The Rafi-Kishore saga
The following article appeared in The Statesman,Calcutta, on Aug.7 th 2005. It will give more food for thought to the ongoing debate about the Rafi personality and magic – Mohan Flora .
Mohd. Rafi was the greatest playback singer, asserts Ranjan Das Gupta as he pays tribute on the melody kings 25th death anniversary. Rafi was a classically trained singer while Kishore was naturally endowed with excellent resonance. The latter was a versatile genius, singer, music director, actor, writer and director all rolled into one. Both were proficient singers but had separate individual styles.
In the 1950s Rafi literally ruled the roost. He was the most favoured singer for veteran composers like Naushad, S.D. Burman, Shanker Jaikishan, Madan Mohan while Kishore was preferred by S.D. Burman and Salil Choudhury who was playback mainly for Dev Anand and his own films. Rafi on the other hand could balance his melodious voice for diverse stars like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Shammi Kapoor.
It is an astonishing fact that O.P. Nayar used Rafi to sing for Kishore Kumar the unforgettable tune Man Mora Bawra in Ragini in 1957. Shanker Jaikishan also had Rafi to sing Ajab Hai Dastan in Shararat in 1958. Says record museum owner Vinod Santhalia, It is simply amazing. Imagine Mohd. Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in films Kishore himself acted.
Shanker Jaikishan commented, No doubt Kishore Kumar is a good singer. He sang beautifully for me in Rangoli. But Ajab Hai Dastan was simply not Kishores cup of tea. The mukhdas and antaras required a singer of Rafis range and classical background.
Although Kishore Kumar felt bad about this, he could only marvel at Rafis brilliant rendering of the two songs. Rafi characteristically remarked, No one else except Kishore could sing Dukhi Man Mera in Funtoosh so well.
Salil Choudhury was not favourably inclined towards Rafi at one point of time, but even he was compelled to use Rafi for the unforgettable Tootey Huey Khuabo Nay in Madhumati and Koi Soney Ke Dil Wala in Maya and confess that Rafi was indeed peerless.
It is generally known that Rafi and Kishore went through a bad patch in their relationship. Yet it is also true that both liked and respected each other. S.D. Burman openly admitted to Kishore that the three solos in Guide by Rafi could not be matched by any singer. On Dev Anands special request, he composed the Kishore-Lata super hit duet Gata Rahe Mera Dil for Guide. Similarly, Rafis numbers in Teen Deviyan and the haunting duet with Lata Mangeshkar in Jewel Thief were far superior to the Kishore numbers in these films.
In the late 60s when R.D. Burman composed the melody for Tum Bin Jaaun Kahan in Pyar Ka Mausam, he experimented the same solo with both Rafi and Kishore. True, Kishore sang this number by melodiously incorporating his inimitable yodelling. But in the romantic number, Rafi scored over Kishore in melody.
The 60s was also considered Rafis decade though Kishore matured considerably as a singer during this period. The Jungle Mein Mangal number Woh Din Ke Baat Sharan Karo had both Rafi and Kishore together but is somehow not remembered that well. But Shanker Jaikishans Hanste Gate Jahan Se Guzar in Andaz by Rafi quite eclipsed Kishores entire Zindagi Ek Safar in 1971.
Madan Mohan also used both Rafi and Kishore in the song Yu Na Sharma for Parwana in 1972. Kishore sang the happy rendition for hero Navin Nischal. But there was Rafi again to do full justice to the Are Hansnewale, the melancholic aspect of the same song for Amitabh Bachchan.
In the 1970s the Kishore Kumar wave took the Hindi film music by storm and was backed by R.D. Burman. Some critics felt R.D was partial to Kishore and avoided using Rafi. The Rafi Kishore duet Yaadon Ki Barat from the film with the same title in 1973 turned out to be a superhit. But it cannot be categorised either as an exclusive Rafi or a Kishore gem for both sang in perfect harmony.
Subsequently, R.D. Burman opted for Rafi again after four years as no other singer could have rendered so skillfully Chand Mera Dil and Kya Hua in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin; that too in a film with many Kishore Kumar superhits like Mil Gaya and Aa Meri Jaan.
When Rafi sang Darde Dil for Laxmikant Pyarelal in Karz in1980 based on a single note, he proved melody was indeed God-gifted to him, remembers upcoming singer Sujan Bose. Kishores Ay Mere Umar Ke and Ek Hasina Thi could not touch that level. The same can be said for Rajesh Roshan’s Yarana where Rafi’s Aare Re Aisa Tarana completely surpassed Kishore’s Sara Zamana and Tere Jaisa.
Mohd. Rafi left for his heavenly abode on 31 July, 25 years ago. Remembers author Nabaran Bhattacharya, The photo of a silent, sad and grief-struck Kishore in the newspapers portrayed very well that no one except him understood what an irreparable loss had taken place in Indian film music.
