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S. D. Burman Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 14, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth1 October 1906

Age69 (at time of death)

BirthplaceComilla, Tripura, British India

ProfessionSinger, Music-Director

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseMeera Dev Burman

FamilySon - R. D. Burman

S. D. Burman Biography

Sachin Dev Burman was an influential Indian singer and music director whose career spanned Bengali and Hindi cinema. Born in 1906 in Comilla (then British-

Early life and background
Sachin Dev Burman was born on 1 October 1906 in Comilla, in what was then British India. He came from the royal family of Tripura; his father was Mahamanyabar Rajkumar Nabadwipchandra Dev Burman and his mother was Nirmala Devi, a princess of Manipur. Burman received formal education at institutions in Comilla and Agartala, studied at Victoria College in Comilla, and held a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Music and early training shaped his upbringing. He learned from his father and later received formal vocal instruction from K. C. Dey. He also studied several musical instruments under various teachers and absorbed regional folk traditions while spending time in rural areas after his father’s death.

Career
Burman’s professional career began in the early 1930s. He worked in musical theatre around 1930 and by 1932 was singing for the Calcutta radio station. That same year he recorded songs and over the following years established himself as a prolific Bengali singer, releasing many tracks.

He founded a music school called Sur Mandir in 1930, where one of his students was Meera Dasgupta, who later became his wife. During the 1930s and 1940s he contributed significantly as a composer to Bengali and Hindi cinema.

After a period in Mumbai when recognition was slow, he accepted one last opportunity to compose for the film Mashaal at the suggestion of actor Ashok Kumar; the film’s music became successful and helped cement his place in Hindi films. He collaborated with prominent filmmakers and actors, including work with Dev Anand on Baazi and with Guru Dutt on films such as Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool.

His body of film work continued through the decades. He provided music for several Dev Anand productions, including Taxi Driver (1954), Munimji (1955), Paying Guest (1957), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), and Kalapani (1958). He also composed for notable films such as Devdas (1955) and Guide, and his final film credit as a music director was the 1975 film Badi Sooni Sooni (Mili).

Style, collaborations and teaching
Burman often created the tune before lyrics, a method that became his trademark. He drew on Bengali folk influences throughout his compositions. He trained and mentored many singers and musicians: his son Rahul Dev Burman received classical training from him, as did Nasir Hussain. He worked with and shaped the careers of artists including Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar and Hemant Kumar, and later helped launch performers such as Danny Denzongpa and Anuradha Paudwal as singers.

He recorded songs himself early in his career but later stepped away from lending his own voice for on-screen lip-syncing, though he did provide bardic commentary in films. He is remembered for musical decisions that sometimes involved changes of style or collaborators; for example, his work in Baazi included a shift to singing with Geeta Dutt for certain pieces and adapting a ghazal into a more Western idiom.

Awards and recognition
Burman received numerous honors during his lifetime. He was awarded a gold medal by the Bengal All India Music Conference in 1934 and later received national and industry accolades including the Padma Shri in 1969. His work was recognized by the National Film Awards—Best Male Playback Singer (1970) and Best Music Direction (1974)—and by the Filmfare Awards, which honored him for Best Music Director for Taxi Driver (1954) and Abhimaan (1973). He also won multiple BFJA awards for music and singing and received the Sant Haridas Award and the Asia Film Society Award. In 1958 he was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Public profile
Burman was known by several affectionate nicknames across regions—people called him Burman da in Mumbai and Sachin Karta or variations thereof in Bengal—testimony to his broad popularity. He had interests outside music, notably football, and was an ardent supporter of the East Bengal team. His tastes and routines were part of his public persona: he enjoyed paan, preferred white kurta-pajama attire, and favored Bengali folk music.

Personal life
He married Meera Dasgupta (Meera Dev Burman) on 10 February 1938. The couple’s son, Rahul Dev Burman (R. D. Burman), was born in 1939 and later became a celebrated composer and singer. Burman’s relationship with his in-laws led him to distance himself from the royal family. He maintained close friendships and professional bonds with many contemporaries, including Kishore Kumar, whom he regarded with deep affection.

Later years and legacy
Burman suffered a stroke and fell into a coma; he died on 31 October 1975 in Bombay (now Mumbai) at the age of 69. His musical legacy has been commemorated in various ways: a postage stamp marked his 101st birth anniversary in 2007, biographies and books have been published about his life and work, and statues and memorials have been installed in places associated with his career. His songs and film scores continue to be cited as influential in Indian cinema and music history.

Latest updates
Posthumous attention to Burman’s life and work has continued into the 21st century. In 2011 his first English biography, Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman by H. Q. Chowdhury, was published. Proposals and initiatives related to his ancestral home in Comilla have also been reported in recent years, and fan-driven memorials such as statues have been erected in Kolkata in his honor.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about S. D. Burman, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Badi Sooni Sooni (Mili)

Last film as music director

1975
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded music school Sur Mandir (circa 1930)
  2. Early radio singer at Calcutta radio station (1932)
  3. Composed for landmark films including Devdas, Pyaasa, Guide and Taxi Driver
  4. Recipient of Padma Shri (1969) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1958)
  5. Multiple National Film Awards, Filmfare and BFJA honors
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was S. D. Burman born?

S. D. Burman was born on 1 October 1906.

What is S. D. Burman known for?

S. D. Burman is known for singer, Music-Director.

What is S. D. Burman’s marital status?

S. D. Burman's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is S. D. Burman married to?

S. D. Burman is publicly listed as married to Meera Dev Burman.