P rem Pujari is best remembered as the film that bore the mantle of being Dev Anand's directorial debut. While the film itself is sadly forgotten as a sincere attempt gone wrong, the music in true Navketan mould is unforgettable. This soundtrack, a turn of the decade offering from the Burman Baton, dresses vintage charm in a modern 70s garb. After taking the nation by storm with Aradhana a year earlier, Dada Burman proved that the early 70s were indeed a renaissance period for his music. Without losing his strong melodic base he managed to keep his compositions in tune with the changing times.

The soundtrack of Prem Pujari is a mixed bag, with some immortal, some good but lesser heard and other average songs. This film is one of those late 60s-early 70s fares which would take the viewer for a whirlwind tour of the world. The sweep of the foriegn locales in the film is reflected with the same grandeur in the music. Keeping with the needs of the subject Dada moulds his music to reflect the western setting of the film without losing sight of the Indian base.

The pick of the lot is undoubtedly Phoolon ke rang se. Rendered with characteristic tenderness by Kishore Kumar, this Neeraj-penned beauty finds a permanent place in the all time greats of Hindi Film Music. The song has a minimal yet evolved orchestration. Sweeping violins with creatively interspersed santoor and brass pieces give the song a soft romantic feel.

Following close on the heels of Phoolon ke rang se is the Lata stunner Rangeela Re. This song has an unusual beat for a sad song. But then it's a sad song with a difference.... It's a sad song, dance song and drunk song all rolled into one! Lata's delightful Hey Rangeela.. is a very 'colourful' start to a song that is essentially a lament. All in all it is a multi-hued song in terms of singing, orchestration and also emotional content. Surely the creme-la-creme of the Lata-SDB oeuvre.

Burmanda is in his comfort zone with the Kishore-Lata duet  Shokhiyon mein ghola jaaye. This is a sweet and lilting tune with pleasing lyrics in the trademark SDB style. Kishore is vibrant and Lata sweet as honey. They both manage to summon a great deal of warmth making this song very enjoyable. Burmanda had a series of such duets in the 70s Apne hoton ki bansi (Gambler) and Gori Gori Gaon ki (Yeh Gulistan Hamara), Aaj Madhosh hua jaaye re (Sharmilee) to name a few.