As Kishore himself said when Jagjit Singh criticised the Rafi gharana, How dare these so-called ghazal singers criticise an icon that Manna Dey, Mukesh and I dare not criticise. Rafi was unique.
I saw “SA RE GA MA” and i like the way Rafiq sang that song. He should get chance to sing in this program.
Don’t get me wrong here but i am writing fact which has been told by many singer/Mds during this shows.
Parents asked their child to sing their fav. songs without worrying their potential so somethime kid do justice and sometime fails.
In 2nd episode, one small sweet girl from Naini, ALLAHABAD, tried to sing a duets from “JAISE KO TAISA”. She could not do justice to this songs.
COnclusion: I did not doubt rafiq’s potential but here i mean to say, he was handicap child and he could not get any song better than this. I hates off to Majrooh and LP.
My friend Sungma,
This is with refrence to songs pictured in the CAR.
How can you compare “Pukarta Chala hu main” and “Koun hai jo sapno me aaya” with “MERE Sapno Ki Rani”.
All 3 songs are different but first 2 Rafi songs are very similar in case of rhythm, style and mood and they are not same songs as “TUM BIN JAAON KAHAN” but “ARADHANA” was totally different.
If I want to listen fast and rejuvanated songs then I prefer “Aradhana” and “MERE JEEVAN SAATHI” (CHALA JAATA HU..) and if i want to listen soft then i would listen Rafi’s no.
What do you say abt Rafi’s song :
1. CHAKKE PE CHAKKA, CHAKKE PE GAADI …Jolly song..nowhere stand in front of KISHORE’s songs
2. TUM JO MIL GAYE HO…KISHORE’s 2 nos. numbers are much better than this.
Bravo Sagar,
Well written. I can feel the emotions you must have felt hearing Rafiq sing the song even though I did not watch the program. My heart goes out to the poor unlucky guy. Rafi magic at work!
DEAR RAFI DEVOTEES,
I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL …..
FEW DAYS BACK I WAS WATCHING ” ZEE TV ” AND THERE WAS A SHOW GOING ON ” SA RE GA MA ” HOSTED BY SHAAN ..AND THE JUDGES WERE BAPPI LAHIRI AND ALKA YAGNIK … IT WAS KIDS CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER 14 YEARS …
IN THAT SHOW THERE WAS A PARTICIPANT WHO WAS ORPHAN WORKING IN A HOTEL HIS NAME WAS ” RAFIQ ” HAD A LIMB ON ONE OF THIS LEG … HE WAS ELIMINATED JUST BECAUSE HE DIDNT HAD THE AGE PROOF … THE SPECIALITY OF THAT EPISODE WAS THAT ALL THE KID PARTICIPANTS HAD TO SING SONGS WHICH BAPPI LAHIRI HAD COMPOSED.
WHEN ” RAFIQ ” WAS ELIMINATED BEFORE HE LEFT SHAAN REQUESTED HIM TO SING A SONG .. THAT BOY CAME ON STAGE AND HE SAID ” BAPPI SAHAB MUJHE MAAF KIJIYE MUJHE AAPKA KOI GAANA YAAD NAHI HAIN … LEKIN JAANE SE PEHLE MEIN EK ” RAFI SAHAB ” KA GAANA GAANE KI IZAAZAT CHAHTA HUN .” BAPPI LAHIRI AGREED………
THE SONG WHICH ” RAFIQ ” SANG WAS ” JAANEWALO JARA … FROM THE FILM DOSTI ” ……
MY DEAR RAFIANS THE VOICE OF THAT BOY WAS SO DIVINE THAT FOR ONE MOMENT I THOUGHT THAT RAFI SAHAB HIMSELF IS SINGING THAT SONG .. AND I WAS NOT WRONG BECAUSE THE WAY HE SANG THAT SONG WAS SUCH PIOUS THAT AFTER THAT SONG EVERYONE IN THAT STUDIO ” STOOD UP ” ….INCLUDING BAPPI AND ALKA ……..
AFTER THE SONG THE BOY SAID ” AAJ MERI BADKISMATI HAIN KI MEIN APNE UMRA KA DAKHLA NAHI DE SAKTA “….. LEKIN MEIN YAHA GAA PAYA YEHI MERE LIYE BAHUT HAIN …”
FRIENDS THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ANYONE DEEPLY KNOWS RAFI SAHAB.. THE SONG WHICH HE SELECTED WAS OF RAFI SAHAB .SO DOESNT IT PROVE THAT RAFI SAHAB IS THERE FOR EVERYONE , EVERY SITUATION.
