Rafi Sahab the super star of all stars: when Amitabh Bachan lost his sleep and the script of Abhiman fell on its knees
By Salim K
Anand Bakshi with Laxmikant, Amitabh and Rafi sahab during the recording
Rafi sahab is probably the only singer whose voice would suit all actors and stars irrespective of the decade and their age. Even though Raaj kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Amitabh Bachan and Rajesh Khanna were considered synonymous with Mukesh, Mahendra and Kishore , the songs Rafi Sahab has sung for them occupy a special place in the careers of these actors and HFM in general. For example who can forget eternal melodies like “baazi kisene Pyar ki sung for RK in film Nazarana”, “ Bhari Duniya mein Akhir Dil” sung for Manoj Kumar in Do Badan and “Teri Bindiya Re” sung for AB in Abhiman. There are many more such beauties that Rafisahab has sung for these stars. Needless to say all these stars had and have the greatest love, respect and admiration for Rafi Sahab.
Example, Raaj Kapoor was also very fond of Mukesh and was very particular to have the best songs for his films. Sangam was one such film that had great melodies many of which have become immortal. Mukesh has wonderful songs in the film and Rajendra Kumar had 2 songs one a duet sung by Mahendra and a monumental rendition by Rafi sahab, Yeh Mera Prem Patra Padkar. This was the last song recorded in the film and RK was already celebrating about the beautiful songs SJ had composed picturised on him until he heard Rafi Sahib’s rendition and the thespian could not put himself back and sources say RK echoed his sentiments when he said “yeh gaana tho sab gaanon par bhari hai”. He kissed Rafi sahab and told him that this song would live forever, how true. In fact Rafi Sahab always had a special song in most RK produced movies including the mesmerizing Sadke Heer tujpe from Mera Naam Joker picturised on RK himself.
However in this article, there are 2 very interesting facts that I like to share with you that involves Rafisahab and the star of 70’s, and 80’s, Amithabh Bachhan.
The first one is the recording of the song “Chal Mere Bhai” from Naseeb where AB sings with Rafi Sahab. In this song Rafi Sahab play backed for Rishi as most of us know. A day prior to the recording, Laxmikant-Pyarelal the music directors had told AB that the recording was scheduled for 1 o’clock and asked him to come on time as Rafi Sahab was very punctual. So much so that the musicians even set their watches correctly based on the time when Rafi Sahab entered the studio. Next day, Rafi Sahab and AB reached the studio almost at the same time at 12.30 in the afternoon. Rafi Sahab saw that AB was appearing shaky and nervous and his eyes were bloodshot. Rafi Sahab asked him the reason for this. AB said, “Rafi Sahab, I have been listening to your songs since I was ten. Today when I have got the opportunity to sing with you, I have not been able to sleep the entire night.” Rafi Sahab smiled in his customary style and said, “Dost, sleep has left me as well because today I have to sing with a much big superstar.” Hearing this, AB fell to Rafi Sahib’s feet. Rafi Sahab was and is indeed the Super Star of all stars.
In an interview conducted much later after July 1980, when asked about Rafisahab, this is what AB says: (the expression on his face when speaking and the tone of his voice when speaking about Rafisahab was of genuine admiration and respect.
AB said: “I have never come across a person of such excellence, grace, dignity and warmth. He stops and says, I need to tell you about an incident.
“We were on a tour with Rafi Sahab and others and Rafi Sahab was the key attraction of this international tour. The tour was for 2 days and Rafisahab had to sing on the first day and another singer was due to sing on day 2.
‘Rafisahab sang on day 1 and left for the airport when we got the news that the other singer was not coming anymore. We were very nervous and shocked as that would disrupt the show so we ran to the airport only to know that Rafisahab had already entered the plane. We requested for the plane not to take off and the permission to speak to Rafisahab for a few seconds”
“We went in the plane and told him about the situation. (AB stops…) “Rafisahab after hearing it, did not say a word, simply got up and walked out of the plane, not an iota of fuss, no question, such was the grace and persona of Rafisahab”
WOW!!!!
Indeed Rafi sahab was unique and high in everything he did, truly the Super Star of all Stars.
Anand Bakshi with Laxmikant, Amitabh and Rafi sahab during the recording
The other incredible incident is linked with another Amithab film, Abhiman that was released in the early 70’s. As we all know the script was about AB and Jaya who are both singers in the film and obviously this would demand having one playback singer’s voice for each for them. The music director was Dada Burman who in 70’s used Kishore extensively just like in 60’s he used Rafi sahab.
All male songs were to be sung by Kishore and Lata had to do playback for all songs picturised on Jaya Bhaduri for it would look weird to have different singers when the script demands otherwise.
The script was demanded a dialogue from the actor David after the song (tere bindiya re)ended that “ the character of Jaya was a better singer than the character played by AB. OOPs!!!!!
