RD Burman’s birthday: Did you know that Pancham Da used a singer’s gargle as background music for Amitabh Bachchan in Satte Pe Satta?

Legendary music composer RD Burman is nothing short of a revolution in himself. The man gave a whole new face to the music of Indian cinema during his three-decade-long wizardry. June 27 marks his 85th birth anniversary and this seems an apt time to revisit a moment in his life that showcased his mastery.

When RD Burman used a gargle in a musical composition

That was the year 1982 when Satte Pe Satta was made, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini in the lead roles. The album of the film was by Pancham da (RD Burman’s nickname) and there was no doubt why it was such a huge success. From songs like Pyaar Humein Kis Mod Pe Le Aaya to Dilbar Mere, Burman’s magic shone brightly.

Remember the scene when Big B’s lookalike Babu comes out of the Central Jail and meets Amjad Khan? There is a very special tune that is played during his entry that everyone can definitely remember. The creepy and suspenseful tune is actually the sound of a gargle that Pancham Da had Annette Pinto do casually.

He simply told Pinto that he needed the gurgling sound in a melody and guess what, that particular sequence became one of the hits of Satte Pe Satta.

More about Satte Pe Satta

Satte Pe Satta also starred Ranjeeta Kaur, Shakti Kapoor, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Paintal, Kanwaljit Singh and Amjad Khan. Gulshan Bawra wrote the lyrics and the film was directed by Raj N. Sippy and bankrolled by Romu N. Sippy.

In 2020, there were rumours that Farah Khan would make a remake of Satte Pe Satta under the production of Rohit Shetty. The names of actors Hrithik Roshan, Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone surfaced then, but the director of Main Hoon Naa denied the rumours about the production of the film.

Coming back to RD Burman, the late maestro won several awards for ‘Best Music Composer’ and was married to singer Asha Bhonsle. He died on January 4 after two consecutive heart attacks and his last rites were performed by Lahirida, an old man who was his local guardian in Kolkata.