Mohammed Rafi
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Rafi was an India
n playback singer
whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award
and 6 Filmfare Awards
. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri
awarded by the Government of India
.
Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980. His singing career spanned about 35 years, and his songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwali
s to ghazals and bhajans. He had a strong command of Hindi
and Urdu
and a powerful range that could accommodate this variety. Primarily noted for his Hindi-Urdu songs, he also sang in other Indian languages including Konkani
, Bhojpuri, Oriya
, Punjabi
, Bengali
, Marathi
, Sindhi
, Kannada, Gujarati
, Telugu
, Maghi, Maithili
and Assamese
. He recorded a few English
, Persian
, Spanish
and Dutch
songs.
He is best known for romantic and duet songs, which he playback sings with the technique to mould the voice according to characters of the actor on the screen.
An article in Times of India, published on 24 July 2010 sums up his voice as, "If there are 101 ways of saying 'I love you' in a song, Mohammed Rafi knew them all. The awkwardness of puppy love, the friskiness of teen romance, the philosophy of unrequited love and the anguish of heartbreak - he could explore every crevice of ardour. It wasn't just love, his voice could capture the navras of life - a failed poet's melancholy, a fiery unionist's vim, a debt-ridden farmer's despair, really anybody at all. Rafi, whose career spanned nearly four decades, was a singer for every season and every reason."
, a village near Amritsar
in Punjab (British India)
. Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a fakir
in his village. Rafi's father moved to Lahore
in the 1920s and owned a men's salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate Lahore. It was his elder brother (Mohammad Deen's) friend Abdul Hameed who later became his brother in law, who spotted the talent in Rafi in Lahore and encouraged him to sing. Abdul Hameed later convinced the family elders to let him move to Mumbai and he accompanied Mohammad Rafi to Mumbai in 1944. Rafi learnt classical music
from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan
, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.
Rafi's first public performance came at the age of 13, when he was allowed to sing at a concert in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal. In 1941, Rafi, under Shyam Sunder, made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet "Soniye nee, Heeriye nee" with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi
film Gul Baloch (the film was released in 1944). In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio
Lahore
station to sing for them.
He made his professional debut in the Shyam Sunder-directed 1941 Punjabi film Gul Baloch and the earliest debut in Mumbai film was Gaon Ki Gori in 1945.
, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer. Shyam Sunder was in Mumbai and again provided an opportunity to Rafi – who got to sing a duet with GM Durrani, ‘Aji dil ho qaabu mein to dildar ki aisi taisi…’, for Gaon Ki Gori, which became Rafi’s first recorded song in a Hindi film. Many other songs followed. Rafi also did brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he was seen singing Tera Jalwa as a part of the chorus.
In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi had overnight created the song ‘Suno suno ae duniyawalon, Bapuji ki amar kahani…’. He was invited by the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
, to sing at the latter's house. In 1948, Rafi received a silver medal from Nehru on the Indian Independence Day. In 1949, Rafi was given solo songs by music directors such as Naushad, (Chandni Raat, Dillagi and Dulari) Shyam Sunder (Bazaar) and Husnalal Bhagatram (Meena Bazaar).
Rafi's first song with Naushad was "Hindustan ke hum hain" with Shyam Kumar, Alauddin and others, from A. R. Kardar's Pehle Aap (1944). Around the same time, Rafi recorded another song for the 1945 film Gaon ki Gori, "Aji dil ho kaaboo mein". He considered this song his first Hindi language song.
Rafi also appeared in two movies. In 1945, Rafi appeared on the screen for the song "Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha" in the film Laila Majnu. He sang a number of songs for Naushad as part of the chorus, including "Mere sapnon ki rani, Roohi Roohi" with K. L. Saigal from the film Shahjahan (1946). Rafi sang "Tera Khilona Toota Balak" from Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and a duet with Noor Jehan
in the 1947 film Jugnu, "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka". Following the Partition of India
, Rafi decided to stay in India and had his family flown to Mumbai. Whereas Noor Jahan migrated to Pakistan
and made a pair with playback singer Ahmed Rushdi
.
Rafi was highly influence by the singers of that time like K. L Saigal, Talat Mehmood and, most notably, by G. M. Durrani
- on whose style he based his singing. He sung with his idol in some of the songs such as "Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai (Hum Sab Chor Hain, 1956) and "Khabar Kisi ko Nahiin, woh kidhar Dekhte (Beqasoor, 1950), etc.
. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Rafi worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar
, Shankar Jaikishan
and S.D. Burman
.
Association with Naushad
As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father.
Rafi’s first song for Naushad
was "Hindustan ke hum hain" ("We belong to Hindustan") for the film Pehle Aap in 1944. The first song for the duo was the soundtrack of the movie Anmol Ghadi (1946). Before Rafi, Naushad’s favorite singer was Talat Mahmood
. Once Naushad found Talat smoking during a recording. He was annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra.
Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema. Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat Hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials. Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.
In the 1960 film Mughal-E-Azam, Mohammed Rafi sang the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad", composed by Naushad, with a chorus of 100 singers.
Association with S D Burman
S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand
and Guru Dutt
. Rafi worked with Burman in movies like Pyaasa
(1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool
(1959), Tere Ghar ke Saamne
(1962), Guide
(1965), Aradhana (1969), and Abhimaan (1973). S. D. Burman was also another music director besides Naushad who used Rafi prolifically to sing for most of his songs.
Association with Shankar-Jaikishan
Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan
was a partnership in the Hindi film industry. Under Shankar-Jaikishan, Rafi produced some of his songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor
and Rajendra Kumar
. Out of six Filmfare awards, Rafi won three for S-J songs, viz., "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko", "Baharon phool barsao", and "Dil ke jharokhe mein". The song "Yahoo! Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe" was sung by Rafi, only to be matched a fast-paced orchestra and a composition by Shankar Jaikishan. S-J made Rafi give playback for Kishore Kumar in the film Shararat ("Ajab hai daastan teri yeh zindagi"). Rafi sang a total of 341 numbers (216 solo) for Shankar-Jaikishan. Among the films of this combination, are Basant Bahar, Professor, Junglee, Suraj, Brahmachari, An Evening in Paris, Dil Tera Deewana, Yakeen, Prince, Love in Tokyo, Beti Bete, Dil Ek Mandir, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, Gaban
and Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.
Association with Ravi
Rafi got his first Filmfare Award
for the title song of Chaudhvin Ka Chand
(1960), composed by Ravi
. He got National Award
for the song "Babul Ki Duaen Leti Ja" from the film Neel Kamal
(1968), also composed by Ravi. Rafi actually wept during the recording of this song. He, himself, admitted this in his interview to BBC in 1977.
Ravi and Rafi produced several other songs, in the films China Town (1962), Kaajal
(1965), and Do Badan
(1966).
Association with Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan
was another composer whose favorite singer was Rafi. Rafi's first solo with Madan Mohan in Ankhen (1950), "Hum ishq mein barbad hain barbad rahenge". They teamed up to produce many songs including "Teri Aankhon ke Siva", "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" and "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho".
Association with O. P. Nayyar
Rafi and O. P. Nayyar
created music in the 1950s and 1960s. O. P. Nayyar was once quoted as saying "If there had been no Mohd. Rafi, there would have been no O. P. Nayyar".