Kishore gracefully declined to take up the song saying that it would not suit him. One cannot blame him for doing so especially after such a dialogue. SD Burman approached Rafi sahab to sing it and the gentle and simple giant without even thinking of the script agreed to sing although sources close to Rafi Sahab also told him to give this song a miss. Rafi Sahab was unique in all ways and above any such fears and apprehension. Also this demonstrated the admiration and respect Rafi sahab had for Dada Burman.
People have heard this song that mesmerizes us even today and even the most ardent fans of Lata have accepted with grace that although Lata sang well as she usually did, she is a distant second in the song that Rafi Sahab absolutely nailed.
I feel for Lata and the Hrishi da, many told Hrishida to change the dialogue after the song but he thought these dialogues were essential for the script although they sounded weak and out of place especially after what people heard after the song was recorded.
Rafi Sahab was and is still the Super Star in every aspect. Sources have told that Mukesh was called to sing after Kishore declined to sing the song. Mukesh was to sing 2 songs including the duet that Manhar sang in the end as Mukesh was on a tour and could not arrive on time for the recordings. The fact that 3 male voices were used proves the fact the SB Burman and the film makers wanted to avoid all embarrassment and controversy. Simply incredible!!!!!!
However all this makes us arrive to only conclusion and is Rafi sahab was the most genuine and the greatest Super Star we have seen. Whether it was the 40’s or the 50’s or the 60’s or the 70’s or even the 80’s or any other era, his voice and persona reigns supreme and unmatched. Where no singer would dare to go, Rafi Sahab fearlessly marched with full confidence, where no singer would dare to dwell, he went with a smile, conquered and ruled. Truly a true emperor, a true Super Star of all stars.
NAA FANKAAR TUJH SA TERE BAAD AAYAA
MOHAMMED RAFI TUU BAHOT YAAD AAYA.
This tribute that was sung by Mohammed Aziz was picturised on none other than Amitabh Bachan proves the unmatched and magnificent status of Rafi Sahab.
I’m posting an article by Mr. Pradeep Singhi; the story becomes more and more interesting…
————
It was back in the early 70s when a young Pradeep Singhi attended the Golden Jubilee function of Amar Prem. This turned out to be an evening he would cherish for a long time to come. At this memorable event he got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a precious half hour with the legendary SD Burman. Mr Singhi opens his vault of memories and takes us back to that unforgettable meeting…
” The year was 1972 and I was about fourteen years old then and very passionate about music (which I still am). The occasion was the silver jubliee celebration of the 70s blockbuster Amar Prem. That was a memorable day for me and even though it has been almost 32 years I can still recall the major details of the event clearly.
It was evening, and we were all geared up to attend the function at the Park Hotel in Calcutta. One of our friends kindly got us through, and we were very well received by all the stars present in their rooms… Rajesh Khanna, Sujit Kumar, Om Prakash, RD Burman, Madan Puri, Shakti Samanta, and of course, that grand old musical genius, SD Burman. Happily, I got pictures with Rajesh Khanna, Sujit Kumar, Om Prakash and SD Burman, and all their autographs, except Shakti Samanta’s from that evening.
While I have pleasant memories of all those I met, I specifically recall that I was very impressed with Om Prakash and SD Burman. Om Prakash cracked quite a few jokes which had us all laughing for a while. After meeting everyone, I broke off from the group and was ushered into Shri SD Burman’s room (I was the only one who was keen on meeting him.)
As the door closed behind me, he looked in my direction and crooked his long bony hand at me, asking me to come to him.
“Ki naam, khoka ?” (What’s your name, boy) he asked me in a soft voice. I told him my name is Pradeep. “Tumi gaan shuno ?” (Do you listen to music?). Now, my Bengali was not too good, so I replied in Hindi that I indeed did, and took the names of a few films for which he had scored the music.
“Besh toh. Eikhaane bosho” (Why don’t you sit down, come, sit here.), he beckoned and then sang the first two lines of O re maajhi, mere saajan hain us paar . “Have you heard this song?”, he enquired. When I replied in the affirmative and informed him that the film was Bandini, his face broke out into a wide grin.
Then he hummed a few more lines of another song and, as if to test my truthfulness, asked “Ei dhun ta sunechho?” (And have you heard this tune?). The tune did not sound familiar at all and I truthfully said “No.” He gave a short chuckle in his inimitable style and said, “Ei gaan ta akhonee toh compose hoyechhe. Rafi gaaibe” . (This song has just been composed!. Rafi will sing it.) He was pulling my leg! I can’t be totally sure which tune he hummed, but I have a strong feeling it was Teri bindiya re, which was sung by Rafi Saab for Abhimaan . If so, I wonder why he didn’t name Lata… “
The Old Singers (Rafi Sb, Lata,Asha,Kishore,MannaDey,Mukesh,Talat etc) were all Legends n They wont be Reborn …But Rafi Sahab was a Legend of the Legends….The Best of All.
