is credited with shaping the early careers of Kishore Kumar, Geeta Dutt, Manna Dey and, especially, the later phase of Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. After a celebrated falling-out with Lata Mangeshkar in the early 1960s, he relied heavily on Asha Bhosle for several years before resuming work with Lata.

Significance

S. D. Burman is regarded as one of the architects of the "golden age" of Hindi film music between the late 1940s and the 1970s. His ability to convey rural Indian sensibilities through urban cinematic forms gave Hindi cinema some of its most enduring melodies. His son R. D. Burman went on to redefine Hindi film music in the 1970s and 1980s, while his wife Meera Dev Burman wrote lyrics for several of his Bengali compositions.

References

  • Sachin Dev Burman, Sargamer Nikhad (memoirs, in Bengali).
  • Khagesh Dev Burman, S. D. Burman: The World of His Music.
  • Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal, S. D. Burman: The Prince-Musician.
  • Ashok Ranade, Hindi Film Song: Music Beyond Boundaries.
  • Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Padma Awards directory.