He and Rafi created many songs together including "Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan". He got Rafi to sing for singer-actor Kishore Kumar
– "Man mora baawara" for the movie Raagini. Later, Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in movies such as Baaghi, Shehzaada and Shararat. O. P. Nayyar used Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs. The team created many songs in early 1950s and 1960s for movies such as Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha
(1957), and Kashmir Ki Kali
(1964). Rafi sang a total of 197 numbers (56 solo) for Nayyar.
The song "Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast" and the title song "Yun to humne lakh hansee dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" of the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. They were followed by songs like "Taareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya" from Kashmir ki Kali.
Rafi and OP had a fallout during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata", as disclosed by OP during one of his interviews. In the interview, he says, "Throughout my career, I have been famous for my punctuality. Rafi had given me a time for recording a song from Saawan Ki Ghata. The musicians were all set. Rafi came late for that recording and said, “Sorry, I was stuck up in Shankar- Jaikishan’s recording.” I said, “You had given me the time by your choice. So I gather, you have time for Shankar- Jaikishan and not for O.P. Nayyar. Now onwards, O.P.Nayyar will not have time for Rafi.” I cancelled the recording in front of shell shocked musicians and told the accountant to charge the expenses for the cancelled session to my account!
After three years, Rafi came to my house crying like a baby. I also broke down. Both of us touched each other’s feet. I said, “Rafi, by coming here today you proved that you are much greater than O.P. You could overcome your ego. I could not!”
He often used to sing – Yuun To Humne Laakh Sangeetkaar Dekhe Hai, O.P.Nayyar Sa Nahi Dekha! (I have seen many a composer but never one like O.P.Nayyar!) He also used to tell me, “Your music could turn a eunuch into a he-man!”
Association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal
The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) also patronized Rafi as one of their singers, right from their very first film, Parasmani
(1963). Both Rafi and L-P won the Filmfare Awards for the song "Chahoonga main tujhe saanjh savere" from Dosti
(1964). Rafi rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal: a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P.
Once, when composer Nisar Bazmi
(who had migrated to Pakistan
) didn’t have enough money to pay him, Rafi charged a fee of one rupee and sang for him. He also helped producers financially. As Laxmikant (of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo) once observed – “He always gave without thinking of the returns”.
Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in Bollywood. He sang for many male stars in Hindi films. In 1965, he was honoured by the Government of India
with the Padma Sri award. Rafi recorded two Hindi songs in English on 7" release in 1968. He also sang a song in Creole
while on his visit to Mauritius
in the late 1960s. Rafi recorded two English albums as well. One of them is Pop Hits. In Bollywood, yodeling
is generally associated with Kishore Kumar
but Rafi introduced yodeling in Indian film as playback singing. Rafi yodeled in some of his old songs, such as "Hello sweety seventeen" (duet with Asha Bhosle
), "O Chale ho kaha", "Dilke Aine main", and "Unse Rippy Tippy Ho gayee" (duet with Geeta Dutt
).
Association with his Contemporary Singers
Rafi associated with several of his contemporaries, singing duets with them and sometimes for them (as in case of Kishore Kumar who was also an actor).
Rafi sang the maximum number of duets with Asha Bhonsle (female), Manna Dey
(male) and Lata Mangeshkar
(female).
For the song “Man mora bawra” in the film Ragini, Kishore Kumar
requested Rafi to sing this song for him because this song was a semi classical and Kishore Kumar said that "Rafi Sahab can sing this song better than me". Rafi sang the song.The song “Ajab hay dastan teri aey zindagi” was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half ofantara but in the second half, he faced some trouble and after many retakes, he was unable to give the effect that Shankar Jaikishan wanted, and finally the song was given to Rafi to sing.
In the song "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar Kya Karein" (Amar, Akbar, Anthony), Mohd Rafi sang with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh - all in one song. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song.
Singing career in other languages
Rafi sang several hit songs in Chris Perry
's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro
.
raised the issue of playback singers' share in the royalties
. Recognizing Rafi's position as the leading male playback singer, she wanted him to back her in demanding a half-share from the 5 percent song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. Lata's contention was that, there was no way producers and music directors could deny this singing duo, one-half share in that 5 percent song royalty to the composer. Rafi's stated that his claim on the film's maker ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song. After that, if the film proved a hit, good luck to the movie's maker, he was welcome to keep the Gramco (HMV) royalty he earned from it.. so later issue has been resolved.
Lata viewed his stand as a stumbling block on the royalty issue and this subsequently led to differences between the two. During the recording of "Tasveer Teri Dil Mein" (Maya, 1961), Lata argued with Rafi over a certain passage of the song. Rafi felt belittled, as music director Salil Chowdhury
sided with Lata. The situation worsened when Lata Mangeshkar declared that she would no longer sing with Rafi. Rafi stated that he was only so keen to sing with Lata as she was with him. Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.
In an interview to BBC recorded in Nov 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then.
After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of Word Records gave Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings" but also stated: "Mohammad Rafi (d 1 Aug 1980) [sic] claimed to have recorded 28,000 songs in 11 Indian languages between 1944 and April 1980."
According to the available figures, Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.
The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were later removed in 1991.
's popularity increased due to the songs he sang for the film Aradhana. The music for Aradhana was composed by S. D. Burman, and he had used Rafi as the male playback voice for the first two recorded duets, "Baaghon Mein Bahaar Hai" and "Gunguna Rahen Hain Bhanwre". After these two recordings, S. D. Burman fell ill and his son and assistant, R. D. Burman, took over the recordings. R. D. Burman got Kishore Kumar
to sing the solos "Roop Tera Mastana" and "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani".
During 1971-1973, Rafi's musical output decreased; however, he did sing several songs. Some of Rafi's songs of the early 1970s were with music directors like Laxmikant Pyarelal
, Madan Mohan
, R. D. Burman and S. D. Burman. These include "Tum mujhe Yun Bhula na Paoge" (a signature song of Rafi in 1971) from Pagla Kahin Ka
, "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" from Heer Ranjha
(1970), "Jhilmil Sitaron ka" from Jeevan Mrityu (a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, 1970), "Gulabi Aankhen" from The Train
(1970), "Yeh Jo Chilman Hain" and "Itna to Yaad Hain Mujhe" from Mehboob Ki Mehndi
(1971), "Mera mann tera pyasa" Gambler, "Chalo Dildar Chalo" from 1972 released Pakeezah
, "Chura Liya Hain Tumne" from Yaadon Ki Baarat (a duet with Asha Bhosle, 1973), "Na tu Zameen Ke liye" from 1973 released Dilip Kumar
movie Dastan
, "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" from Hanste Zakhm
(1973), "teri bindiya re", from Abhimaan (1973) and "Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai" from Loafer (1973).
.
In 1977, he won both Filmfare Award and the National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the movie Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin
, composed by R. D. Burman. Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor
in films like Amar Akbar Anthony
(1977), Sargam
(1979) and Karz
(1980). The qawwali
"Pardah Hai Pardah
" from Amar Akbar Anthony
(1977) was a superhit. Rafi's notable renderings in the late 1970s and early 80s include Laila Majnu
(1976), Apnapan (1978), Qurbani
, Dostana (1980), The Burning Train
(1980), Naseeb
(1981), Abdullah
(1980), Shaan
(1980), Asha
(1980), Aap To Aise Na The
(1980), Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1982).
