Legendary music composer RD Burman, fondly called Pancham, once refused to score music for Raj Kapoor, despite being close friends with Randhir Kapoor. This lesser-known incident was revealed by Raju Bharatan, an assistant editor at Illustrated Weekly of India, in an interview with Rediff.com. The incident occurred when Burman was signed to compose the music for Dharam Karam (1975), Randhir Kapoor’s directorial debut, but when asked to create a song for Raj Kapoor, Burman initially declined.
Randhir Kapoor, affectionately known as Dabboo, requested Burman to play a tune for his father, Raj Kapoor, but this upset Burman. He responded, “Dabboo, you did not tell me that I had to play a tune in front of Raj Kapoor, else I would have not signed the film.” The hesitation stemmed from Burman’s prior experience with filmmaker Guru Dutt, who had a habit of approving a tune, only to change his mind in subsequent meetings. This led Burman to believe Raj Kapoor might be similarly difficult.
Burman recounted how Guru Dutt “drove him mad” by constantly second-guessing the music choices. Based on what he had heard about Raj Kapoor’s creative process, Burman feared it would be similarly challenging. When Randhir tried to reassure him by highlighting his father’s creativity, Burman bluntly replied that he preferred working with “normal” people.
Despite his reluctance, Burman eventually agreed, albeit with much nervousness. At the time, Raj Kapoor was known for favoring the music of Shankar-Jaikishan and wasn’t fond of Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s style, adding further pressure on Burman. Nevertheless, Burman played the tune for “Ek Din Bik Jayega Maati Ke Mol”, even though the lyrics weren’t finalized. To Burman’s relief, Raj Kapoor loved it instantly and confidently predicted that the song would be a hit. His intuition proved right, as the song became a timeless classic.
Burman’s collaborations with the Kapoor family spanned decades and produced some of Indian cinema’s most memorable soundtracks. He composed music for Shaan (1980) and Pyaar Ka Mausam (1969) for Shashi Kapoor, and worked on Jawani Diwani (1972) and Dharam Karam (1975) with Randhir Kapoor. His partnership with Rishi Kapoor was especially iconic, yielding hits in films like Khel Khel Mein (1975) and Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (1977), which featured popular tracks like “Khullam Khulla Pyar Karenge” and “Tu Tu Hai Wohi.”