I had gone through an Interview of Manna Dey were he was asked that” In your time Every Singer was a Legend but who According to you was the BEST of Them ALL???
His Reply was Simply 4 words “RAFI WAS THE BEST”…If a legend is Accepting Openly the Greatness of Another it Simply Means He Realy was the Legend of the Legends..
The Story About Song of Abhiman was Told in Dis Article were Rafi sang inspite of all songs sung by Kishore and proved to be the Best….I would like to Give Another Example–Remember the movie HATHI MERE SATHI…All songs were sung by “Kishore”…But whenevr you think About this Movie the only Song that Comes in Mind is “NAFRAT KI DUNIA KO CHODKE PYAR KI DUNIA ME KHUSH REHNA MERE YAAR” just 1 song and Kishore was Nowere….That’s what Rafi was All About..The GREATEST of the GREATS…
…and he only sang 155 songs less than Kishore from 70 to 73 ( I stand to be corrected) which is like spit in a bucket and mainly due to the reason rafi sahab left singing for religious purposes.
(just making a correction)
Please ignore the previous post as it was not spell checked.
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Jyoti ji, thanks.
Lata herself accepted that it was Rafi Sahab songs that she found most hard to sing when she recorded the Sharndanjali albums.
Dada Burman was not active in the 70?s and kishore and Pancham were great friends and Pancham has himself said that he went out of his way to further the career of Kishore in the 70?s, that what friends are for. Also I know many md’s were coerced by actors and producers to make kishore sing due to his rising popularity in the 70?s thanks to the Binaca geet mala culture. Having said that, in reality that had little to no impact on the unblemished status and fame of Rafi sahab. By the 70?s Rafi sahab had already a status of the Emperor of singing; to be honest he had nothing to prove to anyone. He was and is unparallel and no one could or can ever match him. The most beautiful, efficient and trendy tube light cannot compete with the light of the sun.
I know some Rafi fans are very critical of Pancham especially on how he pushed Kishore ahead of Rafi sahab but really it is a non issue. Compare the Md’s whose first choice was always Rafi sahab, it is beyond count. All the great MD’s: Naushad, Shankar Jaikishen, Madan Mohan, Op NAYAR, Chitrgupta, Husanlal BhagatRam, SD Burman (before 70?s), Sonik Omi, Laxmikant Pyarelal, usha Khanna and others their first choice was always Rafi sahab and even Pancham embarked his career on the back of some incredible songs sung by Rafi Sahab.
In fact the singers that were most affected by the Binaca geet mala culture were Mukesh, mana dey and Mahendra Kapoor. Rafi sahab got a national and film fare award in 70?s and he only sang 155 songs less than Kishore from 70 to 7r ( I stand to be corrected) which is like spit in a bucket and mainly due to the reason rafi sahab left singing for religious purposes.
Number of songs is never the correct indicator for quality and Rsfi sahab has given quality with numbers. All male singers put together have not songs as many songs as Rafi Sahab has.
These myths of 70;s are only for the topics for forums where naive and ignorant people come and speak rubbish. In the music industry in 70?s and 80?s such discussions did not exist. I still remember how there used to be large crowds in Mehboob studios in 70?s when Rafi sahab used to come for recordings and how people used to line up out of Rafi manila everyday.
Rafi Sahab is beyond 70?s he is a phenomenon by himself, a true legend that achieved things that can never be matched.
Thanks Jyoti
Lata herseld accepted that it was RafiSahab songs thats she found most hard to sing when she recorded the Sharndanjali albums.
Dada Burman was not active in the 70’s and kishore and Pancham were great friends and Pancham has himself said that he went out of his way to further the career of Kishore in the 70’s, that what friends are for. Also I know many md;s were coerced by actors and producers to make kishore sing due to his rising popularity in the 70’s thanks to the Binaca geet mala culture. Having said that, in reality that had little to no impact on the unblemished statuts and fame of Rafi sahab. By the 70’s Rafi sahab had already a status of the Emperor of singing, to be honest he had nothing to prove to any one. He was and is unpaprallel and no one could or can ever match him. The most beautiful, eddicient and trendy tubelight cannot compete with the light of the sun.
I know some Rafi fans are very critical of Pancham specially on how he pushed Kishore ahead of Rafi sahab but really it is a non issue. Compare the Md;s whose first choice was always Rafi sahab, it is beyond count. All the great MD’s: naushad, Shankar Kaikishen, Madan Mohan, Op NAYAR, Chitrgupta, Husanlal BhagatRam, SD Burman (before 70’s), Sonik Omi, Laxmikant Pyarelal, usha Khanna and others their first choice was always Rafi sahab and even Pancham embarked his career on the back of some incredible songs sung by Rafi Sahab. In fact the singers that were most afftected by the Binaca geet mala culture were Mukesh, mana dey and Mahendra Kapoor. Rafi sahab got a national and filmfare award in 70’s and he only sang 155 songs less than Kishore from 70 to 75 ( I stand to be corrected).
