Bole may refer to:

Geographical locations[link]

• Bole District, Ghana
• Bole, Ghana, town
• Bole, Nottinghamshire, England
• Bole International Airport (Ethiopia)
• Bole, Xinjiang, China

Other[link]

• Bole2Harlem, an Ethiopian hip hop fusion band
• Bole (unit), a unit of momentum
• Bole (botany), that part of the trunk of a tree beneath the point where branching commences
• Bole (color), the color of a tree trunk
• A hearth where lead was smelted on a Bole hill
• Bolus, a reddish soft variety of clay used as a pigment, such as Armenian bole

See also[link]

• Boule (disambiguation)
• Bowl (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Saif Ali Khan
Khan at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Born	(1970-08-16) 16 August 1970 (age 41) New Delhi, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Amrita Singh (m. 1991–2004) «start: (1991)–end+1: (2005)»"Marriage: Amrita Singh to Saif Ali Khan" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Saif_Ali_Khan) (divorced)
Partner	Kareena Kapoor (2007-present)
Children	2

Saif Ali Khan (pronounced [ˈsɛːf əˈli ˈxaːn]; born 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the cricket player and last titular Nawab of Pataudi, late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore, a great-grandniece of poet Rabindranath Tagore.^[1]

Having made his acting debut in 1992 with Parampara, Khan had his first success with the 1994 films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi. After going through several years of decline throughout the 1990s, he rose into prominence with his performance in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), which marked his professional turning point.^[2] His work in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Hum Tum (2004).

Khan subsequently had further mainstream success with films like Salaam Namaste (2005) and Race (2008) and starred in critically acclaimed projects such as Parineeta (2005), Being Cyrus and Omkara (2006).^[3] In 2009, Khan branched out into film production with his company Illuminati Films' first film Love Aaj Kal, which became a box-office success. These accomplishments have established him as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema.^[4] He was awarded the Padma Shri civilian award by the Government of India in 2010.^[5]

Khan was married to actress Amrita Singh from 1991 to 2004, having two children together. His sister, Soha Ali Khan, is also a film actress.

Life[link]

Saif Ali Khan has Muslim ancestry through Nawabs of Pataudi lineage from his father's side and Hindu Bengali Tagore ancestry from his mother's side.^[6][7] His paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was the Nawab of Pataudi as well as an accomplished cricketer who played for England and then for India as the captain of the team.^[7] His paternal grandmother was Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal and his great-uncle was Pakistani general Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi. His father was Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the ninth Nawab of Pataudi until the abolition of titles by India in 1971.^[6][7] Following the death of his father, Saif Ali Khan was proclaimed the Nawab of Pataudi by villagers of Pataudi State in deference to tradition, although the title carries no official or legal significance.^[8]

Khan has two sisters Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan. Khan's mother is Sharmila Tagore, a Bengali Indian film actress and a member of Bengal's Tagore family. She is also the head of the Indian film censorship board^[9] and the grand-niece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.^[1] Tagore converted to Islam from Hinduism after her marriage to Khan's father, and changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana.^[7] Khan spent his childhood in a Muslim atmosphere, reading the Quran, with his grandmother being the centre of his religious education. Khan says that "Religion played a major role in my upbringing."^[6] Khan also states that his family is "cool or rather massively open–minded about religious matters." For example, he acknowledges that his daughter is born into a Muslim family, however he states that he will not decide her religion for her.^[6]

Initially Khan studied at the Lawrence School Sanawar^[10] and later attended Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire. He followed in his father's footsteps by attending Winchester College, an independent school for boys in the UK. Khan can speak his native languages of Hindi and Bengali fluently, as well as English.^[11]

Acting career[link]

Early work, until 2000[link]

In 1993, he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for Aashiq Awara. His breakthrough role came in 1994 with Yeh Dillagi starring opposite Akshay Kumar and Kajol which was his first major hit.^[12] Khan went on to star in many films but they failed at the box office. He only had success with multi-starrer hits like Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Imtihaan (1995),^[13] Kachche Dhaage (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999).^[14] After some box office failures he had a hit with the film Kya Kehna (2000).^[15]

Turning point, 2001-03[link]