In December 1979, he recorded six songs for the Hindi remake of Dilip Sen's Bengali superhit Sorry Madam; unfortunately the film was never completed due to a personal tragedy in Dilip Sen's life. These songs, written by Kafeel Aazar and composed by Chitragupta, were released digitally in December 2009 by the label Silk Road under the title "The Last Songs". The physical album was released only in India by Universal.
. His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (Aas Paas
), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.
Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.
In 2010, his tomb was demolished to make space for new burials. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on 24 December and 31 July, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.
National Film Awards
Winner:
Filmfare Awards
Winner:
Nominated:
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards
Winner
Sur Sringar Award
Winner
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
The following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...
and 6 Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
awarded by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
.
Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980. His singing career spanned about 35 years, and his songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
s to ghazals and bhajans. He had a strong command of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and a powerful range that could accommodate this variety. Primarily noted for his Hindi-Urdu songs, he also sang in other Indian languages including Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
, Bhojpuri, Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
, Kannada, Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Maghi, Maithili
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
and Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
. He recorded a few English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
songs.
He is best known for romantic and duet songs, which he playback sings with the technique to mould the voice according to characters of the actor on the screen.
An article in Times of India, published on 24 July 2010 sums up his voice as, "If there are 101 ways of saying 'I love you' in a song, Mohammed Rafi knew them all. The awkwardness of puppy love, the friskiness of teen romance, the philosophy of unrequited love and the anguish of heartbreak - he could explore every crevice of ardour. It wasn't just love, his voice could capture the navras of life - a failed poet's melancholy, a fiery unionist's vim, a debt-ridden farmer's despair, really anybody at all. Rafi, whose career spanned nearly four decades, was a singer for every season and every reason."
Early years and background
Mohammed Rafi was born the second youngest of six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad at Kotla Sultan SinghKotla Sultan Singh
Kotla Sultan Singh is a village in the Amritsar district of Punjab, India. It is notable for being the birth place of Mohammad Rafi. There have been many attempts by his fans to get a memorial to him built in his native village....
, a village near Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
in Punjab (British India)
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
. Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a fakir
Fakir
The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....
in his village. Rafi's father moved to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
in the 1920s and owned a men's salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate Lahore. It was his elder brother (Mohammad Deen's) friend Abdul Hameed who later became his brother in law, who spotted the talent in Rafi in Lahore and encouraged him to sing. Abdul Hameed later convinced the family elders to let him move to Mumbai and he accompanied Mohammad Rafi to Mumbai in 1944. Rafi learnt classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was a Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala Gharana.-Early life and background:...
, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan
Abdul Wahid Khan was an Indian classical singer, from the Kirana gharana.-Early life and background:Khansahib founded the Kirana gharana musical family with Abdul Karim Khan. Abdul Karim had married Abdul Wahid Khan's sister, Gafooran Bibi...
, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.
Rafi's first public performance came at the age of 13, when he was allowed to sing at a concert in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal. In 1941, Rafi, under Shyam Sunder, made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet "Soniye nee, Heeriye nee" with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
film Gul Baloch (the film was released in 1944). In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
station to sing for them.
He made his professional debut in the Shyam Sunder-directed 1941 Punjabi film Gul Baloch and the earliest debut in Mumbai film was Gaon Ki Gori in 1945.
Advent in Mumbai
In 1944, Rafi moved to Mumbai (then Bombay),The brother in laws to be took up a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. Here poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to some of film producers including Abdur Rashid KardarAbdur Rashid Kardar
Abdur Rashid Kardar , often abbreviated as A.R. Kardar, was a pre-partition Lahore-born actor and later director. He is credited as establishing the film industry in the Bhati Gate locality of Lahore, British India ....
, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer. Shyam Sunder was in Mumbai and again provided an opportunity to Rafi – who got to sing a duet with GM Durrani, ‘Aji dil ho qaabu mein to dildar ki aisi taisi…’, for Gaon Ki Gori, which became Rafi’s first recorded song in a Hindi film. Many other songs followed. Rafi also did brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he was seen singing Tera Jalwa as a part of the chorus.
In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi had overnight created the song ‘Suno suno ae duniyawalon, Bapuji ki amar kahani…’. He was invited by the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, to sing at the latter's house. In 1948, Rafi received a silver medal from Nehru on the Indian Independence Day. In 1949, Rafi was given solo songs by music directors such as Naushad, (Chandni Raat, Dillagi and Dulari) Shyam Sunder (Bazaar) and Husnalal Bhagatram (Meena Bazaar).
Rafi's first song with Naushad was "Hindustan ke hum hain" with Shyam Kumar, Alauddin and others, from A. R. Kardar's Pehle Aap (1944). Around the same time, Rafi recorded another song for the 1945 film Gaon ki Gori, "Aji dil ho kaaboo mein". He considered this song his first Hindi language song.
Rafi also appeared in two movies. In 1945, Rafi appeared on the screen for the song "Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha" in the film Laila Majnu. He sang a number of songs for Naushad as part of the chorus, including "Mere sapnon ki rani, Roohi Roohi" with K. L. Saigal from the film Shahjahan (1946). Rafi sang "Tera Khilona Toota Balak" from Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and a duet with Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan
Noorjehan or Noorjehan was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades...
in the 1947 film Jugnu, "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka". Following the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, Rafi decided to stay in India and had his family flown to Mumbai. Whereas Noor Jahan migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and made a pair with playback singer Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
.
Rafi was highly influence by the singers of that time like K. L Saigal, Talat Mehmood and, most notably, by G. M. Durrani
G. M. Durrani
G.M. Durrani was a popular Indian playback singer in Hindi movies in the 1930s, 1940s and 50s.- Biography :G.M. Durrani sahab was discovered by film producer Sohrab Modi. He gave him his first chance around 1935-36 in the movie Saaed-e-Hawas, a historical under the music director, he classical...
- on whose style he based his singing. He sung with his idol in some of the songs such as "Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai (Hum Sab Chor Hain, 1956) and "Khabar Kisi ko Nahiin, woh kidhar Dekhte (Beqasoor, 1950), etc.
Recording career
He associated with many music directors of his time, most notably NaushadNaushad
Naushad Ali was an Indian musician. He was one of the foremost music directors for Bollywood films, and is particularly known for popularizing the use of classical music in films.His first film as an independent music director was Prem Nagar in 1940...
. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Rafi worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar
O. P. Nayyar
Omkar Prasad Nayyar was an Indian film music director and composer born in Lahore, India, now in modern day Pakistan. He was particularly acclaimed for his peppy numbers.-Career:...
, Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971....
and S.D. Burman
Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman , also credited as Burman da, Kumar Sachindra Dev Barman, Sachin karta or S. D. Burman, was one of the most famous music composers for Hindi movies and a Bengali singer and composer. His son Rahul Dev Burman also achieved great success as a Bollywood music director in his own...
.
Association with Naushad
As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father.
Rafi’s first song for Naushad
Naushad
Naushad Ali was an Indian musician. He was one of the foremost music directors for Bollywood films, and is particularly known for popularizing the use of classical music in films.His first film as an independent music director was Prem Nagar in 1940...
was "Hindustan ke hum hain" ("We belong to Hindustan") for the film Pehle Aap in 1944. The first song for the duo was the soundtrack of the movie Anmol Ghadi (1946). Before Rafi, Naushad’s favorite singer was Talat Mahmood
Talat Mahmood
Talat Mahmood was a popular Indian playback singer and film actor. A recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1992, he was famous for singing ghazals. For this quality he was known as the King of ghazals....