Number of songs is never the correct indicator for quality and Rfai sahab has given quality with numbers. All male singers put together have not songs as many songs as Rafi Sahab has.
These myths of 70;s are only for the topics for forums where naive and ignorant people come and speak rubbish. In the muisc industry in 70’s and 80’s such discussions did not exist. i still remember how there used to be large crowds inMehboob syudios in 70’s when rafi sahab used to come for recordings and how people used to line up out of Rafi manzil everyday.
Rafi Sahab is beyond 70’s he is a phenomenon by himself, a true legend that achieved thngs that can never be matched.
Dear salim sahab,thanks for your such an informative article,which freshen my mysterious thoughts about this particlar beauty..i strongly feel rafisaab is far ahead of lata .His modulation and the teasing expressions coupled with gratitude towards the beloved is amazing in this song!!. At the same time the mystery remains why dada burman chosen kishoreda for Tere mere milan ki…Rafisaab could have taken this too to unmatchable heights!!!!.Everyother singers,to me are quite predictable.But rafisaab ,could feel,visualise a song in a manner which others could not.I feel,rafisaab,top choice always for dada till 60s was not so with elther dada or rdb in 70s.thats destiny!!
Post 41 : Man tadpat rafi saaheb sunne ko event titled
Shaam e rafi saaheb is on
May 18 friday at 8 pm at mumbais mysore auditorium at matunga (c.rly ) near maheshwari gardens…
presented by the rafi foundation.
ASA, Walijah Sahab,
Bahut khoob,
Sorry for the delayed response.
With regards to all rafi lovers.
Long live rafi sahab.
Dr. Khaja Aliuddin
salim saheb thank u for your kind words . just today i read an article tributes to Rafi saheb by kishore kumar . Here what i was trying to mention it is not easy for any artist to sing a song where originally he was not approached. It was the greatness of Rafi to have accepted the song in Abhiman where originally kishore was approached. that is what kishore has said in his tributes for a song in Haathi mere sathi .
A TRIBUTE FROM KISHORE KUMAR ON RAFI SAHEB’s DEATH:
“Rafi sahab mahaan gayak thay, ganay main un ka aor mera saath to kum hi hua magar taalluqat (relations) bahot achhe thay. Dilchasp (interesting) baat yeh hai ke main khud gayak hoon magar mere liye bhi Rafi sahab ne play back diya tha film ‘Rangoli’ aor ‘Shararat’ main.
‘Haathi Mere Sathi’ ke sab mardana (male) geet main ne gay thay magar aakhri geet main itnay utaar chadhao thay k mere bas ka na tha. Main ne saaf keh diya ke yeh geet Rafi sahab ke ilawa aor koi nahin ga sakta. Yeh un ki badai thi k unhon ne faori taor par yeh geet gana qubool kar liya aor is baat ka bura nahin mana k pehle yeh geet unhain kyun nahin diya geya.
Jaisa k log normally samajhte hain, Rafi sahab se mera koi competition nahin tha, woh mujh se kahin achhe gulukaar (singer) thay, main to ek do tarah se gaata hoon woh sao tarah se gatay thay, isi liye woh amar rahain gay.”
Shaam E Rafi Saaheb……………presented by the rafi foundation
off beat songs of legend Mohd rafi saaheb at :
Mumbai’s Mysore auditorium, Matunga c.rly near maheshwari gardens at
8.00 pm.
rare and offbeat numbers will presented by mukesh bhanushali, soumya varma, dr sp misra and n.v. krishnan
music arranger : nandu kerkar veteran who worked with rafi saaheb.
for details : 9833 250 701……. or at facebook.
Biman bhai, Ahmad bhai, Sunil bhai, Gurudattbhai, Bhagchandani bhai, and other whi i may have missed. Thank you!!!
Rafi sahab fans are all one family.
Sunil bhai, i resepect your love and admiration for Rafi Sahab!!
What to mention about Rafi Saheb…….epitome of goodness……….. epitome of singing………charming personality……..cool and calm like an angel. If I select all the excellent words from the dictionary to praise him, they will not be good enough to describe all his qualities he had…..
9971923082
respected salim sahab
nice to read real facts of a superstar singer who make number of superstars in reel life by his graceful singing. Rafi Sahab sung some incredable songs for superstar Amitabh Bachchan from Pyar Ki Kahani (1971) to Desh Premee (1982).