AND NOT ONLY THE SONG BUT THE VOICE OF THAT BOY WAS SO FANTASTIC THAT IT CHANGED THE ENTIRE ENVIRONMENT OF THE SHOW BECAUSE BEFORE HE SANG THE SONG .. OTHER KIDS WERE SINGING BAPPI’S MEDIOCRE SONGS .. BUT WHEN ” RAFIQ ” GAVE THE FINAL TOUCH BY SINGING RAFI SAHAB’S SONG .. I HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH A VOICE I MEAN I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IT WAS NONE OTHER THAN RAFI SAHAB HIMSELF ….
ITS SO HARD TO ACCEPT THAT JUDGES ALLOWED THAT BOY TO GO AWAY JUST FOR A MERE AGE PROOF…… BUT THE WAY THAT BOY MADE EXIT WAS SO TOUCHING AND A TRUE TIME SHOT … EACH AND EVERY PERSON IN THAT STUDIO INCLUDING THE DIRECTOR, MUSICIANS STOOD UP AND GAVE A SALUTE TO THAT BOY………….
I AM GLAD AND HAPPY THAT I AM A RAFIAN AND BLESSED WITH HIS SONGS….
PEOPLE WHO HAS SEEN THAT EPISODE WILL AGREE WITH ME……
A view from the web:
Of Tragic Jeep Songs & More
Pukaarta chala hun main,
Gali gali, bahaar ke,
Bas ek chhaanv zulf ki,
Bas ek nigaah pyaar ki,
Pukaarta chala hun main…
It was Mohd. Rafi time in the car today, and a drive back down memory lane. Back to the first time my sister actually sang the song to me, and my liking it instantly. To those days of my old Dyanora B/W TV, and watching Vishwajit pretending to drive a jeep and serenading a lovely woman who was riding a bicycle with some other lovely women. Incidentally, it was also the first Hindi song I managed to play on the guitar.
The jeep reminded me of another famous Rafi song….
Kaun hai jo sapnon mein aaya,
Kaun hai jo dil mein samaaya,
Lo jhuk gaya aasmaan bhi,
Ishq mera rang laaya,
O Priya….
Maybe it was something to do with those days of my childhood. Not exactly carefree, but definitely less stressful 🙂 J Perhaps, it was the hint of sadness in the knowing that the hero would meet with a fatal accident in the movie right after the song that made it even dearer. (Yeah, my morbid fascination harks back to a tender age.) Perhaps, I loved the song because my sister’s name is Priya and the guys in her class would keep singing the song each time she passed by…. Especially this one chap who was the most besotted of the lot. I plotted revenge against him and made the best use of a particular Holi when I rained him with water balloons from the safety of my terrace.
Yet another tragic-jeep song that comes to mind is Kishore’s hugely famous…
Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu,
Hai rut mastaani kab aayegi tu,
Beeti jaaye zindagani kab aayegi tu,
Chali aa tu, chali aa….
I just made a mental note that Rafi sounded better than Kishore (in tragic jeep songs at least!!), when one of the other guys in the car proclaimed, “Rafi is far better than Kishore!â€. It set off an intense debate and analysis in the car. I preferred to stay out of the discussion…till a vote was called for. I was the last one to exercise my franchise in this case. Not that it mattered, it was a 4-1 washout in favour of Rafi anyway. The solitary Kishore fan was quick to change sides and it became a 5-0 sweep. I was dumb enough to mention this, and immediately the topic changed to the elections….
Leke pehla pehla pyaar….
I shut the world out.
Hi sungma,
Thanks for the song which is really a masterpiece. Also, nice to hear about your efforts to create a northern chapter of the great singer. However, I would suggest you to contact other like-minded fans so that we do not have splinter groups. Rather amalgate smaller ones into one big unit. A great Rafi fan from Canada is visiting me on the 14 th. and will stay with me for a week. He has had the opportunity of playing host to Rafisaab in Detroit in the 1970s. Hope to extract some anecdotes on the singer from him.
You may ignore avi’s comments. They were meant for me. I have long become immune to sarcastic and biting comments from people I do not care about.
Hi Shanker,
I went through your latest blog, in which you have mentioned even God cannot sing like KK. I have full simpathy with you and pray to God to have mercy on you for writing such a comment. Probabily you are completely out of your senses, May God bless you.
Dear avi,
Something is wrong with you. Why do you always want to pick a quarrel/argument with everyone? We want to help and my wish to help was genuine. Rafisaab’s birthplace has gained government backing only be’cos the Rafians raised a cry. Sidhu’s hometown is Patiala in one corner of Punjab whereas he represents Amritsar in the opposite corner. Anyway, the main force behind the development works is actor Hardip Gill and his wife Anita. There is also a local Mohammed Rafi Memorial Society with head office in the capital Chandigarh. Sidhu may be a Bar Bol according to you, but that is what is needed-someone who can create publicity. Due to some of his big talk, Amritsar has got the development of the international airport expedited. Hopefully, the developments in Rafi’s village will get expedited too. My advice to you avi, don’t try to jump on everyone. You have seen very little of the world-as is obvious from your posts. You might get hurt in the process-mentally of course.