. Once Naushad found Talat smoking during a recording. He was annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra.
Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema. Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat Hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials. Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.
In the 1960 film Mughal-E-Azam, Mohammed Rafi sang the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad", composed by Naushad, with a chorus of 100 singers.
Association with S D Burman
S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand
Dev Anand
Dharam Dev Anand , better known as Dev Anand , is an Indian Hindi Cinema actor, director and film producer. Dev is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers are Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned Hindi and...
and Guru Dutt
Guru Dutt
Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone , popularly known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He is often credited with ushering in the golden era of Hindi cinema...
. Rafi worked with Burman in movies like Pyaasa
Pyaasa
Pyaasa is a 1957 Indian film produced and directed by Guru Dutt. The film tells the story of struggling poet, Vijay , trying to make his works known in post-independence India...
(1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool, , is a 1959 Hindi film produced and directed by Guru Dutt, who also played the lead role in the film .The film was a box office disaster of its time but was later resurrected as a world cinema cult classic in the 1980s. The film's music was composed by S. D...
(1959), Tere Ghar ke Saamne
Tere Ghar ke Saamne
Tere Ghar Ke Samne is a classic 1963 Hindi film. It was a major hit in India.The film is produced by Dev Anand, written and directed by his brother Vijay Anand. It stars Dev Anand, Nutan, Rajindernath and Om Prakash. The film's music is by S. D. Burman...
(1962), Guide
Guide (film)
Guide is a 1965 Hindi film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It was directed by Vijay Anand, who also contributed to the screenplay. The film is based on the critically acclaimed novel, The Guide, by R. K. Narayan, and is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Indian film...
(1965), Aradhana (1969), and Abhimaan (1973). S. D. Burman was also another music director besides Naushad who used Rafi prolifically to sing for most of his songs.
Association with Shankar-Jaikishan
Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971....
was a partnership in the Hindi film industry. Under Shankar-Jaikishan, Rafi produced some of his songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the late 1950s until the early 1970s....
and Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar was one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several films in the 1980s starring his son Kumar Gaurav....
. Out of six Filmfare awards, Rafi won three for S-J songs, viz., "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko", "Baharon phool barsao", and "Dil ke jharokhe mein". The song "Yahoo! Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe" was sung by Rafi, only to be matched a fast-paced orchestra and a composition by Shankar Jaikishan. S-J made Rafi give playback for Kishore Kumar in the film Shararat ("Ajab hai daastan teri yeh zindagi"). Rafi sang a total of 341 numbers (216 solo) for Shankar-Jaikishan. Among the films of this combination, are Basant Bahar, Professor, Junglee, Suraj, Brahmachari, An Evening in Paris, Dil Tera Deewana, Yakeen, Prince, Love in Tokyo, Beti Bete, Dil Ek Mandir, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, Gaban
Gaban (1966 film)
Gaban is 1966 Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on Munshi Premchand's classic novel by the same name. It had Sunil Dutt and Sadhna playing the lead role...
and Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.
Association with Ravi
Rafi got his first Filmfare Award
Filmfare Best Male Playback Award
The Filmfare Best Male Playback Award is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song....
for the title song of Chaudhvin Ka Chand
Chaudhvin Ka Chand
Chaudhvin Ka Chand is a 1960 Hindi feature film directed by Mohammed Sadiq. A production of Guru Dutt, the film centers on a love triangle between Guru Dutt, Rehman and Waheeda Rehman, and features music by Ravi. Farida Jalal is a guest appearance in the film, her debut...
(1960), composed by Ravi
Ravi (music director)
Ravi Shankar Sharma , often referred to mononymously as Ravi, is an Indian music director, who has composed music for several Hindi and Malayalam films...
. He got National Award
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
for the song "Babul Ki Duaen Leti Ja" from the film Neel Kamal
Neel Kamal (1968 film)
Neel Kamal is a 1968 Hindi film directed by Ram Maheshwari starring Waheeda Rehman in the title role.- Synopsis :Sita and her friends go for a trip, at night Sita sleepwalks and when she is about to be killed by a train walking on the railway track, Ram saves her and her father decides her...
(1968), also composed by Ravi. Rafi actually wept during the recording of this song. He, himself, admitted this in his interview to BBC in 1977.
Ravi and Rafi produced several other songs, in the films China Town (1962), Kaajal
Kaajal
Kaajal is a 1965 Bollywood film produced by Pannalal Maheshwari and directed by Ram Maheshwari. The film stars Meena Kumari, Raaj Kumar, Dharmendra, Padmini, Helen, Durga Khote, Tun Tun , Mehmood and Mumtaz. The films music is by Ravi-Plot:...
(1965), and Do Badan
Do Badan
Do Badan is a 1966 Hindi film. The film became a hit at the box office. Produced by Huda Bihari the film is directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Manoj Kumar, Asha Parekh, Simi Garewal and Pran...
(1966).
Association with Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan Kohli , better known as Madan Mohan, was a famed Bollywood film music director of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s...
was another composer whose favorite singer was Rafi. Rafi's first solo with Madan Mohan in Ankhen (1950), "Hum ishq mein barbad hain barbad rahenge". They teamed up to produce many songs including "Teri Aankhon ke Siva", "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" and "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho".
Association with O. P. Nayyar
Rafi and O. P. Nayyar
O. P. Nayyar
Omkar Prasad Nayyar was an Indian film music director and composer born in Lahore, India, now in modern day Pakistan. He was particularly acclaimed for his peppy numbers.-Career:...
created music in the 1950s and 1960s. O. P. Nayyar was once quoted as saying "If there had been no Mohd. Rafi, there would have been no O. P. Nayyar".
He and Rafi created many songs together including "Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan". He got Rafi to sing for singer-actor Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
– "Man mora baawara" for the movie Raagini. Later, Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in movies such as Baaghi, Shehzaada and Shararat. O. P. Nayyar used Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs. The team created many songs in early 1950s and 1960s for movies such as Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha
Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957 film)
Tumsa Nahin Dekha is a 1957 film produced by Sashadhar Mukherjee for Filmistan- the breakaway studio formed by some old Bombay Talkies hands like Sashadhar. The film marked Nasir Hussain's evolution into a director. He had written films like Munimjee and Paying Guest...
(1957), and Kashmir Ki Kali
Kashmir Ki Kali
Kashmir Ki Kali is a 1964 Indian film directed by Shakti Samanta.-Plot:Wealthy and pampered Rajiv Lal is the only son of widowed Rani Maa. She would like him to get married and starts receiving proposals from all over the country. She meets with and interviews various prospective brides, and picks...
(1964). Rafi sang a total of 197 numbers (56 solo) for Nayyar.
The song "Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast" and the title song "Yun to humne lakh hansee dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" of the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. They were followed by songs like "Taareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya" from Kashmir ki Kali.
Rafi and OP had a fallout during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata", as disclosed by OP during one of his interviews. In the interview, he says, "Throughout my career, I have been famous for my punctuality. Rafi had given me a time for recording a song from Saawan Ki Ghata. The musicians were all set. Rafi came late for that recording and said, “Sorry, I was stuck up in Shankar- Jaikishan’s recording.” I said, “You had given me the time by your choice. So I gather, you have time for Shankar- Jaikishan and not for O.P. Nayyar. Now onwards, O.P.Nayyar will not have time for Rafi.” I cancelled the recording in front of shell shocked musicians and told the accountant to charge the expenses for the cancelled session to my account!
