Aandhi

Album Review

By the mid-'70s, R.D. Burman was the most preferred music composer in Bollywood with an average of eight soundtracks released every year. These years were also significant in solidifying his professional relationship with singers Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar; the latter duets on the three timeless classics of undisputable repute — "Is Mod Se Jate Hain," "Tum Aa Gaye Ho," and "Tere Bina Zindagi Se." Primarily known for his peppy tracks, a mesmerizing soulful album of the highest order from R.D. Burman aligned with the touching compositions of Khayyam was unexpected, and Aandhi was a shocker. There was so much demand for Burman's music that a self-indulgent "off the beaten path" masterpiece would have required an insightful break from routine. Yet interestingly, 1975 was the year when Burman made music for nine soundtracks. But at the same time, the recent association with Gulzar has been highly prolific for Burman. Starting with Parichay three years before Aandhi, this composer-lyricist duo churned out poetic and soulful music for a soul-stirring laid-back consumption. The third wave of the renaissance in highly cluttered Indian commercial music was already taking shape; ghazals were to storm the market by the end of decade and Aandhi was among the first inspiration to hit the shore. And as always, Mangeshka was flawless and Kumar was convincingly poignant. Aandhi was not a commercial success mainly due to the delay in the film's release concerning all the political controversies surrounding it. More importantly, it was overshadowed by the greatest commercial success in Indian film history, Sholay, its music also composed by R.D. Burman.