Dear Friend,
We also know but last year Babulal Gaur said that he (His government) will take care of Kishore’s house.
This year i saw his house in TV which is not bad but not good also but till last year noone bother abt Rafi’s existance in Punjab. Few old Punjabi’s who brought up with rafi, they said the negligance of givernment toward his house.
FYI, SIDHU is BOL BACHAN. He just know how to talk and impress others. Did you know how many times he visited his constituency though his constituency is near to his home town.
You wrote abt Shabbir Kumar, Did you know he absconded and later arrested last year in charge of demanding dowry from his daughter-in-law.
Boss, I feel indian governemnt should take care of our 3 legends (KISHORE, MUKESH n Rafi) property and convert it into monuments.
Dear Anmol, mohanflora and other friends,
Singers may come and singers may go but one voice will remain forever-Mohammed Rafi. No point in indulging in unnecessary arguments on his steadfast position as emperor of indian playback singing. He is still the god of playback singing!
News from a few years back.
Stars of the Millennium
Super star Amitabh Bachchan and the late Nargis were adjudged the best actor and actress of the millennium at a glittering Stardust – HeroHonda millennium awards nite at the Film city.
The honour of the Best director went to the Late Raj Kapoor and that of the Best Film to Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’. Naushad was the best music director and Pran the best villain while Mehmood was the best comedian.
Late Mohmmed Rafi was the best male playback singer of the millennium while Late Mangeshkar received the honoue of the best female playback singer .The Honour of the best lyricist went to Majrooh Sultanipuri.
The Stardust-Hero Honda Millennium were conceived as a salute to Indian Cinema and noted actor and chairman of the Film Traning Institute of India (FTII) Dr Mohan Agashe was the Chairman of the jury. The honours ceremony started off with the traditional lamp lighting ceremony,followed by an audio visual ‘Cinema Ka Safar and Homage’.The millennium segment spanning the entire millinnium was hosted by Amin Sayani.
Dear Rafians,
Let this never happen to Rafisaab! Rafi fans and the local Govt. including MP Navjot Sidhu are taking care of Rafi ‘s birth place in Punjab. His samadhi in Mumbai was visited by Rafi fans and Shabbir Kumar among others on July 31st. and seems to be cared for! Let’s also do something for KK’s birthplace. What say you avi and shanker?
Aug.9th.,2006
Kishore Kumar fans await Javed Akhtar’s money
——————————————————————————–
By Sanjay Sharma, IANS
Lyricist Javed Akhtar is under attack for not giving the ‘promised money’ to renovate a memorial to singing legend Kishore Kumar at his birthplace here.
The fans say that Javed Akhtar last year publicly pledged to donate the Rs.100,000 in prize money he got for winning the Kishore Kumar National Award to renovate the Kishore memorial. But he has not kept the promise.
“Javed’s gesture was a gimmick,” said a fan in Khandwa, 192 km from Bhopal.
The Kishore Kumar award, instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1997, is given away for direction, acting, script writing and lyrics every year. It carries Rs.100,000 and a citation. Akhtar won it last year.
Khandwa residents say even after a year Javed Akhtar’s promised money is yet to reach the town.
Kishore Kumar was born in Khandwa Aug 4, 1929. The singer’s family house stands opposite the Khandwa railway station in a dilapidated condition. The singer left for Mumbai (then Bombay) when he was 18. He died on Oct 13, 1987, in Mumbai from a heart attack. He was cremated in Khandwa.
As a tribute to the singer, the Khandwa municipal corporation erected a two-foot-high, 15-foot-long and 10-foot-wide rectangular structure at the cremation ground as a memorial.
However, the so-called memorial has neither a plaque nor an epitaph. The structure has, in the 19 years since the singer-actor died, literally fallen apart.
Wild grass and shrubs grow through the cracks in the structure. Many tiles have chipped off. A portrait faintly resembling the singer can still be seen.
The people of Khandwa collected Rs.100,000 by contributing a rupee each for a memorial in an effort coordinated by Bollywood poet-lyricist Vitthal Bhai Patel. But Khandwa Mayor Tarachand Agarwal did not permit the restoration.
Even Kishore’s son Amit Kumar has not bothered to get the memorial repaired, says Sita Ram, who has been the watchman at Kishore’s house for over 35 years.
“Amit visited Khandwa only twice – once when Kishoreda was cremated and the second time on his way to Indore for a show. He promised to perform stage shows in Khandwa to raise money to get the memorial repaired,” Sita Ram told IANS.