Janab Salim Sahab, we are egarly waiting to read more facts about Mohammed Rafi Sahab, the “Voice of God”.
with best regards
biman baruah
bimanbaruah@yahoo.co.in
09920336509.
salim ji u r right whatever happened is a part of history. But the way it happened made me sad. There is no doubt i am proud of my hero. proud of him as a singer and as a human he had qualities of a farishta . He will be in our heart forever .But of course my sentiments are hurt. We are also human being we too get hurt and i expressed my feelings . These things inside politics of those days i never knew In fact first time i heard it first time from Sonu Nigam when he disclosed that being a Rafi worshiper when he entered industry it was a taboo to take the name of Rafi saheb. I am unable to understand how could industry do this to its Rafi saheb . He is Bharat ki shaan we should consider ourselves fortunate we had such a voice among-st us. I 100% agree whatever u said but we should tell these people Rafi sahebs fans are in there and would do everything possible to get his rightful place in the history despite their playing all the politics. Still media neglecting rafi saheb that is why i feel our role becomes important and vote for Rafi saheb every day we must tell others also. I found that usually rafi saheb is getting 130-150 votes ever day. Yesterday there was a Tag on the face book for Rafi bharat ratan it got over 200 votes. we should easily get 200-300 votes every day if right publicity is given at the right place. We must think over it in a professional way you know it is a market oriented society these days and Rafi saheb is the only Indian who can reach there at the no.1 place if this point is hammered well and at right places it will bring us many more votes and it will help in our mission to become a reality. Thanx
dear rafians,
it is hard to get another rafi saab again.in each and every
aspect he was extraordinary.even some of his fans will be
happy if they see his name in a news paper/magazine or
in an interview somebody is telling about him/in a film
somebody is telling about him.can we expect such an
affection with anybody even with our children?it is a magic
created by god himself.before checking mails related to my
business i used to visit rafi saab’s site first to cast the vote/
see the articles/comments etc.i think the correct word for
this love is “rafisam”
Post 30 and 31
Sunil ji, I get your point about been sad but the fact is we must as a nation must be proud and happy that Rafi Sahab was an Indian. He was a total package both examplry in his skills and in his humanity and innocence.
Imagine to be the best for so many years in an industry where politics and money do the talking and not talent. He not only survived the industry but achieved feats that can never be equalled. The fact that even after 30 years after his passing away he has so much love, admiration and following from people all over the world is something we must cherish and be happy about.
If it makes you any better then let me tell you, all those who were shameslessley involved in trying to side line him are gone in oblivion and have no respect from true music lovers.
Say say in my village “when one tries to spit at the sky, the spit falls on their very faces” Rafi sahab is as tall as the sky, so be happy.
j.k.bhagchandani saab,(post 29) once in tv programe,mahendra kapoor saab told this,that in olden days when he was student of rafi sahab,they went out somewhere they were resting in garden when some college students came there. when they heard of rafisahab they rushed to them where rafi sahab and mahendra kapoor sahab were sitting on long chairs. they requested rafisahab for “autograph’.rafisahab asked m.kapoor that what they were requesting for. mkapoor saab said’ sir, they want ur autograph. rafisahab asked back “what is that”m kapoor saab said >to write ur name<, rafi sahab said o.k please u give them write.m kapoor saab laughed and explained ,to write name in own handwriting meant "autograph". that is so simplest our beloved rafisahab.
sir, whatever I read in the article above made me very sad . whatever i wrote in my comments was an emotional outburst against those who took advantage of Rafi saheb’s kindness . whatever i had said even Jitu Ji and rakesh roshan ji have supported that people used to take advantage of his gentleness. He was a great soul indeed .. history will remember him as ” Hindustan ka sabse bada gaayak “. whether media gives him he space he deserve or not his popularity has grown and will continue to grow among more and more people . for me he is the only superstar i know. There is no point in fighting over the issue of Bharat Ratna becoz it is not in our hand as it is a political issue. But to make Rafi saheb No.1 in the world that is in our hand by voting him on that site. At least we can do that and that is possible. I will request to give it a publicity as he is the only Indian who could make it there if this point is emphasized it will help. Thanx
My most most favourite singer Rafisab: No singer may match his versatility
and humanity..
Pradeep Khanchandani saab, (Post 25) and Rafi fans:
Sometime during the beginning of his illustrious career, once at (or after) a live program, a fan of Rafi saab asked for his autograph. Rafi saab did not understand the meaning. Then one of accompanying participant explained to Rafi saab that he is asking for his signature. 30 years later… this Amitabh Bachan episode..I too have heard the same story. Coming back from the recording of that (with Amitabh Bachan), Rafi saab on reaching home.. called his children and with a child-like twinkle in his eyes told them excitingly that he recorded a song with super star Amitabh Bachan. In between the two episodes Rafi saab had climbed the highest mountain in the field of playback singing. He was ‘a real superstar’ (as the writer has aptly described) in truest sense…. Or should we say the ‘star-maker’. How many actors achieved the fame and stardom on the basis of the magical vocals of Rafi saab who modulated his voice to tailor-make for the actor? Even after achieving such greatness, 30 years later Mohd. Rafi remained the man that he was, down to earth, a genuine noble soul, absolutely unspoilt by all the fame and adulation.
