The conflict of melodies by S.D. Burman

The era-defining, convention-defying music of Hindi cinema's revolutionary composing titan

Urdu poet Sahir Ludhianvi, who had just begun writing lyrics for Hindi films, was taken aback when he found his ghazal, with a motif of motivation and redemption, had been transformed into a sizzling (for its time) cabaret song. He remonstrated with the music composer, but S.D. Burman stood firm. Ultimately, the poet had to settle for seeing his cherished creation rendered in the composer's desired way by the talented Geeta Dutt, and picturised on a perky, guitar-playing Geeta Bali pirouetting around a rather cagey Dev Anand.

Not only was the jazzed-up song and the film—among the first of Hindi films' excursion into noir—a hit, but it was a makeover for the singer, who had so far been typecast as only good for bhajans and tearful songs.

Sahir was not the only film figure that Sachin Dev Burman, born on October 1 in 1906, joined issue with. He also locked horns with the legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy over a song in Bandini (1963).

An uncompromising ear Poet and filmmaker Gulzar once recalled that when he met Roy for the first time, after a common friend recommended him for writing, he found him a bit irritated. The music composer was also there, but sitting in a corner, and there was undeniable tension in the air.