But he never did.
dear anmol singh,
thanks for once again proving your “knowledge” by choosing not to argue technically to my points. u did a great job by “giving up”.
dear vicky,
i hope u realize that u r actually giving credit to kk and taking away credit from rafi. yes, kk’s voice in “diye jalte hain, phool khilte hain” is different from “o saathi re tere bina bhi kya jeena”, which is again different from “hum bolega to bologe ke bolta hai”, which is different from “aake seedhi lagi dil pe jaise katariya”, which is very different from “aanewala pal jaanewala hai” etc.
this is because kk changes his voice depending upon the actor and the situation. rafi sings with the same voice always because he doesn’t know how to sing in a different voice. rafi’s voice for shammi kapoor is same as rafi’s voice for rajendra kumar or dev anand or biswajeet.
rafi can change the tone of his voice depending upon the type of song, i.e., ghazal or fun type or patriotic etc. but he CANNOT change his WHOLE VOICE like kk can do. that’s kk’s genius and nobody else can do that.
we do not answer to critics like anmol singh etc. who claim kk’s songs are easy to sing. we just ask them to find someone who can sing them better than he did. i challenge anybody here to find someone who can sing “phoolon ke rang se, dil ki kalam se” better than kk. there’s nobody, not rafi, not bhimsen joshi, or even god himself, who can sing that song better than kk. it’s a simple song, but kk made it immortal, and impossible to recreate. that’s the genius of kk. he took the simplest songs and created magic with them.
however, if i ask bhimsen joshi or ali akbar khan or pandit jasraj, they can sing “o duniya ke rakhwale” better than rafi did, even while sleeping.
that’s the essence of my point. every classical song that rafi sang, including “man tarpat hari darshan”, “o duniya ke rakhwaale”, “madhuban mein radhika” etc., any advanced classical singer, like a pandit or ustad, can sing very easily and probably much better. but none of them can do justice to the simplest song of kk.
in “madhuban mein radhika”, ustad amir khan or some other ustad sang mukhri’s part ( that crazy alaap used for comedy in the song). do u know why ? bcos rafi can’t sing that complicated taans or alaaps.
dear avi,
now u proving to be a kk fanatic seriously!!”Whatever songs you have mentioned against Kishore’s songs are good but i believe not much variation as Kishore’s song had”.kishores wch song has had more variations than the ‘yahoo song’ the song ‘koi hota jisko apna’ is a plain melancholic song there is absolutely no variation in this song.the song ‘pyar hamein kis mod pe’ was sung by 3 singers abt the song ‘tera bina zindagi’ this is wht i felt n i am not forcing my views on u.just answer 1 simple question of mine y kk had to change his voice ?his original voice is the one in the song’diya jalte hain’ n just listen to the song’o saathi re’ wht a voice change never heard rafisaab doing tht he sang for many stars but never ever he changed his voice!!!!
My Dear friend Anmol,
I am sorry to say that Prashant Veer is Kishore fan as i am Rafi fan.
Shankar’s analysis was very good and very true.
Hi Shankar,
Thanks for your repeatative analysis. He are proud to have a KK fan like Prashant Veer.
Hi Mohan,
Thanks for posting such an article. Perhaps majority of Rafi Fans have undergone through such an experience, before they actually became Rafi fans. One should have a musical mind and a humble soul to feel the depth of Rafi’s voice. Unfornately all are not so lucky to have a humble soul.
Mohd Rafi is an institution by itself. Since this voice has been explored by majority Music Composers of all times, it indeed provides a solution to almost every aspect of singing. Most MDs came from diverse cultures and different parts of India, but Rafi’s voice meets the expectation of representing any Indian culture perfectly.
dear shanker rafi sahab was the best , i can make those nonsense redicuolous
noises such as gilli billoi akka (this was sung by a bad singer known as kisore dah!!!!
Dear Vicky,
I personally believe Kishore sang better than Lata in “TERE BINA Zindagi”.
As you said in favor of “man Tadpat”
” knowledgeable guy criticized ‘man tarpat hari darshan ko’ 100 of knowledgeable guys praised it!!”
Same thing is valid for”tere bina zindagi”. Similarly, Kishore sang the last antara in movie named GHAR….”TERE BINA JIYA JAAYE NA”. Aghain i feel Kishore version is better than Lata.
Whatever songs you have mentioned against Kishore’s songs are good but i believe not much variation as Kishore’s song had.