That was Rafi saab. Never behaved the big that he actually was. There are infact no words which can adequately describe his greatness.
-J.K. Bhagchandani
Excellent article Salimji. Very practical and real. No wonder Shahid Rafiji had once said that Rafi Saab was telling him that he was going to sing for Amitabh Bachaan with child-like excitement. Shahid stressed that Mohammed Rafi saab never new how popular the brand Mohammed Rafi saab was.
Only god can come down to earth, and have such outstanding traits of humility, simplicity and caring nature. For a man of such great vocal talent, he was amazingly down to earth and kind.
We people and officials speak about unnecessary politics, why is that the divine Mohammed Rafi saab is not bestowed with Bharat Ratna?
We should definitely ignite this issue everywhere in every possible way
Post 22
It is indeed shocking and shameful that Rafi sahab’s unmatched contribution is not been recognised in way of a baharat ratna.
Having said that, the love, admiration and respect he still commands is second to none. No one can play politics with that, can they.
Thanks Binu ji for your comments and happy to share more information. Any one is free to email me at rafisahab_melody@yahoo.com
Salim bhai Post 15….
i was reading an article on our godly singer in which the writer says :
” we should have honoured mohd rafi for the national integration he brought through his music.
we have not done that. our folly stands corrected as mohd rafi songs and his personae remain intact in the hearts of millions of music lovers.
mohd rafi never had a harsh word for any one . he spoke in hushed tones says dilip kumar.
if ever he raised his tones – it was at the recording studios for a platinum song of a higher octave needing a higher vocal range.
salim ji : we loved your anecdotes. pls wait for two books on the legend to be released by july 2012. also pls leave your email address for correspondence.
mine is : binus2000@hotmail.com and cell : 9833 250 701. Pls stay in touch.
thanks a lot,salimsahab for sharing these unforgettable facts with rafians. i will be happy to lighten one more example of simplicity and divine soul of rafi sahab.once shahidrafi sahab had told this event.after recording of ‘chal mere bhai tere hath jodta hoon’ with amitabh bachan rafisahab returned home with a special smile and cheerfulness on face.[special means more than as usual as rafi sahab has always natural special smile on face usually.].he told his children”…….you know with whom had i sung today? a super star had recorded a song with me….. what a simplicity of a great legend. i was confused who was the superstar. amitji who had given hit films or rafisahab who had made many simple actors,a superstar by giving them his golden voice.would any other singer who would have touched the sky, underestimate himself against amitabhji at that time .perhaps never. this is only rafisahab with heavenly divine soul.and simplicity.
Salim saab,
It always makes me very happy to read more and more about Rafi saab’s generosity and humility. Your article was unputdownable, liberally sprinkled as it is with so many delightful anecdotes. Thank you for sharing
rgds
Utthara
pradip ji .. as suggested by sh. Binu ji i am writing to you why comments posted by me have been removed or are not visible … An ardent fan of rafi saheb i am writing comments regularly but it is the first time that my comments have not find a place in your esteemed site .
respected salim saab,
wonderful write up.if you call me to my number 09480336921
you can hear the song “teri bindiyaare” as caller tune.in 1980s
from the trissur radio station on every sunday at 1.30 pm there
was hindi songs up to 2pm.and this song they used to play almost
all weeks.it is my favourite.i used to imagine to have all male songs
of “abhiman” sung by rafi saab.
once lataji told rafi saab was at his best in this song with her.
with very best wishes,
ahamed kutty
ASA Dr. Khaja Aliuddin Sahab
I read your comment after a long sukoot.. I too would like to quote some couplets of Mohsin Naqvi (maybe he might told these ashaar keeping in mind someone, but I take this couplet assuming it for Rafi Sahab – Samat farmayen……:
abhii kyaa kahe.n abhii kyaa sunaaye.n
ke sar-e-fasiil-e-sukuut-e-jaa.N
kuf-e-roz-o-shab pe sharar numaa
vo jo harf jarf charaaG thaa
use kis havaa ne bujhaa diyaa
kabhii lab hile.nge to puuchhanaa
sar-e-sahar-e-ahad-e-visaal-e-dil
vo jo nikahato.n kaa hujuum thaa
use dast-e-mauj-e-firaaq ne
tah-e-Khaak kab se milaa diyaa
kabhii gul khile.nge to puuchhanaa
abhii kyaa kahe.n abhii kyaa sunaaye.N
yuu.N hii Khvaahisho.n ke fishaar me.n
kabhii be-sabab kabhii beKhalal
kahaa.N kaun kis se bichha.D gayaa
kise kis ne kaise ga.Nvaa diyaa
kabhii phir mile.nge to puuchhanaa
long live Rafi Sahab.
Thanks & best regards
H.A.K. Walijah
ASA, Janab Salim Sahab,
Bahut khoob, please continue to share your fond memories about rafi sahab. we love to listen.
