Eminent senior showbiz journalist and Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award recipient Chaitanya Padukone, chimes a tribute that strings together amazing, amusing and fascinating anecdotes, incidents and idiosyncrasies as well as rare, startling photographs while unraveling the mystique behind Bollywood's most adored composer-singer Rahul Dev Burman.
Pick up this gabaRDast kitaab and relive the Pancha Memoirs.
Chaitanya D. Padukone is an eminent senior Bollywood film and music-biz journalist over the past three decades and is the recipient of the K. A. Abbas Memorial gold medal and trophy, which was conferred on him for creative excellence in film journalism by mega-star Amitabh Bachchan. More recently, he was honored with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award (2012) for his outstanding contribution to showbiz journalism. An alumnus of Lala Lajpat Rai College of Commerce and post-graduate of Bombay College of Journalism, Chaitanya has opted to make his literary debut by penning his memoirs on maverick music icon R D Burman (Pancham-da), with whom he shared a personal rapport for ten years, from 1983 up to end 1993. Besides chatting with RDB at film parties and movie premieres, music-savvy Chaitanya had the privilege of connecting with the legendary sangeetkaar RDB at his song and background recordings at Film Center. A former senior executive with HDFC Ltd, his passion is playing Bollywood songs on Western rhythm instruments.
It may sound incredible, but as a schoolgoing kid, my music sense was crazily addicted to Pancham-da's songs, like the cult hippie number 'Dum maro dum' and 'Piya to ab toh aaja' and songs from 'Jawani Diwani,' which I would religiously hear on the radio. That RDB song track with the staccato tabla beats-Jab andhera hota hai,' sung by Bhupinder-ji and Asha-ji-was my favourite fancy fixation. Whenever I would visit my rich cousin's house, who had a record player, I would refuse to have my dinner or let them eat unless I heard that number.
Right from my childhood and until now, I have worshipped my dearest composer RDB's marvelous work. Even this morning, before coming to my production office, I was listening to 'Yeh vaada raha." Of course, as time passed, I also listened to classy compositions of the legendary Madan Mohan and Jaidev. But, honestly, with RDB's music, I imbibed the joy of listening to music.
It was like a godsend opportunity when I was asked to take charge of the 'songs' direction' of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's both movies 'Parinda' and '1942: A Love Story'-aka 'ALS'-because both had their music scored by RDB. Unfortunately, I had not met Pancham- da personally during the making of 'Parinda.' After all these years of my "pancham tapasya", the D-Day finally dawned when I was asked to meet 'Dada' for the music sitting of '1942: ALS.' It was for me to understand the musical interpretation and also conceive the visuals. Finally I met Rahul-da, who was clad in a black silk kurta and a black silk lungi. Seeing him sit right in front of me was one of the most precious moments of my life in showbiz. At this music setting, I had the privilege to watch Pancham-da compose 'Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa lagaa."
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