Again FYI: “YAHOO” is shouted by PRAYAG RAJ
I came adross this review by a young 20 year old in mouthshut .com. He speaks for thousands of others of their generation who are shifting over to the rafi school of music and thought after coming in contact with his music:
Mohd. Rafi
By: prince2a | Aug 06, 2005 10:54 AM (Updated Aug 07, 2005 12:55 PM)
To begin with, Mohammed Rafi just did not exist for me about 3 years before. Only singer that I knew a bit was Kishore Kumar (I still like some of his songs). It sounds strange isn’t it? I never cared about voice. But then that is the truth. It is even more stranger considering the fact that now I cannot get enough of his voice. Now how did this happen?
My music taste was as common as it can be for a 20 year old guy. Techno?..dancing music. It was more of music or the sound for me rather than the melody or voice of it. Even then I thoroughly enjoyed O haseena zulphowali and aaja aaja. But I never cared about the voice. I just fleetingly noticed that it is melodious..a lot melodious than any other
voice that I had heard. But then thats it.
Things stated changing when I carefully listened to Rafisaab’s songs. Below is the list of 10 songs of Rafisaab that made me realize his greatest-ness. I know a lot more about Rafisaab now. These songs, according to some people and even as per me now, might not be his best. But they are still special to me because, in a way, they started my fascination for Rafisaab’s voice.
1) Dard-e-dil – Trendy voice. Trendy..yeah…..that is the most apt word. Till date, for me, it remains as the most stylishly sung song ever. Of course the tune itself was drastically different but his voice is very modern in it. Now that I know his music journey and I know that he sang some classics in late 1940s, it amazes me even more. This was, in fact, one of his last songs. If this is not longevity then what is it? If this is not versatility then no other singer in this world in versatile. If it is indeed versatility then no other singer is as versatile as Rafisaab forget about more. My Rafi-oriented music journey started with this song.
2) Kar chale hum fida – I heard it on an independence day about 2 years before at a public place….with full sound. I was stunned! ……zinda rehne ke mausam bahot hai magar……jaan dene ki rut roj aati nahi…… It gave me goose bumps then and it still gives me lots of them every time I listen to it. The best of all patriotic songs ever! Great lyrics! Greater composition by one and only Madan Mohan! And the voice…it is sheer magic. Anybody who says that his voice probably was too sweet and melodious and therefore he did not sound ?strong? enough (or pahadi awaz as thay say in hindi) at times should listen to this and then shut their mouths. I respect it as much as I respect the national anthem.
3) Rang aur noor ki baraat – Can anybody find a single fault in his singing here? What I started getting was that, for a music director, Rafisaab was an answer to every damn kind of a song under the earth. All of his songs that I listened to were essentially different from each other. As a matter of fact, it can be noticed that when the current lot of singers do shows like harmony on sony and sing oldies, not many of them attempt Rafisaab’s songs. And whenever they do, they sound pathetic….to say the least. I heard Kumar Sanu once singing hui shaam unka khayaal…. Can you believe that? He made a fool out of himself but he was effortless when singing some Kishore Kumar songs. I heard Shaan once on saregama singing rang aur noor and he too failed….miserably.
4) Ehsaan tera hoga muzpar – This song was again very important because it is sung by Lata too! Do I need to say anything here? Rafisaab’s voice is more melodious and superior than Lata. I felt the same impact when I listened to mere mehboob, jo wada kiya woh, paon chhoo lene do, tum jo mil gaye ho, aadmi musafir hai or muzhe choo rahi hai. There is one more Rafisaab-Lata song of special mention….mere jeevan mein tum aayee…..that out of this world composition from Heer Ranza…..Rafisaab is unstoppable.
5) Yeh duniya yeh mehfil – Madan Mohan surely knew Rafisaab’s value. Complex song and hence not to be attempted by anybody else……probably only by Lata with 70% of results!!
6) Deewana hua badal – Romance at its peak!!! Rafi saab leaving Aasha Bhosle way behind. Shammi Kapoor (and quite a few others) with all his loud acting actually owes his career to Rafisaab.
7) Main gaoon tum so jaaon – I think, this song can be considered as one of those light songs that Rafisaab has sung. By light…I mean those compositions that are not too demanding on singer from vocals point of view. Tunes are hummable and hence immediately likeable. SJ, OP and lately RD specialized in them. Singer might not be indispensable here. Thats why probably roop tera mastana, meri soni meri tamanna kind of remixes become equally or more popular nowadays. Rafisaab has also sung these kind of songs. Kaun hai jo, khoya khoya chand, teri galiyon mein……there are tooooo many of them. But still they carry Rafisaab’s stamp and hence are not ’’easily’’ recreated or remixed nowadays. As per me, these types of songs make a singer only good and popular. Rafisaab is much much more and beyond than this.
8) John Johnny Janardan – This might be a surprise to lots of people here but believe me, I like it a lot! Its very playful and very distinct from usual Amitabh songs. Rafisaab has modulated his voice perfectly considering the situation and more importantly the actor. Again Rafisaab making gold of a light composition.
