By: Sohail Butt. He is a ‘Rafi Bhagat’ of long standing and can be contacted at: sohail_butt@hotmail.com.

I am pleased to attach a copy of my article that I wrote in 2007 following my visit to Rafi Saheb’s house in Lahore and met his real brother Mohd Saddique and his nephew Mohd Ashfaq (Late Mohd Ibrahim’s son). I am also attaching some photos of a musical function in Lahore where Mohd Saddique sahab sang his late brother’s songs. The written article and photos can be related to each other.

Mohd Rafi with Hameed

Lahore ( founded by  prince Loh, son of Ram Chandra  in 1000BC)  has been described by  many during its long history   in so many different ways that it is extremely difficult to sum it all up in a word, sentence or even a book. However there are few sayings in Punjabi that I have heard and will like to quote them if I were to describe the city:

(1) ‘ Lohrre , Lohrre Aiye”  ( Lahore is Lahore).

(2)  “ Jinay Lohrre Nahin Waykhay, oh, nay kuj nahin waykhay” (If you have not seen   Lahore , you have not seen anything).

(3)   Nahin Reesan Shahar Lahore Deeyan ( The city of Lahore is incomparable and unmatchable). (more…)

By Achal Rangaswamy
Part 2 in continuation

Mohd Rafi

Kala Bazaar..Madras..a rainy evening..slick pavement was perhaps at a time when I hardly realized what was happening to me, I was too young to know most things.

But the first real taste of Bollywood in all its Eastmancolour clarity and beauty was- seeing Joy Mukherjee swing his guitar more like a cricket bat, wear a white sweater like a cricketer and croon ” Laakhon Hain Nigaahon Mein” in Phir Wohi dil laaya hoon. It was a Christmas afternoon and Regal Cinema in Delhi. I fell in love with voice of Joy Mukherjee, the singer’s voice I mean, and was completely bowled over by the tonga style rendition of Banda Parvar Tham Lo Jigar…the title song of the same movie. “paaon jahan rakh dogey adaa se dil ko wahin paaogey…” truly mesmerized me. (more…)

By H.V.Guru Murthy

Mohd Rafi

Which is your most favourite song in the history of Hindi film music during the past eighty years? If any body puts this question to me, I would rather not answer, as how can you choose just one song out of thousands of songs especially if you consider that versatile singers like Rafi Saab, Lataji, KK, Ashaji, Mannada, Mukeshji, Hemantda, Talatji, etc. etc. have sung so many wonderful wonderful songs.

But precisely a similar exercise was carried by the Magazine OUTLOOK in their 2006 June issue. Thirty prominent musicians of the Hindi Film Industry including Manandey, Mahendra Kapoor, Khayyam, Rajesh Roshan, Gulzar, Javid Akhtar, etc. were chosen to be in the Jury and were given the task to select the best songs. (more…)

By Achal Rangaswamy

Mohd Rafi

Circa 1959 I guess… Kala Bazaar .. Madras.. a rainy evening.. slick pavement.. as we got out of the theatre into semi darkness I slipped on the road and a lot of people had a great laugh… but all I could remember was… Khoya Khoya Chaand. I even forgot to cry after falling.

The hero fascinated me. But his voice fascinated me even more. Little did I know that it was the voice of a person I was going to worship over the years. Little did I know that the hero actually never sang.  My grandmother kept making fun of me as I tried singing the same song after we got home. I never got it right. I realized many many years later that I could never ever get it right. It was no use trying to be so perfect. Only God can be so perfect. (more…)

By Ramesh Narain Kurpad

Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar

During my life times, I have had the great pleasure of interacting with innumerable music fans – lovers of retro music – but today, I wish to bring forth and highlight a peculiar kind – un-matchable in its unique negativity. Bhakton, I wish to appear to have started off on a controversial note by saying Rafi Sahab – So What? – I wish to put down a few lines in support of the innumerable music fans of the legendary singer Kishore Kumar.

It may really sound as though I am here to sing pains on KK but all that I wish to do is to highlight the innermost feelings of a Kishore Kumar Fan who has it in abundance all against Rafi sahab. And he exults often – Rafi Sahab – So What??? (more…)

By Souvik Chatterji

Mohd Rafi

Mohammad Rafi virtually ruled bollywood music during the 50s and 60s. Therefore his contribution was unique in the career of all the leading stars of the golden age including Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Pradeep Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Guru Dutt, Pradip Kumar, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Dharmender, Jeetender and others.

But in the 70s, Rafi did not get the same amount of songs from the upcoming composers if compared with his domination in the 60s. He made his existence felt in style with romantic combination in the films of Rishi Kapoor. Two factors went in his favour. Firstly Rishi Kapoor was the leading romantic actor of that age who balanced the action films of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha and others with his romantic films. At the other hand Laxmikant Pyarellal, the composer who was loyal to Rafi till the last day of his life was the main contributor in Rishi Kapoor’s films. (more…)

(Mohammed Rafi with Khayyam)

Written by Venkatadri Brahmandam (venkat from HF)

Mohd Rafi

Khayyam is a fine music director who created his own niche in HFM. But, he had to be among those highly talented, but not-so-fortunate, music directors. The main reason is, of course, lack of big banner films in his fold!

Khayyam actually started music direction in late forties under the name of “Sharma Ji”. Probably, only after mid-fifties did he revert back to his own original name.

Once in 1961, after Shola Aur Shabnam, Khayyam was seriously contemplating a total change in his style of music hoping that it would lead to greater success. But, in Khayyam’s own words on Vividhbharati, he was once passing by S.D.Burman who then advised him not to change his own natural style at any cost! (more…)