His acting career, more or less, went through a relative slump until 2001, when he was cast in Farhan Akhtar's National Film Award-winning Dil Chahta Hai, co-starring Aamir Khan and Akshaye Khanna.^[16] Depicting the contemporary routine life of Indian affluent youth, it is set in modern-day urban Mumbai and focuses on a major period of transition in the lives of three young friends. Despite receiving a positive critical reception, it was only a moderate box office success in India;^[17] it performed well in the big cities but failed in the rural areas, which was attributed by critics to the urban-oriented lifestyle depicted in the movie.^[18] He received much acclaim for his role as Sameer with critic Taran Adarsh calling it his career-best performance.^[19]

He has since had many box office successes, starting with Nikhil Advani's drama Kal Ho Na Ho (2003), co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, set in New York, starred Saif as Rohit, Zinta's best friend, who later realises that he loves her.^[20] The film was the second top-grossing film of the year, and Khan's performance was praised by critics. He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, as well as other awards in that category in other award ceremonies.

Solo success and critical acclaim, 2004–08[link]

To date, Khan's films have often featured him as the supporting cast, though following the success of Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, producers began signing him on for the main lead.^[21] In early 2004, Khan was approached by Sriram Raghavan to star as the globe-trotting bachelor, Karan Singh Rathod, in his directorial debut, Ek Hasina Thi. The film tells the story of a young woman (played by Urmila Matondkar) who meets with Khan's character, and is subsequently arrested for having links with the underworld. When Khan was initially offered the project, he was unable to do it due to his busy schedule.^[21] However, when the director approached him several months later, he agreed to do the film.^[21] Upon release, the film was critically embraced, with Khan's performing earning praise. The Deccan Herald reported, "From suave loverboy to self-serving skunk, he (Khan) moves with such brilliance that he leaves you breathless [...] He holds his own in a movie that is completely Urmila's."^[22] For his performance, Khan received nominations at the Star Screen, Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies.

He followed it with the leading role in Kunal Kohli's romantic comedy Hum Tum. Featured opposite Rani Mukerji, the film follows the encounters of the two main characters until they, after several years and various meetings, become friends and finally fall in love. The film was received favourably by critics and became one of the year's most successful films, with a domestic box office of 210 million (US$4.19 million).^[23] Khan played the role of Karan Kapoor, a young cartoonist and womaniser whose relationship with Rhea Prakash (played by Mukerji) changes his perception of women and life. Rediff.com wrote about his performance: "Saif reprises his urbane self from Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, peppering it with occasional fits of introspection and angst, and marking himself as an actor whose time has come."^[24] He won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role and was conferred the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor in 2005 among much controversy.^[25] It marked the beginning of his work with Yash Raj Films, one of the largest production houses in Bollywood.

In 2005, Khan appeared in two movies. His first release was Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta (2005), an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1914 Bengali novella by the same name.^[26] Prior to being cast, the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra was initially reluctant in casting Khan as the male protagonist because he felt that "I could not manage it".^[27] After much deliberation, Chopra was persuaded by Sarkar who felt that Khan was perfect for the role.^[28] The film garnered critical acclaim upon release and Khan's portrayal of Shekhar Rai earned him nominations for Best Actor at a number of award ceremonies. Derek Elley from Variety wrote, "Khan, who has gradually been developing away from light comedy, again shows smarts as a substantial actor."^[26] His next release was Siddharth Anand's comedy-drama Salaam Namaste opposite Preity Zinta. Produced by Yash Raj Films, it was the first Indian feature to be filmed entirely in Australia and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production outside of India, earning 570 million (US$11.37 million) internationally.^[29] Khan played the role of the egotistic, laid-back chef, Nikhil Arora. According to Khalid Mohamed, "Salaam Namaste is unthinkable without Saif Ali Khan. He rescues several untidily written scenes with his neat wit and that flustered 'how-did-I-get-into-this-soup?' facial expression."^[30]

He next played the protagonist in the English language art film, Being Cyrus (2006), co-starring alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. Directed by debutant Homi Adajania, the psychological drama revolves around a dysfunctional Parsi family with who Khan's character moves into. The film received predominantly positive reviews, and Khan was particularly praised.^[31] Later in the year, he portrayed the character of Iago in Omkara, the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh.^[32] The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival.^[32][33] Omkara was embraced by critics and Khan went on to receive major acclaim earning the awards for Best Actor in a Negative Role at the Filmfare, Star Screen, Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies; his performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" by Filmfare.^[34] Variety described his performance as "powerhouse" and further wrote, "It is Khan's movie through and through, in a performance of rugged, contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend as well as his stint as the manipulative outsider in Being Cyrus. It is smart casting, superbly realized."^[35]