9) Hai agar dushman – A quawaali! Even RD had to come to Rafisaab only for it. No need to explain. Whenever I listen to it, I strongly feel that the female portion leaves a lot to be desired.
10) O duniya ke rakhwale – I dont know if I should even write about it or not. I dont understand classical music at all. But song makes anybody just speechless. No wonder it is, still after more than 50 years, called as most celebrated Hindi film song ever. This just one song makes Rafisaab the emperor……
And over the years, after reading about his simplicity and greatness as human being, my love, respect, admiration and fascination for this man has only grown and will keep growing. A true gem!!!!
dear shankar,
very good analysis but only half baked. u listened to ‘koi hota jisko apna'(a very nice song) but u never bothered to listen to ‘main yeh sochkar uske dar se utha tha'(a gem) u decided tht ‘pyar hame kis mod pe le aaya’ is amazingly high pitched but u forgot to listen to’chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe,yahoo!’ a knowledgeable guy criticized ‘man tarpat hari darshan ko’ 100 of knowledgeable guys praised it!!
sudesh bhonsle has the voice closest to amitabhs that does not make him the best singer rite!!comparing an ustad with a classically trained singer is like comparing an opening batsman with a tailender!!i admit changing voices between a song is indeed difficult(hats off to kk) but kk was always a spontaneous singer!!
u say rafisaab never contributed to a song but u failed to listen to ‘taarif karu kya uski jisne tumhe banaya’!! manna dey himself admitted tht rafisaab was a better singer than him but u want to prove him wrong!! pandit bhimsen joshi sings in a completely different genre but he cud sing it better than rafisaab,manna dey etc. how come? n he cud sing it in his sleep, must be snoring i believe!!
i dont get it y yodelling is such hyped of whn all the good songs sung by kk are without yodels!!a big accusation rafisaab was just a trained singer with out the soul of genius thts y the singer sang more than 25000 songs!! its like tellling sachin after scoring 38 one day centuries tht he cant bat or telling pete sampras tht he doesnt know how to serve!!
now this is somethng i realized after listening to the song’tere bina zindagi se’ the song is sung very nicely and at a vry smooth pace by latadi but whn kk comes suddenly the song changes from a vry sensitive song to a fast song. don know y kk has sung it at tht pace.downloaded tht song to listen to kks part but was vry disappointed infact i like the song’tum aa gaye ho’ from the same movie more than this song!!
Hi,
this is in response to anmol singh’s blog a few days back.
Query – “How do we evaluate KK compositions are of high quality? There is no single nomination for his work as a composer. The detailed analysis we have already done.”
Ans – the fact that many music fans still hum songs like “aa chal ke tujhe”, “koi lauta de mere”, “koi humdum na raha”, “matwale hum matwale tum”, “beqarar-e-dil” etc. prove this. we don’t need any other proof.
Query – “KK doesn’t fullfill the requirments of majority music composers as a singer, so he is left with no choice but to do some thing of his own. Any professional singer will never question a music composers work, he/she is supposed to sing the song the way it is to be sung. Rafi / Lata are ahead of every one here. This also has been discussed.”
Ans – You are wrong again here. If you’ll remember i had once posted links to two songs of kk sung for anil biswas and khemchand prakash. songs were “husn bhi hai udhas udhas” from “fareb” in 1952 whose music is by anil biswas, and “jagmag jagmag karta nikla chand” for khemchand prakash. listen to those songs. they required total control over sur and are not easy to sing. kk sang them when he was very young and his voice was still raw. anil biswas was a very strict composer (lata herself said this that when she was new and he was a famous composer, she was scared because he was very strict and particular about the rendition being perfect to his liking).
Query – “KK voice is not a classic baritone, it is Hemant Kumar to be more precise. Any singer who can sing High pitch songs with comfort, singing in any scale is not an issue for them. Since KK was an untrained singer, he was not comfortable with high pitch operation, but he had the capability. This has been explained by Prashant.”
Ans – hemant kumar also had a good bass in his voice but he didn’t have as much as kk. can you picture hemant kumar singing for amitabh ? no because he wouldn’t have had the necessary bass or baritone.
Query – “SDB gave him only easy numbers to sing, Salil C was never comfortable with KK except for one song in Mere Apne. Same is the case with most MDs for 50s and 60s.”
Ans – this shows that you don’t know much about kk’s early career. before sdb came along, kk sang for khemchand prakash, anil biswas, husnlal-bhagatram etc. who gave him tough songs to sing. pls listen to “marne ki duaen kyon mangoon”, “husn bhi hai udhas udhas”, “aa mohabbat ki basti”, “jagmag jagmag karta nikla chand”. they were not at all easy songs to sing. kk sang like mukesh, talat in those songs with awesome control. it was sdb who took him away from there and gave him light songs. But even sdb gave him a good duet song in “woh dekhe to unki inaayat” from “funtoosh”. it’s not a light song by any means. how about “paayalwali dekhna” ? it’s not a light song but kk showed perfect control there.
