BENGALURU: When the movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971) was being shot in Kathmandu, RD Burman, the film’s music composer, was looking for a song to capture an important scene between the two leading actors.
During this time, a madal player from Nepal was introduced to the composer. “Pancham asked me if I knew any local tunes and I said yes. I sang the traditional Nepali song Kanchi Re Kanchi, and it made it to the movie. Since then, I’m known as Kancha Bhai in the industry. People don’t know me by any other name,” says Ranjit Gazmer, who has been part of the troupe of original musicians who composed one hit after another for the Burmans.
Many such lesser-known anecdotes about the Burmans were shared and their hit songs played and sung at a concert to pay tribute to icons SD Burman and his son RD Burman. Called The Mortal Men Immortal Music —
Season 3, it was held on Saturday at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall in the city.
Audiences held on to each and every note, tapped their feet, clapped in unison and mouthed words of many songs right from start from the tribute concert. The first song — one of SD Burman’s masterpieces, Wahaan Kaun Hai Tera from the movie Guide (1965), was sung by Surojit Guha, a popular singer from Chennai, and it set the mood for an evening that brought back all forgotten memories from bygone years for many of the audience members.
In 1971, the film Jaal was released. At a time when the the magic of Mohammed Rafi ruled the roost, SD Burman, the film’s composer, chose Bengali playback singer Hemanth Kumar to sing one of the movie’s most popular songs, Ye Raat Ye Chandni Phir Kahaan. SD Burman, however, just told the singer to work on his Hindi pronunciations.
Some cried when songs such as Poochho Na Kaise Maine (Meri Surat Teri Ankhen, 1961) was sung, most clapped when Phoolon Ke Rang Se (Prem Pujari, 1970) was played, and a few danced when brothers — Kishore Sodha on the trumpet and Raj Sodha on saxophone and english flute - did duets for songs such as I Love You (Hare Rama Hare Krishna).
Trivia and banter in between the concert kept the crowd, of both young and old, in their seats and in good humour. Money from the concert will go to the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA), an NGO that imparts ‘citizenship education’ for its work in government schools in the state.
Kinjal Chatterjee, Govind Kurnool, Vishwanath Bantunge, Sinchan Dixit and Samanvitha Sharma were the other singers who performed at the concert. New Indian Express was the media partner for the event.