RD Burman was the son of singer SD Burman.
SD Burman told him to choose between acting and singing, as he believed music required single-minded focus and discipline.
Rahul Dev aka RD Burman was a musical genius whose experiments and innovations made him one of the most beloved artists of his time. He has given some of the biggest hit songs to the Hindi film industry. His songs are still quite popular. Many Bollywood films became popular because of his songs. RD Burman is the son of Sachin Dev (SD) Burman, who was also a popular singer in Bollywood. RD Burman was fondly referred to as Pancham Da in Bollywood and had a massive fan following. As per reports, once SD Burman got angry with his son after he saw him acting in the film Bhoot Bungla. RD Burman started out as a singer with the film Chhote Nawab in 1961. After working for a few years as a music composer, he got an opportunity to act in the 1965 film Bhoot Bungla. The film was directed by popular actor and director Mehmood. It starred Mehmood, Tanuja, Nazir Hussain, and RD Burman in important roles. The music in the film was also written by RD Burman.
After seeing Pancham Da act in the film, his father, SD Burman, got angry and confronted him about the situation. He told him to choose between acting and singing. He believed that singing needed discipline and couldn’t be done alongside acting. SD Burman was of the view that one requires proper focus and penance in order to make a successful career in it. He also told Pancham Da that unless he is serious about it, he will not achieve success.
RD Burman understood what his father meant. He understood that he was made for music and not for acting. He diverted his attention from acting and concentrated his entire attention on music. Mehmood then offered the role of Bhola to Pancham Da in the film Padosan (1968). RD Burman refused the role. Then the role finally went to Sunil Dutt, who became a huge star after the film’s success.