When I had to face the camera with R D Burman… – Asha Parekh Fondly Recalls Hidden Facet Of The Maverick Musician

Veteran actress Asha Parekh had the rare privilege of sharing screen space on-camera with the musical genius Rahul Dev Burman.

Recalling the golden moment Ashaji says, “The film was Nasir Husain Saab’s Pyar Ka Mausam which had chartbusting songs like Tum bin jaoon kahan and Ni sultana re composed by Panchamda(R D Buman). Not many people know Panchamda also played a part in the film”

Ashaji says she still breaks into sweat when she remembers that sequence with the formidable Burman. “I’ve faced the camera with lots of co-stars, exceptional ones, exceptionally bad ones, catty female co-stars, bratty child actors, but Pancham-da was easily the most challenging co-star I’ve ever worked with.”

It was a comic scene with the composer and therefore doubly tough for the seasoned actress. “Doing comic scenes has always been hard for me, much tougher than the rona-dhona scenes. It was a comic sequence featuring me, Rajendranath and Pancham-da. Rajendranath was a fine comic actor. I had done several films with him.But I had no idea Pancham-da was such a fine actor. What comic timing! He just took my breath away. It was a scene where Pancham-da playing Rajendranath’s secretary created some confusion with Rajendranath and me.”

It was a mad zany scene carried to an unimaginable level by Pancham-da’s comic timing.

Recalls Ashaji, “From the moment he walked on the sets wearing really strange shoes I couldn’t stop staring at him. He was so outrageously funny. Every time he said his lines I’d burst out laughing. Nasir Saab (director Nasir Husain) had to call for take after take. But I just couldn’t help it. Pancham-da was seriously funny. Everyone knows him to be a composing genius. But not too many people know what a fine actor he was.”

Ashaji feels there was a superb actor hidden in R D Burman. “I wish he had acted more often. RD was so multi-faceted. We’d run into one another all the time. He gave hit music in many of my most memorable films like Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Caravan and Kati Patang.Pyar Ka Mausam was special because he not only gave me memorable songs like Na jao mere humdam and Main na milungi he also gave me the opportunity to face the camera with him. Not too many other actresses had that privilege.”