After three years, Rafi came to my house crying like a baby. I also broke down. Both of us touched each other’s feet. I said, “Rafi, by coming here today you proved that you are much greater than O.P. You could overcome your ego. I could not!”
He often used to sing – Yuun To Humne Laakh Sangeetkaar Dekhe Hai, O.P.Nayyar Sa Nahi Dekha! (I have seen many a composer but never one like O.P.Nayyar!) He also used to tell me, “Your music could turn a eunuch into a he-man!”
Association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal
The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) also patronized Rafi as one of their singers, right from their very first film, Parasmani
Parasmani
This film is the first independent film together of the musical duo Laxmikant Pyarelal. Before this they have worked under many musicians separately as well as together. This film also marks the beginning of the long relationship between them, Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi."Hasta Hua Noorani Chehra" is...
(1963). Both Rafi and L-P won the Filmfare Awards for the song "Chahoonga main tujhe saanjh savere" from Dosti
Dosti
Dosti is a 1964 Indian Hindi film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya . The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film was Sanjay Khan's debut film and also had Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Leela Mishra and Leela Chitnis...
(1964). Rafi rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal: a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P.
Once, when composer Nisar Bazmi
Nisar Bazmi
Nisar Bazmi was a composer and music director of Pakistan film industry. Bazmi remained one of the most famous musicians of subcontinent. He also introduced new singers like Alamgir. The duo of composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal were musicians with Bazmi in India before partition...
(who had migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) didn’t have enough money to pay him, Rafi charged a fee of one rupee and sang for him. He also helped producers financially. As Laxmikant (of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo) once observed – “He always gave without thinking of the returns”.
Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in Bollywood. He sang for many male stars in Hindi films. In 1965, he was honoured by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
with the Padma Sri award. Rafi recorded two Hindi songs in English on 7" release in 1968. He also sang a song in Creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
while on his visit to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
in the late 1960s. Rafi recorded two English albums as well. One of them is Pop Hits. In Bollywood, yodeling
Yodeling
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...
is generally associated with Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
but Rafi introduced yodeling in Indian film as playback singing. Rafi yodeled in some of his old songs, such as "Hello sweety seventeen" (duet with Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
), "O Chale ho kaha", "Dilke Aine main", and "Unse Rippy Tippy Ho gayee" (duet with Geeta Dutt
Geeta Dutt
Geetā Dutt was a prominent singer in India. She found particular prominence as a playback singer in Hindi cinema...
).
Association with his Contemporary Singers
Rafi associated with several of his contemporaries, singing duets with them and sometimes for them (as in case of Kishore Kumar who was also an actor).
Rafi sang the maximum number of duets with Asha Bhonsle (female), Manna Dey
Manna Dey
Prabodh Chandra Dey , better known by his nickname Manna Dey , is a playback singer in Bengali Assamese and Hindi films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of...
(male) and Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
(female).
For the song “Man mora bawra” in the film Ragini, Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
requested Rafi to sing this song for him because this song was a semi classical and Kishore Kumar said that "Rafi Sahab can sing this song better than me". Rafi sang the song.The song “Ajab hay dastan teri aey zindagi” was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half ofantara but in the second half, he faced some trouble and after many retakes, he was unable to give the effect that Shankar Jaikishan wanted, and finally the song was given to Rafi to sing.
In the song "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar Kya Karein" (Amar, Akbar, Anthony), Mohd Rafi sang with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh - all in one song. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song.
Singing career in other languages
Rafi sang several hit songs in Chris Perry
Chris Perry (musician)
Chris Perry , born Pereira was a Goan musician, composer, songwriter and film producer.Chris Perry was an exceptionally gifted trumpeter, but he was also at ease with blowing instruments as saxophone, trumpet and flute as well as finger instruments like keyboard, piano and guitar. He learnt to...
's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro
Lorna Cordeiro
Lorna Cordeiro popularly known as Lorna, is a popular Konkani language singer and tiatrist from the state of Goa, India.-Early life:Lorna was born in Mumbai on 9 August 1946 to Cecelia Cordeiro and Theophilus Cordeiro and was brought up there. She belongs to the Goan Catholic community, a prominent...
.
Royalty issue
In 1962-1963, the popular female playback singer Lata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
raised the issue of playback singers' share in the royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
. Recognizing Rafi's position as the leading male playback singer, she wanted him to back her in demanding a half-share from the 5 percent song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. Lata's contention was that, there was no way producers and music directors could deny this singing duo, one-half share in that 5 percent song royalty to the composer. Rafi's stated that his claim on the film's maker ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song. After that, if the film proved a hit, good luck to the movie's maker, he was welcome to keep the Gramco (HMV) royalty he earned from it.. so later issue has been resolved.
Lata viewed his stand as a stumbling block on the royalty issue and this subsequently led to differences between the two. During the recording of "Tasveer Teri Dil Mein" (Maya, 1961), Lata argued with Rafi over a certain passage of the song. Rafi felt belittled, as music director Salil Chowdhury
Salil Chowdhury
Salil Chowdhury was an Indian music composer. He mainly composed for Bengali, Hindi, and Malayalam films. He was also a poet and a playwright. He is affectionately called Salilda by all his admirers....
sided with Lata. The situation worsened when Lata Mangeshkar declared that she would no longer sing with Rafi. Rafi stated that he was only so keen to sing with Lata as she was with him. Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.
Guiness World Records
During his last years, Rafi was involved in a controversy over Lata Mangeshkar's introduction in to the Guinness Book of World Records. In a letter dated June 11, 1977 to the Guinness Book of World Records, Rafi had challenged the claim that Lata Mangeshkar has recorded the maximum number of songs ("not less than 25,000" according to Guinness). After receiving a reply from Guinness, in a letter dated November 20, 1979, he wrote: "I am disappointed that my request for a reassessment vis-a-vis Ms Mangeshkar's reported world record has gone unheeded.".In an interview to BBC recorded in Nov 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then.
After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of Word Records gave Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings" but also stated: "Mohammad Rafi (d 1 Aug 1980) [sic] claimed to have recorded 28,000 songs in 11 Indian languages between 1944 and April 1980."
According to the available figures, Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.
The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were later removed in 1991.
Early 1970s
In early 1970s, Rafi recorded fewer songs At the same period Kishore KumarKishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
's popularity increased due to the songs he sang for the film Aradhana. The music for Aradhana was composed by S. D. Burman, and he had used Rafi as the male playback voice for the first two recorded duets, "Baaghon Mein Bahaar Hai" and "Gunguna Rahen Hain Bhanwre". After these two recordings, S. D. Burman fell ill and his son and assistant, R. D. Burman, took over the recordings. R. D. Burman got Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
to sing the solos "Roop Tera Mastana" and "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani".
During 1971-1973, Rafi's musical output decreased; however, he did sing several songs. Some of Rafi's songs of the early 1970s were with music directors like Laxmikant Pyarelal
Laxmikant Pyarelal
Laxmikant-Pyarelal were a popular Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma . They composed music for about 635 Hindi movies from 1963 to 1998, working for almost all notable filmmakers including Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Feroze Khan, B.R...
, Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan Kohli , better known as Madan Mohan, was a famed Bollywood film music director of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s...