In 2007, Khan collaborated once again with producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in the epic drama Eklavya: The Royal Guard, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sharmila Tagore and Vidya Balan. Set in the state of Rajasthan during the early years of Indian independence, the movie revolves around a jealous and ungrateful ruler who will not let his wife die in peace because she is uttering the name of Eklavya. Although the film did not succeed at the box office,^[36] it was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. The Full Hyderabad described Khan's performance of Harshwardhan as "sombre and understated," played with a "brooding and contemplative sensibility."^[37] He next appeared in the action comedy Nehlle Pe Dehlla, a production that had been delayed since 2001.^[38] The film garnered negative reviews and poor box office returns.^[39] Khan's role was small, and was not well received.^[39] His final release of the year was the family drama, Ta Ra Rum Pum. Directed by Siddharth Anand, it went on to become an economic success at the box office, earning 646 million (US$12.89 million) internationally.^[29]

Khan received further success in 2008, starring in the Abbas-Mustan thriller Race with an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy. The feature was loosely adapted from the 1998 American film Goodbye Lover, and became one of the biggest box office hits in India, earning 617 million (US$12.31 million)^[40] and grossed over 200 million (US$3.99 million) abroad.^[41] Critic Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote, "Of the cast, Saif Ali Khan stands out as the chap with the least dialogue but the one who makes the best impression."^[42] This was followed by three projects produced by Yash Raj Films: Tashan, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Roadside Romeo, all of which were not successful.^[40]

Producer and other works, 2009–present[link]

2009 saw Khan branch out into film producing when he setup his own production company, Illuminati Films, along with Dinesh Vijan.^[43] The company's first release was marked by the romantic comedy Love Aaj Kal. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film portrays the feeling of pure love which never changes over time, although the perspective of realizing one's soulmate has changed. It received mostly positive reviews by critics and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.^[44] For his portrayal of Jai Vardhan Singh and the younger Veer Singh, Khan went on to receive several Best Actor nominations at a number of award ceremonies, including Filmfare. A review in The Economic Times described his performance as "refreshing natural" and "outstanding".^[45] He then starred in the dramatic thriller Kurbaan, alongside Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi. Produced by Dharma Productions, the film marked the directorial debut of Rensil D'Silva and featured Khan in the role of a terrorist. Upon release, Kurbaan was received favourably by critics and Khan's performance was critically acclaimed. Critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote: "Saif is extraordinary in a role that only proves his versatility once again. If he won your heart with a winning performance in Love Aaj Kal a few months ago, you need to watch this supremely talented actor underplay his part so beautifully in Kurbaan.^[46]

In 2011, he appeared in Prakash Jha's multi-starrer drama Aarakshan. Set in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, the film deals with the policy of caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.^[47] Khan portrayed the character of Deepak Kumar, a rebellious student who joins the mafia. To prepare for the role, Khan was required to take acting workshops along with the rest of the cast.^[48] Prior to its release, the film was banned from releasing in select cities across India due to its controversial subject.^[47] While the film received a mixed critical reaction, his performance was generally well-received.^[49] The following year, Khan collaborated once again with director Sriram Raghavan, as the protagonist in the action thriller Agent Vinod. The film, which was produced under his own banner, opened to mixed reviews and eventually under-performed at the box office.^[50]

By May 2012, Khan completed working on Cocktail, a romantic comedy directed by Homi Adjania.^[51] Co-starring alongside Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty, the film is scheduled to release on 13 July 2012. He is currently filming for the sequel to his 2008 release, Race.

Personal life[link]

Khan with Kareena Kapoor at the 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards (2008).

