R D Burman: The Man, The Music - A Review

R. D. Burman: The Man, The Music by Anirudha Bhattacharjee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is almost a labour of love on the evergreen musician R D Burman. This is a music lover's must-have, a R D Burman fan's must-possess, a Hindi movie buff's must-read book. Though it has a lack luster title for a book about a man whose music has been relevant till date, it makes up for it in the well-written and researched content.

The book is divided into 3 parts and it charts his musical journey from when he assisted his father (the great S D Burman) to his meteoric rise in the late 70s and then his subsequent fall in the late 80s and early 90s.

I love reading books about our Bollywood actors and musicians from early days as there is so little known about the times they lived in and the magic they created. This book shares so many of those trivia and tidbits through interviews with people who worked with RD and whom he came in contact with while composing music. I especially loved the explanation of the some of his popular songs, though most of the technical stuff went right over my head. I had my ear phones on and listened to the songs described in the book, which by the way are plenty, and re-lived the RD magic with some insight on how the music was composed.

There are so many other thoughtful elements in the book. The list of musicians who formed his orchestra (that is a path of discovery by itself), the list of songs that feature in the book (which is such a comprehensive list) and the small boxes with extra trivia about a song or a movie which had nothing to do with RD Burman sometimes. This book is one for the library as it can be opened and referred whenever needed, just like an encyclopedia.

I am just a big fan of R D Burman and his music, but I have a novice's idea of classical music. I am a commoner as far as appreciating his music is concerned. I understood the nuances of some of his not-so-popular music (especially background scores) only through this book. Almost all the songs define Hindi music for me - Tujhse Naraz Nahi (Masoom), Jab Koi Baat (Jurm), Kya Hua Tera Wada, (Hum Kisise Kam Nahi), Yaad aa rahi hai (Love Story), Masterji ki aa gayi chitti (Kitaab) ...are all his creations and it thrills me no end that I have got a book that does justice to this committed musician who sadly did not know to sell himself or his music. The book touched a chord in many places and it did leave me with a lingering sense of disappointment that he had not got his due during his hey days. I have so much more to add about this keepsake, but I'll let the likes of Madhulika Liddle do that with their elaborate and well-thought of review.

For me, this is a definite must -read.


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