, R. D. Burman and S. D. Burman. These include "Tum mujhe Yun Bhula na Paoge" (a signature song of Rafi in 1971) from Pagla Kahin Ka
Pagla Kahin Ka
Pagla Kahin Ka stars Shammi Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Helen, and Prem Chopra. All four had earlier starred in the huge hit Teesri Manzil . Famous director Shakti Samanta directed the film. Music is by Shankar Jaikishan.- PLOT :...
, "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" from Heer Ranjha
Heer Ranjha
For 1970 Hindi movie of same name and characters, see Heer Raanjha.Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are Mirza Sahiba, Sassi Punnun and Sohni Mahiwal. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by Waris Shah...
(1970), "Jhilmil Sitaron ka" from Jeevan Mrityu (a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, 1970), "Gulabi Aankhen" from The Train
The Train (1970 film)
The Train is a suspense movie starring Rajesh Khanna and Nanda. The film did "above average" business at the box office. Khanna stars as Police Inspector Shyam Kumar who sets out to solve a series of murders which have all taken place on a train...
(1970), "Yeh Jo Chilman Hain" and "Itna to Yaad Hain Mujhe" from Mehboob Ki Mehndi
Mehboob Ki Mehndi
Mehboob Ki Mehndi is a 1971 Hindi movie produced and directed by H S Rawail. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Leena Chandavarkar, Pradeep Kumar and Iftekhar. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The movie was a huge box office hit and won rave reviews from the...
(1971), "Mera mann tera pyasa" Gambler, "Chalo Dildar Chalo" from 1972 released Pakeezah
Pakeezah
Pakeezah is a 1972 Indian film. It was directed by Kamal Amrohi who was known for his perfectionism. The music is by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad...
, "Chura Liya Hain Tumne" from Yaadon Ki Baarat (a duet with Asha Bhosle, 1973), "Na tu Zameen Ke liye" from 1973 released Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
movie Dastan
Dastan
The Dastan , is an ornate form of oral history from Central Asia, the most famous of which is Dede Korkut - which may have been created as early as the beginning of the 13th century....
, "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" from Hanste Zakhm
Hanste Zakhm
Hanste Zakhm is a 1973 Indian Hindi film produced and directed by Chetan Anand with music by Madan Mohan, and lyrics by Kaifi Azmi. The film stars Navin Nischol, Priya Rajvansh, Balraj Sahni, and Nadira in lead roles.-Plot & Textual Analysis:...
(1973), "teri bindiya re", from Abhimaan (1973) and "Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai" from Loafer (1973).
Later years
Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in 1977. In 1974, he won the Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974) composed by Usha KhannaUsha Khanna
Usha Khanna is an Indian music director. Regarded as the first established female music director in the Indian film industry, she remained active for more than 3 decades from 1960s to 1980s. She is still active making some music for some movies and television-serials, more than 40 years after her...
.
In 1977, he won both Filmfare Award and the National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the movie Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin
Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin
Hum Kisi Se Kum Naheen is a 1977 Hindi action film, produced and directed by Nasir Hussain. The film became a "super hit" at the box office, and took the third top spot at the box office in 1977....
, composed by R. D. Burman. Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
in films like Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony is a 1977 Bollywood film about three brothers separated during their childhood who grew up in three homes, adopting three religions...
(1977), Sargam
Sargam (1979 film)
Sargam is a 1979 Hindi movie produced by N. N. Sippy. Writer and Director is K Vishwanath. Film is a remake of his earlier Telugu hit Siri Siri Muvva , which starred Jayaprada and made her a star in South India. She made her Hindi film debut with this film, repeating her role of a mute dancer...
(1979) and Karz
Karz
Karz is a village in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, near the city of Kandahar. The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, is from Karz....
(1980). The qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
"Pardah Hai Pardah
Pardah hai pardah
Parda Hai Parda is a filmi qawwali song from the Bollywood 1977 film, Amar Akbar Anthony. It was performed by playback singer Mohammed Rafi and the lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi; the film's musical directors were the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal...
" from Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony is a 1977 Bollywood film about three brothers separated during their childhood who grew up in three homes, adopting three religions...
(1977) was a superhit. Rafi's notable renderings in the late 1970s and early 80s include Laila Majnu
Laila Majnu
Laila Majnu is a 1976 Hindi movie based on the legendary story of Layla and Majnun. This film version is directed by Harnam Singh Rawail and stars Rishi Kapoor, Ranjeeta, Danny Denzongpa, Aruna Irani, Asrani, Iftekhar, Tom Alter and Ranjeet...
(1976), Apnapan (1978), Qurbani
Qurbani (1980 film)
Qurbani is a 1980 Indian Bollywood movie. The word "qurbani" means "sacrifice" in English. Produced and directed by Feroz Khan . The film stars Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish Puri and Kadar Khan...
, Dostana (1980), The Burning Train
The Burning Train
The Burning Train is a Bollywood action film released in 1980 directed by Ravi Chopra and featuring a huge all-star cast. The plot revolves around a fast train named Super Fast Express, that catches fire on its inaugural run from New Delhi to Mumbai....
(1980), Naseeb
Naseeb (1981 film)
Naseeb is a 1981 Hindi film produced and directed by Manmohan Desai. The film is a typical Manmohan Desai film with his regular star Amitabh Bachchan and a large cast, lavish sets, memorable music and the lost and found theme...
(1981), Abdullah
Abdullah
-Places:*Abdullah Gan, mountainous region of Afghanistan*Abdullah Hukum LRT station, elevated rapid transit station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia*Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum, was an urban village located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
(1980), Shaan
Shaan (film)
Shaan is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan after Sholay. The story was written by Salim-Javed....
(1980), Asha
Asha
Asha is the Avestan language term for a concept of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aša/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism." ...
(1980), Aap To Aise Na The
Aap To Aise Na The
Aap To Aise Na The is 1980 Hindi Movie directed by Ambrish Sangal and starring Raj Babbar, Ranjeeta Kaur, Deepak Parashar, Madan Puri, Om Shivpuri....
(1980), Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1982).
In December 1979, he recorded six songs for the Hindi remake of Dilip Sen's Bengali superhit Sorry Madam; unfortunately the film was never completed due to a personal tragedy in Dilip Sen's life. These songs, written by Kafeel Aazar and composed by Chitragupta, were released digitally in December 2009 by the label Silk Road under the title "The Last Songs". The physical album was released only in India by Universal.
Death
On Thursday, 31 July 1980, Rafi died at 10:50 p.m., following a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (Aas Paas
Aas Paas
Aas Paas is a 1981 Bollywood romantic film directed by J. Om Prakash and starring Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Prem Chopra. The music was by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The film begins with a dedication to the late singer Mohd...
), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.
Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.
In 2010, his tomb was demolished to make space for new burials. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on 24 December and 31 July, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.
Legacy
- Rafi's song from the film GumnaamGumnaamGumnaam is a 1965 Indian horror thriller film directed by Raja Nawathe, starring Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen and Mehmood. The film became a box office hit...
(1965), "Jaan Pehechan HoJaan Pehechan HoJaan Pehechan Ho is a popular song, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics by Anand Bakshi, sung by Mohammed Rafi, from the 1965 movie Gumnaam, directed by Raja Nawathe, produced by N N Sippy and starring Manoj Kumar & Nanda .-The Video:...
", was used on the soundtrack of Ghost WorldGhost World (film)Ghost World is a 2001 comedy-drama film directed by Terry Zwigoff, based on the comic book of the same name and screenplay by Daniel Clowes...
