Ahead of the late legendary music director R.D. Burman’s 76th birthday on June 27, director Ashutosh Gowariker unveiled a collection of interviews titled Knowing Pancham.
A coffee table book, Diamonds and Rust, was also launched at the Blue Frog club in Mumbai on Tuesday night. Gowariker was the chief guest and unveiled the book as well as a DVD of video interviews.
Directed by Brahmanand S. Siingh, the video consists of five hours of anecdotes, insights and observations about Burman.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee while interacting with the media said: “I think it’s about time we stopped ignoring talent based on box-office and start appreciating them while they are alive. This documentary teaches us to appreciate talent, to respect talent. It also teaches us that when Pancham-da (Burman’s nickname), a legend in true sense, was with us we did not respect him, and now that he is not around, we miss him.”
Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sumeet Raghavan sang a number of Burman’s songs at the event.
Often considered one of the finest music directors in the history of Indian cinema, Burman enthralled listeners with his soulful and melodious compositions over almost four decades from the ‘60s to the ‘90s.
He gave legendary singers Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar some of the best tunes to lend their voices to.
He died at the age of 54 on January 4, 1994.