Yousuf Quadri from chicago ne kiya khoob kaha hai. samath farmaiye:
” aawaz ka shahinsha ”
Aawaz ki ek shama hawaaon me jaga kar
khamoosh rafi ho gaye dil apna dikha kar
ek khawab rafi ban gaye veeran-e dil me
ashkon ki har ek aankh me khaleen bicha kar
armaan jo tha haj ka woh jab hogaya poora
phirte hain rafi aalam-e arwaah me ja kar
” Shahzade aawaz ” hai ezaaz rafi ka
jannath ke hawale tu inhen mere khuda kar
aawaz sunaai de tujhe jab kabhi yousuf
is saahib-e naghmath ki bakhshish ki dua kar
Long live Rafi Sahab,
An ardent fan of Rafi sahab,
Dr. Khaja Aliuddin
Binu bhai
Thanks very much for your kind comemnts. I highly appreciate it. I have been meismerised by Rafi sahabs voice since i was 4 years old. My father used to visit Rafi Sahabs house as we lived nearby. I remember the first show my father took in 1979 and how I will never forget the crowd as till that point of time, i never saw so many people in one place.
I have many fond memories of Rafi Sahab that I will keep sharing in future articles. I thank the administrators for posting my articles and my co Rafians for their incredible support and interest.
post 9…. sunil ji..
i am ‘ not ‘ the moderator nor the administrator of this honourable site as many would think.
kindly address it to mr pradip who has kept this site glowing mostly for the last ten years or so…….
thanks.
binu nair
the rafi foundation
mumbai
such – “undiluted love for the last emperor mohd rafi saaheb is witnessed in the article and it makes the heart happy”
there are millions of music lovers who cant write like our ‘own’ salim K but they feel the divinity and nuances of rafi saahebs songs.
glad to know that some ardent music lovers and kishore kumar admirers in chennai – a non hindi speaking city will host dedicated mohd rafi shows there on July 31st this year.
the rafi foundation just last week held a shaam e rafi saheb musical in salem city with a team of singers from mumbai.
the magic and divinity of mohd rafi songs never stops.
thanks mr salik k.
from the rafi foundation, mumbai
9833 250 701
Sajid bhai
It is not only the voice of Rafi Sahab that makes him the number one singer but the way he sings and the way he takes the song to another level and that too with humility, love and modesty.
These traits are uncommon let alone in a singer but also in the world community today. All we see today is people bragging about how good they are and thats indicates their insecurity and mediocrity. Playback singing is finished, today its just about manipulative singing where the rechnology sings more than the singer.
Those days will never come back but we can cherish the fact that we have once in a life time legends like Rafi Sahab that brough purity and class in an industry that is impure and classless.
Asalamu Alaikum Salim Sahab,Thanx For Sharing Unique Article About Amit ji And Rafi Sahab,I Have Shared This Article In Face Book,Kindly Visit Each And Every Pages Of Our beloved Rafi Sahab”s Blog,Over 800 Pages Are There,Kindly Visit This Links,Take Care,Allah Khafiz
http://www.rafifanblog.blogspot.in/
http://www.youtube.com/user/mohamedparvez?feature=mhee
Regards
Mohamed Parvez
WAS, Walijah Saab, Thank you for your kind words, coming from an excellent writer like you is a big compliment.
Ramesh bhai, you are special. I love these emotions as they bring the best out of us.
Halder Sahab…thank you for your comments and appreciation. Thanks to all others (Zaheendanish , Onika, javed sahab, Sajid bhai, Jasbir bhai and all my Rafian frriends) for your support and appreciation.
excellent , i think simple honest human being hardly care for any lost or any credits, they simple give their best, they never think like usually business minded or stardom craving ppl.
i think , may be some day some one can come too closer or match exactly rafi sahab voice, but to be like him , its 101% impossible
Dear Binu Ji, My comments are not visible have they been removed if so why ?
Haider saab,
I completely agree with you. Kishore sang Tere Mere Milan song from Abhiman well. But Raffi Saab’s rendition would have taken the song to different heights. You mention you have audio visualized that song in Raffi Saab’s voice. Can you post it on this site for everyone to enjoy?
Even today the best song of Abhiman still remains Teri Bindiya Re and the way Raffi saab says “Thumak Thumak Chale Hain” creates a pang in once heart…..
Keep the write ups coming…..
Dear Salim Sahab,
Xlnt writeup. Thanks a million for bringing out such nuances & anecdotes that we all so cherish!! The flow of the writeup is such engrossing…anyone would cry with joy…
ramesh narain kurpad sahab, pl stop your emotional outburst now. This reminds me of SP Balasubramanyams interview in regional language-where he says the moment there is a mention of Rafi Sahab, tears start to roll down his eyes!!! Thats the magic called rafi Sahab!!
