Q. 53 years of my most favourite film of all times?

A. My two all-time favourite films are Amar Prem and Anand. It’s just a coincidence that one of these happens to be directed by my father. I was 20 years old when my father made Amar Prem. I vividly remember the recordings of all the memorable songs.

Q. You are so bloody blessed!

A. Pancham Da (R.D. Burman), Rajesh Khanna, and my father were an unbreakable team. Though Amar Prem was a remake of the Bengali film (Nishipadma), I feel our version of the story was far superior. Honestly, I didn’t much care for the performance of the actress Sabitri Chatterjee who played Pushpa in the Bengali film. What Sharmila did in Amar Prem was remarkable.

Q. Oh yes, she embodied the nurturing mother’s compassion and unconditional love?

A. She completely re-interpreted the character, whereas Rajesh Khanna was asked to model his performance on Uttam Kumar in Nishipadma, which he did and then added his own personality to it.

Q. It takes a filmmaker of your father’s vision to cast Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in a nurturing relationship after the spectacular success of Aradhana?

A. For its time Amar Prem was a daring experiment. It cast one of the most saleable pairs of the times as a man and tawaif. R.D. Burman’s music added a whole dimension to the drama. Do you know Amar Prem was the only film in which Pancham’s father Sachin Dev Burman sang his son’s composition?