‘‘RD Burman should be immortalized with a wax-statue at Madame Tussauds,” insists glam singer-actress Salma Agha

It’s a widely-known fact that stunningly gorgeous senior singer-actress Salma Agha has acted and sung in a string of milestone retro-movies like ‘Nikaah’ and ‘Kasam Paida Karnewali Ki’ - Chaitanya Padukone

But not many are aware that as the heroine opposite Rajesh Khanna, she has also sung a hit ‘playback’ seductive solo number ‘O Sajanaa’ and this hit duet ‘Tu Mera Kya Laaage’ ( with Kishore Kumar) under genius R D Burman’s brilliant baton for this movie ‘Oonche Log’(1985) .

For this other solo song ‘Pehla Pehla Pyar’ (in B R Chopra’s Mazdoor--1983), composed by RDBurman , the talented Salma convincingly rendered ‘playback’ for lead-actress Padmini Kolhapure as decided by the convention-defying RDB with backing from the Chopras.

Offering fond tributes to the legendary composer-singer RDB, whose 82nd birth anniversary is being globally celebrated today (June27th), the mellifluous-voiced madame Salma in an exclusive chat with me recalled, “It was a sheer delight to sing for innovative, inspiring RD-Saab because he allowed me the creative liberty to sing in my own distinct style.

When my songs were being rehearsed, I still remember Pancham-da (RDB) jumping on the sofa, with joy, after hearing me sing.

And he wanted to record even without repeat rehearsals. ‘You have listened to it once, and you will able to do justice to it’.

That’s the confidence he had in me, since I was classically trained, and he brought out the best in me.

We rarely come across such angel-like maestros with purity, music and religion in their hearts.

That’s why RDB and dozens of his chart busting songs are evergreen,” insists outspoken Salma ( known for her tantalizing nasal-streak in her vibrant voice) feels that, “ideally, both father-son S D Burman and R D Burman should be ‘immortalized’ with their life-like ‘wax-statues’, along with other musical legends, at the renowned Madame Tussauds museum-Delhi, for posterity”.

Even her young ‘gen-next’ stunning actress-model daughter Sasha is an ardent fan of Pancham-da songs and loves to hum her favourite RDB-retro tunes.

( The writer of the article-story Chaitanya Padukone is an award-winning senior film-journalist and author of memoirs book R D BurMania)