(2001). The film opens with the lead character dancing around in her bedroom to a video of Gumnaam.
- His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon WeddingMonsoon Wedding* Originally featured in the Hindi film Loafer * Originally featured in the Hindi film Biwi No.1 -Awards:The movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival...
. His song "Mera Man Tera Pyasa" (Gambler, 1970) has been used as one of the soundtracks in the Jim Carrey-Kate Winslet starrer Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). This song is played in the background in Kate Winslet's character's home while the lead pair are having a drink - at approx 00.11.14 runtime.
- Several of Rafi's unreleased songs will be used for an upcoming film titled Sorry Madam.
- A documentary about Rafi’s life is under production by The Films Division of India.
- In the summer of 2008, the City of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraCity of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraThe City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
released a double CD entitled Rafi Resurrected comprising 16 songs by Rafi. Bollywood playback singer Sonu NigamSonu NigamSonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
provided the vocals for this project and toured with the CBSO in July 2008 at venues including the English National OperaEnglish National OperaEnglish National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
in London, Manchester's Apollo TheatreApollo TheatreThe Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
and Symphony Hall, BirminghamSymphony Hall, BirminghamSymphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
.
- The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi.
- In June 2010, Rafi was voted the most popular playback singer in the OUTLOOK Music Poll, conducted by Outlook MagazineOutlook (magazine)Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
, along with Lata Mangeshkar. The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song. Three songs tied up for the #2 place and two of them were sung by Rafi. The songs were "Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hain" (Guide, 1965) and "Din Dhal Jaye, hai raat na jaye" (Guide, 1965). This poll was published in Outlook Magazine, the jury of which included many people in the Indian music industry; Abhijeet, Adesh Srivastava, Alisha Chinai, Anu Malik, Ehsaan, Gulzar, Hariharan, Himesh Reshammiya, Jatin, Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Khayyam, Kumar Sanu, Lalit, Loy, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey, Prasoon Joshi, Rajesh Roshan, Sadhna Sargam, Sameer, Sandesh Shandilya, Shaan, Shankar, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam and Talat Aziz.
- In an article in Times of India, Rafi is described as "a versatile singer, who could render classical, rock and roll, indeed any kind of song with ease, he was Hindi film's favourite male voice through the 1950s and 1960s". Music director Rajesh Roshan, who composed some of the songs with Rafi, remembers him as "a warm-hearted simple person with no ego".
- There has been appeals to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)
- Classical and playback singer Manna Dey, who was also a contemporary of Rafi,credits Rafi . He said, "Rafi and I could sing everything, and he was such a gentleman. He was a better singer than me, and I will say this - that no one came even close to him! He deserved everything he got! We had a great understanding and it was never about one-upmanship".
- Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor said, "I am incomplete without Mohammad Rafi. I used to often go for the recoding of my song, which was sung by Mohammad Rafi, only because I used to like telling him how I would perform on this song on screen so that he can sing it that way. Even he liked my involvement".
- On 22 September 2007, a shrine to Rafi designed by artist Tasawar Bashir was unveiled on Fazeley Street, Birmingham, UK. Bashir is hoping that Rafi will attain sainthood as a result.
- Singers like Shabbir KumarShabbir KumarShabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi...
, Mohammed AzizMohammed Aziz-Biography:Mohammed Aziz, is a singer of the Indian film industry. He was born on the 2nd of July 1954 in a spiritual family. His nickname is Munna and his real name is Syed Mohammed Azizunnabi. Being an ardent lover of music and Mohammed Rafi, he started singing from the very childhood and gained...
, and more recently, Sonu NigamSonu NigamSonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
, who made a name by adopting his style, perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.
- After his death, seven Hindi movies were dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.
- As per newspaper reports, over 9000 musical tributes were organized in July 2011 commemorating the singer's 31st death anniversary.
Personal life
Rafi and Abdul Hameed married two sisters in Mumbai in late forties. Rafi had an earlier marriage with her cousin that took place in his ancestral village that could not be continued due to the migration of his in laws and wife to Lahore Pakistan after partition. Rafi had one son from his earlier marriage and three sons and three daughters from his second marriage with Bilquis in Mumbai. He was a teetotaller, a religious and humble person. He was very much a family man, following a recording-room to home to recording-room itenerary. He never attended filmy parties, did not smoke or drink. He used to perform his riyaz (musical practise) from 3 AM to 7 AM without fail. His only indulgences were playing carom and badminton and flying kites.Awards
Honorary- 1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day. - 1967 - Honoured with the Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
by the Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. - 1974 - Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974).
- 2001 - Rafi was honored with the "best singer of the millennium" by Hero HondaHero HondaHero MotoCorp formerly Hero Honda is a motorcycle and scooter manufacturer based in India. Hero Honda started in 1984 as a joint venture between Hero Cycles of India and Honda of Japan. The company is the largest two wheeler manufacturer in India...
and StardustStardust (magazine)Stardust is an Indian monthly Bollywood news and gossip magazine published in English and Hindi. It also sponsors the Stardust Awards.-History:...
magazine in Mumbai on Jan 7, 2001. Rafi won with 70% of the votes.
National Film Awards
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
The following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...
