Mohammed Rafi (, }}; December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980), was an
Indian
playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He won 5
National Awards and 6
Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the
Padma Shri by the
Government of India.
In a career spanning about 40 years, Rafi sang over 26,000 film songs. His songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans, and from slow melancholic tunes to fast fun filled songs. He had a strong command of Hindi and Urdu and a powerful range that could accommodate this variety. He sang in many Indian languages including Hindi, Konkani, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Maghi, Maithili and Assamese. He also recorded a few English, Persian, Spanish and Dutch songs.
An article in Times of India, published on July 24, 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 youngest of six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad at
Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near
Amritsar in
Punjab (British India). Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a
fakir in his village. It was his
brother-in-law Mohammed Hameed who spotted the talent in Rafi and encouraged him. 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 featuring K. L. Saigal. 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 film Gul Baloch and the Bombay film, Gaon Ki Gauri, the following year.
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.
Advent in Bombay
In 1944, Rafi moved to
Bombay (now Mumbai),The brothers 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 Kardar,
Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer.
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…’. and "Khabar Kisi ko Nahiin, woh kidhar Dekhte (Beqasoor, 1950), etc.
Recording career
He associated with many music directors of his time, most notably
Naushad. 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.
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.
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".
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.
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 sang a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P. 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. 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. 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.
At the same period Kishore Kumar's popularity increased due to the songs he sang, controversially, for the film Aradhana in Mohd Rafi`s absence during Rafi's Hajj pilgrimage in 1969. 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". 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).
Later years
Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in the mid-1970s. 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 Khanna. His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (
Aas Paas), which he had recorded with
Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death. He was survived by four sons (Saeed Rafi, Khalid Rafi, Hamid Rafi, Shahid Rafi), three daughters (Parveen, Nasreen, Yasmin) and 18 grandchildren.
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 bodies. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on December 24 and July 31, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.
He was a teetotaller, a highly religious and extremely humble person. He was a devout Muslim. Once, when a lesser-known composer Nisar Bazmi (who had migrated from 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”.
Legacy
The government of India announced a two-day public holiday on his death, honouring him.
Rafi's song from the film Gumnaam (1965), "Jaan Pehechan Ho", was used on the soundtrack of Ghost World (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 Wedding.
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 Orchestra released a double CD entitled Rafi Resurrected comprising 16 songs by Rafi. Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam provided the vocals for this project and toured with the CBSO in July 2008 at venues including the English National Opera in London, Manchester's Apollo Theatre and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi. 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".
Music lovers have appealed to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)
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 September 22, 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 Kumar, Mohammed Aziz and, more recently, Sonu Nigam, who made a name by adopting his style, perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.
After his death, seven Hindi movies have been dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.
Personal life
In 1945, Rafi married his cousin Bilquis, in his village. 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.
Rafi has rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal—a total of 369 numbers, 186 of them being solos.
The song “ajab hai dasta teri ae zindagi…” was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half of
antara 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.
A man, sentenced to be hanged until dead, was asked what his last wish was. The man asks that he be allowed to listen to “
O duniya ke rakhwale, sun dard bare mere naale; jeewan apna wapas lele, jeewan dene wale“.
During a concert in Raipur with Shankar-Jaikishan, the audience kept on demanding "once more".. Even the musicians in the orchestra were tired. Finally, Rafi sang five songs with just Harmonium as a musical instrument. Then, he sang the National Anthem
In the earlier years, Filmare used to have only One Best Singer Award (no distinction between a male or female singer). Rafi won it six times.
Awards
; Honorary
1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.
| "Chahunga Main Tujhe"
|
Dosti
|
Laxmikant-Pyarelal
|
Majrooh Sultanpuri
|-
| 1966
| "Babul Ki Duaae "
|
Neel Kamal
|
Bombay Ravi
|
Sahir Ludhianvi
|-
| 1977
Winner:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Song
! Film
! Music director
! Lyricist
|-
| 1960
| "Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho"
|
Chaudhvin Ka Chand
|
Bombay Ravi
|
Shakeel Badayuni
|-
| 1961
| "Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko"
|
Sasural
|
Shankar Jaikishan
|
Shailendra
|-
| 1964
| "Chahunga Main Tujhe"
|
Dosti
|
Laxmikant-Pyarelal
|
Majrooh Sultanpuri
|-
| 1966
| "Baharo Phool Barsao"
|
Suraj
|
Shankar Jaikishan
|
Shailendra
|-
| 1968
| "Dil Ke Jharoke Mein"
|
Brahmachari
|
Shankar Jaikishan
|
Shailendra
|-
| 1977
| "Kya Hua Tera Wada"
|
Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin
|
Rahul Dev Burman
|
Majrooh Sultanpuri
|}
Nominated:
| Dosti
| Laxmikant Pyarelal
| Majrooh Sultanpuri
|-
| 1966
| Arzoo
| Shankar Jaikishan
| Hasrat Jaipuri
|}
;Sur Sringar Award
Winner
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Music director
! Lyricist
|-
| 1964
| Chitralekha
| Roshan
| Sahir Ludhyanvi
|}
References
External links
Mohammed Rafi at the Internet Movie Database
Category:1924 births
Category:1980 deaths
Category:Bollywood playback singers
Category:Indian film singers
Category:Indian Muslims
Category:People from Amritsar
Category:Indian male singers
Category:Filmfare Awards winners
Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction
Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri
Category:Punjabi people
Category:Indian musicians
Category:Indian singers
Category:People from Mumbai
Category:Marathi-language singers
