Documentary on R D Burman
Kaustubh Pingle
Brahmanand Singh, Documentary maker, on planning a documentary on late
composer R D Burman.
What prompted you to make a documentary on R D Burman? Did you know him
personally?
I'm doing so because, like thousands of others in the country, I have
been an ardent admirer of RD's music. Yet, in spite of being such a
definitive icon, I feel, he has always been somewhat unlucky in getting
his due.
Very little is known about the great composer. Today, when over 50 per
cent of remixes are actually his songs, there's so little that's known
about the man and his music.
The last straw for me was when I realised that my daughter thinks songs
like Chura Liya Hai and Tu Tu Hai Wahin (the remixes), are composed by
the DJs who have remixed them.
Is there a market for documentaries?
Though the market is quite abysmal, if the documentary is engaging
enough, there is a market. Here again, issue
related films have a better market than biographies.
Also, I am trying to explore all the aspects to his personality. There
are still lot of R D Burman fans around.
Is there a lot of research involved? How much input is expected from
Asha Bhosle?
Surprisingly, there are no books available for research. My film is
more experiential and insightful than scholastic.
Fortunately, some of his close associates will be giving their inputs
and I look forward to their co-operation and support.
Obviously, a lot of it is likely to come from Ashaji. I am trying to
get in touch with the musicians who played for him as well as his
childhood friends.
How relevant is RD's music in today's music sce nario?
The timelessness of RD's music is obvious from the amount of remixes
that we see. You go to any party or discotheque and you are inundated
with RD numbers.
Yet, ask today's generation how familiar they are with the composer and
you're likely to receive a blank stare. And that's the gap I'm
attempting to bridge with my documentary.
Asif
including those by Asha Bhosle, to highlight how much they are
exploiting RDB's original gems. But I just pray that the Mr. Singh
does not give them too much footage.
And why does he think no book on RDB is available? Nerurkar's books is
an excellent source for research. Plus, I can tell him a lot more
about RDB, including some choicest stories on him that I heard (through
dad) from RDB's royal cousin (from an erstwhile princely state), and
can also play any song (from my collection) for him.
Asif