Join us in celebrating Mohammad Rafi’s centenary with a special musical tribute. Explore the timeless legacy of the legendary singer. Mohammad Rafi has left an indelible mark on the Indian cinema and music industry. He is considered one of the most inspired, celebrated and most influential singers in the Indian subcontinent. Rafi Sahab’s four-decade career (1940s-1980s) marks the Golden Era of Indian Film Music. To commemorate his contribution, Rafi@100 will celebrate the legendary singer on his birthday, 24th December, 2024.
Born on 24th December 1924 in a Punjab Jatt family, Mohammed Rafi began singing at a young age by imitating the chants of a fakir who roamed the streets of his native village, Kotla Sultan Singh. He learned classical music from Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo, and Firoze Nizami and gave his first public performance at the age of 13.
Young Rafi admired the singing of K. L. Saigal and made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet “Goriye Nee, Heeriye Nee” with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch, released in 1944 with music director Shyam Sunder. In that same year he was invited by the All India Radio Lahore station to sing. He made his Hindi film debut in Gaon Ki Gori in 1945. YoungRafi,i in his early phase of hiscareer,r also followedG. M.M Durrani’s style ofsinging but later evolved his own, unique style. He sang with Durrani in some of thesongs,s such as “Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai” and “Khabar Kisi Ko Nahiin, Woh Kidhar Dekht.”.
Mohammad Rafi’s Versatility
RafiSahab,b as he was popularly known in the industry, had an incredible ability to adapt his voice to suit any actor, mood, and genre, which established him as a versatile singer. He not only lent his voice for the actors; he also lip-synced according to the actors personas while he sang for Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan, among others.
Known for his versatility, Rafi Sahab sang diverse songs; peppy, patriotic, romantic, qawwalis, ghazals, bhajans, and classical. He mastered various Indian languages. In four decades Rafi Sahab recorded 7400 songs, including 1000 in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. Also, he recorded in Konkani, Assamese, Bhojpuri, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Magahi, and Maithili. Apart from Indian languages, he also sang in some foreign languages, including English, Persian, Arabic, Sinhala, Mauritian Creole, and Dutch.
Some of his popular songs depict a range of emotions he portrayed, from joyful and playful songs like Yahoo! Chahe koi Mujhe Jangali Kahe to deeply emotional romantic songs like ‘Kya hua tera wada’ and ‘Aaj Ki Raat Mere Dil Ki Salami Lele’ to devotional songs like ‘Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj’ to classical songs like ‘Madhuban Main Radhika Nache Re.’ He also sang patriotic songs like ‘Kar Chale Hum Fida Jaan-o-Tan Saathiyon’ along with songs with social messages, like ‘Insaan Ka Insaan Se Ho BhaiChara.’
Mohammad Rafi- The Music Directors’ Favourite Singer
Rafi Sahab was the favorite singer of all the music directors of his time, while he created masterpieces with Naushad Ali, S. D. Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R. D. Burman, O. P. Nayyar, Roshan, C. Ramchandra, Jaidev, Khayyam, Rajesh Roshan, Ravindra Jain, Bappi Lahiri, Sapan Jagmohan, T. V. Raju, S. Hanumantha Rao, etc. He had special and major associations with Naushad Saheb, Usha Khanna, Sonik Omi, Chitragupta, S. N. Tripathi, N. Datta, and R. D. Burman.
His partnership with Naushad Saheb was especially notable, while his first song with him was “Hindustan Ke Hum Hain” for the film Pehle Aap. Initially, Rafi Sahab sang a number of songs for Naushad Saheb as a part of the chorus, including ‘Mere Sapnon Ki Rani, Roohi Roohi’ with K. L. Saigal, from the film Shahjehan. He sang ‘Tera Khilona Toota Balak’ from Mehboob Khan’s Anmol Ghadi and a duet with Noor Jehan in the film Jugnu, ‘Yahan Badla Wafa Ka.’
