Flashback: How RD Burman Gave Sudesh Bhosale His Break as a Singer

Singer Sudesh Bhosale has revealed a funny anecdote from the days when he got his Bollywood break in the 1988 film, Zalzala.

“Asha (Bhosle) ji had once heard me sing in Sachin Da’s (SD Burman) voice at a studio. When she met me again in person she asked me to sing a song in front of her and I closed my eyes and sang Sachin da’s song ‘Doli mein bithai ke’ from the movie ‘Amar Prem’. A couple of days later I got a call from Pancham Da’s (RD Burman) manager on my neighbour’s telephone, asking me to reach the music studio by 10 am with my passport,” recalled Sudesh.

When he reached the room, he saw many well-known artistes along with Asha Bhosle and RD Burman.

“As soon as Asha ji saw me, she pointed me out to Pancham Da saying, ‘yes, that’s the guy’. Much to my surprise Pancham Da in a very different tone said, ‘mere baap ki awaz mein gaate ho’ (you sing in my father’s voice), and all I could tell him was, ‘no Sir, I am just a fan’. What Asha ji had done was, after hearing me sing, she had a cassette recorded with my voice but without any music and she played it one day when Pancham Da had gone to take a shower. Pancham Da was so shocked and scared because he felt like he heard his father singing outside, while Sachin Da had actually expired years ago!” said Sudesh.

Revealing further details that actually got the singer his first break, he said: “After that incident, Pancham Da decided to take me along with him to Hong Kong in 1986 where I sang many songs in voices of different artistes but it was only when I sang ‘Sun mere bandhu re’ that Pancham Da gave me a hug and said that he would record his first song after we reach Mumbai with me. I got my first break in ‘Zalzala’ because of him.”

Sudesh Bhsale recalled the incident while recording an episode for “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs”.