Winner:
| Year | Song | Film | Music director | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "Kya Hua Tera Wada" | Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin Hum Kisi Se Kum Naheen is a 1977 Hindi action film, produced and directed by Nasir Hussain. The film became a "super hit" at the box office, and took the third top spot at the box office in 1977.... |
Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera... |
Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter... |
Filmfare Awards
Winner:
| Year | Song | Film | Music director | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho" | Chaudhvin Ka Chand Chaudhvin Ka Chand Chaudhvin Ka Chand is a 1960 Hindi feature film directed by Mohammed Sadiq. A production of Guru Dutt, the film centers on a love triangle between Guru Dutt, Rehman and Waheeda Rehman, and features music by Ravi. Farida Jalal is a guest appearance in the film, her debut... |
Bombay Ravi | Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni was an accomplished Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter.-Early life and background:Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh... |
| 1961 | "Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko" | Sasural Sasural (1961 film) Sasural is a 1960 Hindi movie produced by L. V. Prasad and directed by T. Prakash Rao. The film stars Rajendra Kumar, B. Saroja Devi, Mehmood and Lalita Pawar. The music is by Shankar Jaikishan... |
Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Shailendra Shailendra Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:... |
| 1964 | "Chahunga Main Tujhe" | Dosti Dosti Dosti is a 1964 Indian Hindi film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya . The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film was Sanjay Khan's debut film and also had Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Leela Mishra and Leela Chitnis... |
Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter... |
| 1966 | "Baharo Phool Barsao" | Suraj Suraj Suraj is a 1966 swashbuckler Ruritanian romance Hindi film produced by S. Krishnamurthy and directed by T. Prakash Rao. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar in the lead with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Johnny Walker, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Lalita Pawar and Neetu Singh forms an... |
Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Shailendra Shailendra Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:... |
| 1968 | "Dil Ke Jharoke Mein" | Brahmachari | Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Shailendra Shailendra Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:... |
| 1977 | "Kya Hua Tera Wada" | Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin Hum Kisi Se Kum Naheen is a 1977 Hindi action film, produced and directed by Nasir Hussain. The film became a "super hit" at the box office, and took the third top spot at the box office in 1977.... |
Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera... |
Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter... |
Nominated:
| Year | Song | Film | Music director | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | "Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin" | Gharana Gharana (1961 film) Gharana is a 1961 Hindi film that stars Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, and Asha Parekh. It is directed by S.S. Vasan. The film became a box office hit.-Plot:... |
Bombay Ravi | Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni was an accomplished Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter.-Early life and background:Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh... |
| 1962 | "Aye Gulbadan Aye Gulbadan" | Professor Professor (film) Professor is a 1962 Hindi movie, produced by F. C. Mehra and directed by Lekh Tandon. The film stars Shammi Kapoor, Kalpana, Bela Bose, Lalita Pawar, Tun Tun, and Iftekhar. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan. The film became a box office hit.-Plot:... |
Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Shailendra Shailendra Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:... |
| 1963 | "Mere Mehboob Tujhe" | Mere Mehboob Mere Mehboob Mere Mehboob is a 1963 Indian film directed by Harnam Singh Rawail and starring Rajendra Kumar, Sadhana, Ashok Kumar, Nimmi, Pran, Johnny Walker and Ameeta. The film became a "blockbuster" and took the number one position at the box office in 1963. The movie drew a background from Aligarh Muslim... |
Naushad Naushad Naushad Ali was an Indian musician. He was one of the foremost music directors for Bollywood films, and is particularly known for popularizing the use of classical music in films.His first film as an independent music director was Prem Nagar in 1940... |
Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni was an accomplished Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter.-Early life and background:Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh... |
| 1965 | "Chhoo Lene Do Nazuk Hothon Ko" | Kaajal Kaajal Kaajal is a 1965 Bollywood film produced by Pannalal Maheshwari and directed by Ram Maheshwari. The film stars Meena Kumari, Raaj Kumar, Dharmendra, Padmini, Helen, Durga Khote, Tun Tun , Mehmood and Mumtaz. The films music is by Ravi-Plot:... |
Bombay Ravi | Sahir Ludhianvi Sahir Ludhianvi Sahir Ludhianvi was a popular Urdu poet and Hindi lyricist and songwriter. Sahir Ludhianvi is his pseudonym... |
| 1968 | "Mein Gaaon Tum Sojaao" | Brahmachari | Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Shailendra Shailendra Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:... |
| 1969 | "Badi Mastani Hai" | Jeene Ki Raah Jeene Ki Raah Jeene Ki Raah is a 1969 Hindi movie produced directed and written by L. V. Prasad. The film stars Jeetendra, Tanuja, Jagdeep and Sanjeev Kumar. The films music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi... |
Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
| 1970 | "Khilona Jaan Kar" | Khilona Khilona Khilona is a 1970 Indian film directed by Chander Vohra and recipient of the Filmfare Best Movie Award. Mumtaz won the Filmfare Best Actress Award.... |
Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
| 1973 | "Hum Ko To Jaan Se Pyaari" | Naina | Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Hasrat Jaipuri Hasrat Jaipuri Hasrat Jaipuri was a Hindi and Urdu poet and film lyricist.-Initial Days:Jaipuri was born Iqbal Husain in Jaipur, where he studied English till medium level, and then acquired his taalim in Urdu and Persian from his grandfather, Fida Husain. He began writing verse, when he was around twenty years... |
| 1974 | "Achha Hi Huva Dil Toot Gaya" | Maa Bahen Aur Biwi | Sharda Sharda Sharda Rajan Iyengar or Sharda was a playback singer in Hindi films in the 1960s and 70s. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the cabaret "Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki" in Jahan Pyar Miley , though she is most remembered for her song "Titli Udi" in Suraj... |
Qamar Jalalabadi Qamar Jalalabadi Qamar Jalalabadi , also known as Qamar Jalabadi , was a writer, particularly of soundtracks of Bollywood movies.-Early life:... , Vedpal Varma |
| 1977 | "Pardah Hai Pardah Pardah hai pardah Parda Hai Parda is a filmi qawwali song from the Bollywood 1977 film, Amar Akbar Anthony. It was performed by playback singer Mohammed Rafi and the lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi; the film's musical directors were the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal... " |
Amar Akbar Anthony Amar Akbar Anthony Amar Akbar Anthony is a 1977 Bollywood film about three brothers separated during their childhood who grew up in three homes, adopting three religions... |
Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
| 1978 | "Aadmi Musaafir Hai" | Apnapan | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
| 1979 | "Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahaar" | Jaani Dushman Jaani Dushman Jaani Dushman is a 1979 Bollywood popular horror film with a large starcast including Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Mehra, Sanjeev Kumar, Neetu Singh, Jeetendra, Reena Roy, Aruna Irani, Madan Puri, Amrish Puri, Shakti Kapoor and Premnath. It was directed by Rajkumar Kohli... |
Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Varma Malik |
| 1980 | "Mere Dost Kissa Yeh" | Dostana | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
| 1980 | "Dard-e-dil Dard-e-jigar" | Karz Karz (film) Karz is a 1980 Hindi film directed by Subhash Ghai, starring Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim as leads, also in a feat of perfect casting was Simi Garewal, who stood out in her role of Kamini Verma, the murderous wife from the past life, which won her a Filmfare nomination.Film's music was by... |
Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
| 1980 | "Maine Poocha Chand Se" | Abdullah | Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera... |
Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10... |
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards
Winner
| Year | Film | Music director | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Tumsa Nahin Dekha Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957 film) Tumsa Nahin Dekha is a 1957 film produced by Sashadhar Mukherjee for Filmistan- the breakaway studio formed by some old Bombay Talkies hands like Sashadhar. The film marked Nasir Hussain's evolution into a director. He had written films like Munimjee and Paying Guest... |
O. P. Nayyar O. P. Nayyar Omkar Prasad Nayyar was an Indian film music director and composer born in Lahore, India, now in modern day Pakistan. He was particularly acclaimed for his peppy numbers.-Career:... |
Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter... |
| 1965 | Dosti Dosti Dosti is a 1964 Indian Hindi film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya . The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film was Sanjay Khan's debut film and also had Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Leela Mishra and Leela Chitnis... |
Laxmikant Pyarelal Laxmikant Pyarelal Laxmikant-Pyarelal were a popular Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma . They composed music for about 635 Hindi movies from 1963 to 1998, working for almost all notable filmmakers including Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Feroze Khan, B.R... |
Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter... |
| 1966 | Arzoo Arzoo (1965 film) Arzoo is a 1965 Bollywood film directed by Ramanand Sagar. It stars Sadhana, Rajendra Kumar, and Feroz Khan in the lead roles. It was a success at the box office. Arzoo is the story of a love that triumphed over life and fate.- Synopsis :Gopal is a skiing champion... |
Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971.... |
Hasrat Jaipuri Hasrat Jaipuri Hasrat Jaipuri was a Hindi and Urdu poet and film lyricist.-Initial Days:Jaipuri was born Iqbal Husain in Jaipur, where he studied English till medium level, and then acquired his taalim in Urdu and Persian from his grandfather, Fida Husain. He began writing verse, when he was around twenty years... |
Sur Sringar Award
Winner
| Year | Film | Music director | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Chitralekha | Roshan Roshan (music director) Roshanlal Nagrath , better known simply by his first name Roshan, was a Bollywood film music composer. He was the father of the actor and film director Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan and grandfather of Hritik Roshan.-Early life and education:Roshan was born in Gujranwala, Punjab,... |
Sahir Ludhyanvi |
External links
- Mohammad Rafi at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...