Mohammad Rafi’s Solo Songs
In 1949, Rafi Sahab started getting solo songs by music directors such as Naushad for the films Chandni Raat, Dillagi, and Dulari. With Naushad, he created timeless classics like “Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki” and “Tere Husn Ki Kya Tareef Karoon.” He also got solo songs from music director Shyam Sunder, who gave him songs for Bazaar, and Husnalal Bhagatram made him sing in the film Meena Bazaar.
In fact, Talat Mehmood used to be Naushad Sahab’s favorite singer before he met Rafi. But once he found Talat smoking during a recording, he got annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra. His association with Naushad Sahab helped him to establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi cinema. His songs from Baiju Bawra, ‘O duniya ke rakhwale’ and ‘Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj,’ furthered his credentials, and he ended up singing a total of 149 songs, 81 of them solo for Naushad Sahab.
S.D. Burman’s Evergreen Era
Then came the era of S.D. Burman, who used his voice as the singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt. Rafi worked with Burman in 37 films, including Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Kala Bazar, Nau Do Gyarah, Kala Pani, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Guide, Aradhana , Ishq Par Zor Nahin, and Abhimaan.
Rafi and O. P. Nayyar created music in the 1950s and 1960s. Rafi sang a total of 197 songs, with 56 solo songs for O. P. Nayyar. He gave some of his best songs with O. P. Nayyar, including ‘Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan.’ He sang for singer-actor Kishore Kumar ‘Man Mora Baawara’ for the film Raagini, followed by Baaghi, Shehzaada, and Shararat. O. P. Nayyar collaborated with Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs, creating many melodies for the movies such as Naya Daur, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, and Kashmir Ki Kali.
Mohammad Rafi And Asha Bhosle – The Goated Duo
Rafi Sahab also associated with several of his contemporary singers to sing duets. He sang the highest number of duets with Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey, and Lata Mangeshkar. One of his songs with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mukesh for the song ‘Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar’ for the film Amar Akbar Anthony became a legend in itself for being the only song rendered by three legends.
Rafi Sahab was bestowed many awards and recognitions for his contribution to Indian cinema. He won six Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1977 for Kya Hua Tera Wada. He was honored with the Padma Shri in 1967, one of India’s highest civilian awards. In 2001, he was honored with the ‘Best Singer of the Millennium’ title by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine. In 2013, he was voted the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in the CNN-IBN’s poll.
Rafi Sahab’s Regional Hits
Rafi Sahab sang not only for films but also recorded many private albums in various genres and languages. Some of his notable albums are Chris Perry’s Konkani album ‘Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro.’ He also recorded Hindi songs in English and sang 2 songs in Mauritian Creole while on his visit to Mauritius in the late 1960s.
Rafi Sahab gave some of the best songs in the 1970s and 1980s, such as ‘Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil,’ ‘Gulabi Aankhen,’ ‘Jhilmil Sitaron Ka Aangan Hoga,’ ‘Tum Mujhe Yun Bhula Na Paaoge,’ ‘Chalo Dildaar Chalo,’ ‘Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan Hai,’ ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne,’ ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat,’ and ‘Teri Bindiya Re,’ to name a few.
Rafi Sahab was not just known for his talent but also for his humility and generosity. Despite his fame, he remained approachable and kind-hearted, often helping struggling artists. He made many compositions immortal, even of lesser-known music directors, while he sang for free for them. He selflessly believed in financially assisting producers and helping small-time projects that could not afford much. Many in the industry received regular financial help from him.
Rafi Sahab has been an inspiration for many singers. His voice has become an integral part of the Indian cultural heritage, celebrated across generations. His melodious voice continues to inspire budding singers and remains a benchmark in the playback singing industry.
Indian cinema commemorates Rafi Sahab’s centenary year on December 24th with musical evenings and tribute functions by singers, remembering his musical legacy, which continues to resonate with music lovers across the globe. He will always be remembered for his contribution to Indian cinema and the music industry.
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