Grt playback singer Manna Dey himself has confessed- . The Hindu-“Rafi was undoubtedly the greatest playback singer, Mukesh was nonpareil in his nasal tone, Hemant Kumar had a golden voice, and Kishore was a self-trained genius. I sang the maximum of my duet numbers with Rafi and we shared a deep silent regard for each other.”
Lets keep up the good work.
Janab Salim Sahab, ASA
A very heart touching write up. I congratulate you to bring forth so many facts and anecdotes which we Rafians love to read, enjoy and for some extent “Cry” as it is true according to Ramesh Narain Kurpad sahab. we always do when something makes our heart more emotional while remembring Rafi Sahab as it is said in other way –
NAA FANKAAR TUJH SA TERE BAAD AAYAA
MOHAMMED RAFI TUU BAHOT YAAD AAYA.
Well done, keep continue to enthrall us by your excellent informative masterpieces.
Best regards
H.A.K. Walijah
salim K sahab,
adaab rafi,
an emotional response,
either i continue crying or comment
i continue crying.
ramesh narain kurpad
excellent write up.great kudos..perhaps the fact is that as i learnt n read in some megazines that all the songs of film abhiman were recorded by rd burman as sdb was sick and later on sdb recorded teri bindhya…duet by rafi lata…
Salim Saab,
Great !!!, I dont have even words to express my feelings after going through the article.
Sir P. Haldar,
I will really appreciate If you can please share audio-visualized of song “tere mere milan” in rafi’s voice.
Thanks in advance.
Regards
-Yogesh
salim bhai, rafi sahab ki jitni bhi taarif ki jaaye utna hi kum hai, rafi sahab ke baare mein jo bhi kaha aur likha jaata hai woh bahut hi kam hai.
rafi sahab ne un artists ke liye bhi gaaya hai jo other singer’s ko preference dete the, lekin agar rafi sahab wale gaane un artist par naa hote to unka carieer kya hota ,
kya amitabh. rajesh aur manoj yaa dev sahab bhi behtar jaante hai aur in sab par rafi sahab ke gaane bhi hit hue hai , aur to aur kishore daa ke liye bhi rafi sahab ne playback diya hai
once again salim bhai hats off to you for such a article.
vinod mehru
09768245368
What a write up. Shows not only the true bravery, class and quality of Rafi Sahab but also the dirty politics that were been played in the 70’s.
I am shocked that SD Burman could actually belive he could get away with this? Why he did not ask his favorite Kishore to sing why was Rafi bought in the equation, why not Mukesh on Manhar asked to sing this?
Salim bhai can you please add more on this.
why are comments being held up for moderation since After noon . Admin. may please look into.
Salim bhai,
Very interesting article! There’s a Rafi fan called Priya Sanyal, who had mentioned that sd had rehearsed Lata separately for the Abhiman duet. Given that SD always tried to remain true to the script, I think that this is highly possible. Lata was also asked to sing at a slightly higher pitch. But the results are there for all to see — and hear! She did a good job, but as you’ve rightly pointed out, was dominated by Rafi. I found SD’s selection of Manhar for the “loote koi man ka nazaar” very strange; your piece clears the air.
The other famous duet in the film, “Tere mere milan”, is based on a Rabindra sangeet tune. Although Rafi had sung Bengali folk-based songs for Dada before, this was his first real chance to deliver a Rabindra sangeet-based song. In my judgment — and I’m a very small person to be commenting on a genius like Dada — this is one of the very few times Dada erred in his selection of singers. I’ve audio-visualized this song in Rafi’s voice many many times and my unbiased verdict is that Rafi would have taken this song to a totally different level.
Regards,
P. Haldar
mindblowing aritcle ,keep it up salim sahab.
Sir, This articles only further strengthens the belief we all know. We know what kind of gentleman Rafi saheb was that is why many times people used to use him because they knew he won’t say no to legends like Burman Da. When kishore refused to sing that song there may be 2 reason 1) That song requires classical rendition he knew he wont be able to match with lata ji there and secondly as mentioned in the article after that dialogue . All other songs given to kishore why this song to Rafi saheb . Similarly in the Movie “Mukkadar ka sikandar” all songs were given to kishore why then he was called to sing “zindgi toh bewafa hai — slow sad version” . Kalyanji bhai says when we called Rafi saheb he was reluctant he said ” when kishore is singing all the songs why u have called me for this”. Kalyanji bhai says we told him because this only you can sing this song . what a farce people used to do with a simple man like Rafi saheb to get their job done. At the opening ceremony of the Rafi foundation Rakesh roshan and Jitendra ji said and the clip u can see on the You tube that Rafi saheb was such a gentle man that people used to use him This is proved by these two incidents there may be many more I am sure. We all Rafians salute Rafi saheb as their hero .. A superstar of all stars Indeed.
Salim Sahab,
Wonderful article, full of facts and anecdotes, very interesting to read and enjoy.
Please keep writing, you got spell of writing like other Rafians.
Thanks
Zaheen Danish