Khan married actress Amrita Singh in October 1991.^[52] After thirteen years of marriage and two children (son Ibrahim Ali Khan and daughter Sara Ali Khan), the couple divorced in 2004. The children live with their mother.^[53]

He then dated Rosa Catalano a Swiss model born in Italy, whom he met in Kenya, for three years. Catalano later revealed that he had not told her about his earlier marriage and children, and that she learnt about them only after she came to India.^[54] They were later said to be considering marriage,^[55] but then broke off.^{[56][57][58][59]}

On 18 February 2007, Khan was hospitalised at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai due to experiencing chest pain while rehearsing for his performance at the Stardust Awards, to be held that night.^[60] After hospitalization, he stated he would quit smoking.^[61]

Khan has been dating actress Kareena Kapoor since October 2007.^[62][63] In October 2009 he publicly spoke of his relationship with Kapoor and the prospect of marriage stating, that in his opinion people said that marriage does not affect one's career but in fact it does and that today the whole definition of marriage has changed. He said, that he and Kareena were so well connected, so close that marriage is just a stamp of validation for the society.^[64]

On 22 September 2011 Khan's father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi passed away,^[65] which led Saif to formally assume the title of 10th Nawab of Pataudi.^[66] Although the title has no legal or official status after 1971, Saif assumed the title in order to please the sentiments of the villagers. The 'pagri' ceremony was even attended by the incumbent Chief Minister of Haryana.^[66]

Other work[link]

In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.^[67]

Khan took part in two major world tours. He was part of a troupe that included Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra, which went on the Temptations 2004 world tour.^[68] Two years later, he toured again, participating and performing in the Heat 2006 concert around the world, along with Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.^[69]

In 2006, Khan appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture along with Rani Mukerji, and Aishwarya Rai on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi.^[70]

Controversy[link]

In 1998, Khan was charged with poaching two blackbucks in Kankani during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain along with co-stars Salman Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam.^[71] The charges were dropped soon after Salman Khan was acquitted.^[72]

Khan was also involved in assaulting a photographer, Pawan Sharma, in 2008 during a film shoot at Patiala railway station.^[73][74]

In 2012, Khan was dining with his friends including Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora at the Wasabi restaurant in Taj, Mumbai and making a din and was repeatedly requested by the restaurant management to be quieter. Khan then allegedly assaulted the complainants, Iqbal Sharma, a businessman, who suffered a fractured nose, and an elderly man.^{[73][75][76][77][78]} Khan was arrested under article 325 of the Indian Penal Court, and released on bail on a surety of 3,000 (US$59.85) by the Mumbai Police.^[79][80]

Awards and nomination[link]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of Indian Actors

References[link]

External links[link]

• Saif Ali Khan at the Internet Movie Database

Mohammad Rafi (December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980) is considered to be the greatest Indian male playback singer of all time.^[1] He was awarded the National Film Award, Best Singer Award, six Filmfare Awards and the Best Singer of the Millennium award. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.^[2] His singing career spanned about 35 years, and he is noted for his ability to sing songs of different moods and varieties:^[3] his songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. 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.^[4]

Rafi is primarily noted for his songs in Hindi-Urdu, over which he had a strong command. He also sang in other Indian languages including Konkani, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Maghi, Maithili and Assamese. He also recorded a few songs in foreign languages such as English, Persian, Spanish and Dutch. From available figures, Rafi sang 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.

Early years and background[link]

Mohammed Rafi was the second youngest of six brothers. His father, Hajji Ali Mohammad and family lived in Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near Amritsar in Punjab (British India).^[5] Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, began singing by imitating the chants of a fakir in his village.^[5] Rafi's father moved to Lahore in the 1920s where he ran a men's salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate Lahore.^[6] His elder brother, Mohammad Deen, had a friend, Abdul Hameed, (future 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 Rafi move to Mumbai and he accompanied him in 1944.

Rafi learnt classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.^[7][8] His first public performance came at the age of 13, when he sang in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal.^[7] 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).^[9] In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio Lahore station to sing for them.^[10] 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.^[4]

In Bombay[link]

In 1944, Rafi moved to Bombay. He and Ahmed rented a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. During this time, poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to film producers including Abdur Rashid Kardar, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer.^[6] Shyam Sunder was in Mumbai and provided the opportunity to Rafi 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. Other songs followed.^[11] Rafi also had brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he sang Tera Jalwa as a part of the chorus.^[12]

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".^[11] 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.^[10]

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.^[10] 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 influenced by the singers of that time like K. L Saigal 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)^[13] and "Khabar Kisi Ko Nahiin, Woh Kidhar Dekhte" (Beqasoor, 1950),^[14] etc.

Recording career in the 1950s and 1960s[link]

In his early career, Rafi associated with many contemporary music directors, most notably Naushad. In the late 1950s and 1960s, he worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan, S.D. Burman and Roshan.

