On singer Bhupinder’s close friendships with Gulzar, R D Burman, Jagjit Singh

It is fascinating to see how grief, nostalgia and warmth erupt on social media when beloved musicians say their final goodbyes. There is something powerful about a space of rage being transformed into a space of connection. People share music instead of trading insults. Does this happen because it is possible to bond over tunes, lyrics and concert memories without getting into politics and ideology? I don't know but I love how music brings people together.

These thoughts ran through my mind as I processed the death of singer and guitarist Bhupinder Singh (1940-2022), who gave Hindi cinema some of its evergreen melodies that continue to show up in friendly Antakshari contests and on playlists meant for lonely nights. After the news of his cardiac arrest, I decided to revisit some of his songs and also what his contemporaries from the film industry had to say about who he was and the music he made.

Poet-filmmaker Gulzar, who had a close friendship and long professional association with Singh, speaks about him in the book Jiya Jale: The Stories of Songs (2018), published by Speaking Tiger. Here, Gulzar is in conversation with author-filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir. Gulzar believes that Bhupi – his nickname for Singh – could sing ghazals beautifully because of his “Sufiana spirit” and his choice of poetry that was “of a higher level”. To emphasize what Singh’s voice means to him, Gulzar says: “Tum apni aawaaz ka taaveez bana ke de do, main pehen leta hoon” (Make an amulet of your voice and I shall wear it.)

Singh’s first song with Gulzar was “Beeti Na Bitai Raina” for the film Parichay (1972). R D Burman composed the music. Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal have written eloquently about this song in their book R D Burman: The Man, The Music (2011), published by HarperCollins India. The authors note that this song was Burman’s “first duet composition based on Indian classical music”, so he chose to make “elaborate use of the sitar and the tabla”. They add, “Bhupinder’s deep voice was refreshingly different and blended well with (actor) Sanjeev Kumar’s expression of resignation.” Lata Mangeshkar, who was the playback singer for actor Jaya Bhaduri (later Bachchan), won the National Award for this song.

Mangeshkar and Singh came together for another memorable collaboration. They sang “Naam Gum Jaayega, Chehraa Yeh Badal Jaayega” for the film Kinara (1977), which was directed by Gulzar. The composer was Burman, lovingly called Pancham. Raju Bharatan praises the “abiding aura” of this song, picturised on Hema Malini and Jeetendra, in his book A Journey Down Melody Lane (2010) published by Hay House India. Bharatan draws attention to the fact that Bhupinder “nuanced his vocalizing in Pancham-Gulzar films”.

Bhattacharjee and Vittal point out that, after Amit Bose’s film Abhilasha (1968), Singh “became a permanent member of Pancham’s team till the early 1980s:. The song “Yaaron Hamara Kya”, which Singh, Manna Dey and Maruti Rao sang for Abhilasha, was widely appreciated. According to the authors, it is “probably the first song in which Pancham worked around the calypso, giving it a Goan feel.” Burman was also excited by the fact that Singh “was initiated into learning the Spanish guitar by (harmonist and guitarist) Bhanu Gupta.” Singh also played the guitar for the song “Waadiyan Mera Daaman” in Abhilasha.

This book claims that Burman got Singh to lend uncredited vocals for the title track of O P Ralhan’s film Hulchul (1971). The film Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), directed by Dev Anand, released in the same year, and the song “Dum Maro Dum” attained cult status for its celebration of hippie culture. Singh was noticed for his exceptional work on the guitar. You can hear his guitar in many other iconic songs, including “Chingari Koi Bhadke” in Shakti Samanta’s film Amar Prem (1972), “Chura Liya Hai” in Nasir Hussain’s film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Mehbooba O Mehbooba in Ramesh Sippy’s film Sholay (1975). Burman composed all these songs, which retain their distinctive flavour even after so many years.

In his conversation with Kabir, Gulzar reveals that he met Singh through his younger brother Trilochan. In another conversation with Bhattacharjee and Vittal, who also wrote the book Gaata Rahe Mera Dil: 50 Classic Hindi Film Songs (2015), published by HarperCollins India, Gulzar talks at length about the song “Dil Dhoondta Hai Phir Wahi Fursat Ke Raat Din”, picturised on Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. It is from the film Mausam (1976).

Madan Mohan composed the music. Mangeshkar sang the duet with Singh. It was filmed in Darjeeling as Gulzar is “fonder of the mountains than the seaside.” He says, “I had mentioned Bhupi’s name to Madan-ji. And he was close to Madan-ji too…Bhupi is a bit of a fakir. Woh ek sai aadmi hai, just like the Sufis and sadhus. They look lazy but they are very focused and attentive. There is a bit of ruhaniyat in him. If something interested him, he would take it up. There is no greed or haste in him. Whatever he does, he does from his heart.”

Bhupinder had another close friend – singer Jagjit Singh. Journalist and biographer Sathya Saran throws light on their bond in the book Baat Niklegi Toh Phir: The Life and Music of Jagjit Singh (2015), published by HarperCollins India. Saran writes, “Jagjit and Bhupinder were both strugglers…They sometimes shared a room, then they would get shunted out. Life was not easy…When a few of his friends came to know that Jagjit was getting married (to Chitra Shome), they pitched in…Bhupinder pitched in with two flower garlands.”

Gulzar knew both these people intimately, so he was aware of what transpired in their personal lives. He tells Kabir, “Sometimes when Jagjit and Chitra fought bitterly, Bhupi would sort out the problem between them, reminding them that his forty-five rupees (spent on the wedding) had better not go waste. Then their quarrel would turn into good humour.” Mitali Singh (Bhupinder’s wife) was also part of this group, which was more like a family.

It is rewarding to learn what went on behind the scenes, as they spun magic for our ears. We can never be grateful enough for the joy that musicians bring into our lives but we can certainly honour their dedication to their art and their audience by sharing their stories.

Chintan Girish Modi is a Mumbai-based journalist who tweets @chintanwriting