S.D. Burman

Sachin Dev Burman, known as SD, gave Hindi film music its grammar, and he remains perhaps the most enigmatic figure in Indian cinema. Born into the royal family of Tripura, he left that world to make his way in films and popular music. The early years were hard, both professionally and personally. His family turned away from him over his unconventional career and his marriage to a woman they regarded as a commoner, and even his formal training did not spare him rejection. This well-researched biography honours the artist while asking what made his music so good. Rather than just listing famous songs, it digs up little-known stories behind their creation, among them Mera sundar sapna beet gaya (Do Bhai, 1948), Thandi hawaein (Naujawan, 1951), Yeh raat yeh chandni (Jaal, 1952), Babu samjho ishaare (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, 1958) and Meet na mila re mann ka (Abhiman, 1973). The book also looks closely at SD's life and his sharp grasp of Hindi cinema. An outsider who spoke little Hindi or Urdu, he introduced Sahir Ludhianvi to the world and recognised Kishore Kumar's musical gifts. It covers his willingness to embrace modern sounds and techniques, his faith in Lata Mangeshkar's virtuosity, his closeness to Dev Anand that some saw as nepotism, and the charges of plagiarism against him. S.D. Burman: The Prince-Musician will appeal to anyone who loves film music.