Association with Naushad

As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father.^[15] 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.^[12]

Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema.^[10] Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials.^[9] Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.^[16]

In the 1960 film Mughal-E-Azam, Mohammed Rafi sang the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad", composed by Naushad, with a chorus of 100 singers.^[17]

Association with S D Burman

S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt.^[18] Rafi worked with Burman in movies like Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963), 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.^[16] 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.^[19]

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".^[10] 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".^[20] 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.^[21] 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.^[22]

Rafi and OP had a fallout during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata", as disclosed by OP during one of his interviews.^[23]

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.^[16]

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”.^[24]

Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in Bollywood.^[25] He sang for many male stars in Hindi films.^[26] 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.^[7] Rafi recorded two English albums as well. One of them is Pop Hits.

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).^[18] 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.^[27][28] 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.^[28] 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.^[29]

Singing career in other languages

Rafi sang several hit songs in Chris Perry's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro.^[30]

Royalty issue[link]

In 1962-1963, the popular female playback singer Lata Mangeshkar 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 filmmaker ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song. After that, if the film proved a hit, the filmmaker was welcome to keep the Gramco (HMV) royalty he earned from it. If the film did not prove to be a hit, argued Rafi, that he had already been paid the same fees for his song; so later the situation is 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.^[27][28] Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.

Early 1970s[link]

In early 1970s, Rafi recorded fewer songs At the same period Kishore Kumar's popularity increased due to the songs he sang for the film Aradhana.^[27][31] 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".^[18] 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.^[32] 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[link]

Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in 1974. 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.^[16]

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.^[18] 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 1980s include Bairaag (1976), Laila Majnu (1976), Apnapan (1978), Suhaag (1979), 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, Rafi 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.

Guiness World Records controversy[link]

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.".^[29] In an interview to BBC recorded in November 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then.^[20]

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 August 1980) [sic] claimed to have recorded 28,000 songs in 11 Indian languages between 1944 and April 1980."^[33] 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.^[33] The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were later removed in 1991.

Death[link]

On Thursday, 31 July 1980, Rafi died at 10:50 p.m., following a heart attack.^[34] His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (Aas Paas), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.^[29][35]

Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery.^[36] It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.^[37]

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.^[38]

Trivia[link]

• 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.^[39]

• His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding.^[40] 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.^[41]

• Several of Rafi's unreleased songs will be used for an upcoming film titled Sorry Madam.^[42]

• A documentary about Rafi’s life is under production by The Films Division of India.^[43]

• 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.^[44]

• The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi.^[45]

• In June 2010, Rafi was voted the most popular playback singer in the OUTLOOK Music Poll, conducted by Outlook Magazine, along with Lata Mangeshkar.^[46] The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song.^[47] Three songs were tied for the #2 place of which two 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 included 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.^[48]

• 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".^[49]

• There have been appeals ^[50] to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)^[11]

• Classical and playback singer Manna Dey, who was also a contemporary of Rafi 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".^[51][52]

• 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".^[53]

• 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.^[54][55]

• Singers like Shabbir Kumar, Mohammed Aziz, and more recently, Sonu Nigam, made their names by adopting Rafi's style, and perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.^[56]

• After his death, seven Hindi movies were dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.^{[citation needed]}

• Over 9000 musical tributes were organized in July 2011 commemorating the 31st anniversary of the singer's death.^[57]

• Rafi is one of the recording artists mentioned in the 1997 song Brimful of Asha by Cornershop.

List of Songs[link]

Personal life[link]

Rafi married twice; his first marriage was to the cousin of his second wife, and took place in his ancestral village. The marriage ended when his in laws and wife migrated to Lahore, Pakistan after partition. Rafi and Abdul Hameed married each one of two sisters in Mumbai in the late 1940s. Rafi had one son from his first marriage and three sons and three daughters from his second marriage with Bilquis in Mumbai. He was very much a family man, following a recording-room, to home, to recording-room itenerary. He never attended film parties, did not smoke or drink, was religious, and was considered a humble man.^[58] He used to perform his riyaz (musical practice) regularly. His only indulgences were playing carom, badminton, and flying kites.^[11]

Awards[link]

Honorary

• 1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.^[10]
• 1967 - Honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government 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 Honda and Stardust magazine^[59]. Rafi won with 70% of the votes.^{[citation needed]}

National Film Awards^[60]

Filmfare Awards^[61]

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Sur Sringar Award

References[link]