Query – “Most trained singers fail when they try to replicate classical numbers sung by Manna Day, Rafi or Lata, because following the discipline in classical singing apart from talent is not part of everyone’s personilty and body language. It was God gifted to Rafi, Manna Dey, Lata, Asha, Mahendra K, Mukesh, Talat. But KK fails here miserably, therefore couldn’t contribute much in the first 2 decades.”
Ans- wrong again. if i ask bhimsen joshi to sing all the classical songs by those singers, he will sing them better than them even in his sleep. if u’ll see my other post, u’ll see how a knowledgeable guy criticized rafi’s rendition of “man tarpat hari darshan”. in fact, in baiju bawra, there was a duet sung by rafi and ustad amir khan in which the difference in class was very obvious. sonu nigam sang most of rafi’s songs exactly like rafi technically (though his voice is nowhere near rafi’s class). it’s clear how much u underestimate kk’s capabilities as a singer. because u haven’t heard kk’s rarer songs, u think he’s not good for classical songs in his early career.
Query – “This point has also been discussed eailer. KK compensates his high pitch operation with yoodel.”
Ans – i wonder how rafi would compensate for his low pitch operation if he’s asked to sing as low as kk does in “panthi hoon main is path ka”, “koi hota jisko apna”, “pyaar hamein kis mod pe le aaya” etc. it’s just a voice characteristic. if rafi is so talented, why doesn’t he contribute something of his own to songs ? because he doesn’t have the natural musical gift. he’s just a trained singer without the soul of a genius.
Query – “Certianly for doing Yoodleing and comical things in singing, one doesn’t need training. Any professional mimickry artist of the calibre of Sudesh Bhonsle will easily replicate KK’s yoodeling and comical stuff without any difficulty.”
Ans – well, you just said that a trained singer should be able to sing any type of song. so i wonder why, apart from sudesh bhosle, nobody can yodel like kk. forget that, rafi never showed the control that kk had even in songs like “aake seedhi lagi dil pe” from “half ticket”. can you try to change ur voice to female voice and then back to ur own voice in the middle of the song ? can u do it very fast ? people like you who cannot do it give excuses like “it’s not a classical song” or “it’s a stupid song” etc. basically, your ego prevents you from admitting that it’s difficult.
Query – “If a singer or a composer is saying so then he/she is questioning Naushad’s work. Many such singers might have asked Naushad for such adjustments, no wonder Naushad gave majority of his compositions to Rafi. Rafi will sing anything the way it is given to him. Plus the song is remembered till date.”
Ans – manna dey could’ve sung it better. the only reason why naushad gave it to rafi is bcos rafi’s voice is much better than manna dey’s. the song is remembered to this date because of the excellence of the composition, not just because of rafi’s singing. even if talat had sung that song, it would’ve been a hit.
Query – “KK certainly had the classical base, but not the discipline to follow it like other singers. Every thing while singing a song has to be done is tune, whether it a small commmet/conversation or a laughter or as a matter of fact any thing. Yodel is no big deal as such.”
Ans – can you do it if it’s no big deal ? can you do all the sounds that kk makes in “main hoon jhumroo” if it’s “no big deal as such” ? u can’t. but u don’t like to admit it and so u say it’s “just noise” or “cheap”.
My dear friend bk1,
Everyone who read ur blog, can easily come to know who is idiot, no need to write again and again. We know it.
Ur choice and analysis is worst, in fact pathetic.
> I Roger Federer, Admin ko support karega. This is unfair play from the Rafians side. I do my best.
Roger, if you have to jump on each member on this thread and stoop low with your words about Rafi Sahab, Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Da, it would be best in the interest of this article, that you please stay away from it. Please visit http://www.yoodleeyoo.com. You will like it there more. Thanks!
#
we want to pay respect to rafi sahab we dont want to insult him by idots such as avi , anmol and shanker .fine if u love kk but make ur own site and pay that guy tribute . he was a bad singer what do u mean if a person starts singing gilli gilli akka billi billi this makes no sence a 3rd grade singer with a 3rd grade voice
It is indeed amusing and insulting to logic and facts that a majority of the discussions here are either nonsensical or hypothetical at best. If, buts and because do not form the basis of a discussion that is logical and based on facts and hence there is no end to it.
Here again we see self proclaimed crusaders who claim to be KK fans come to shed their sorrows and reaction to injuries to their ego many of which they have self inflicted. The problem with these crusaders are many but the main one being complete ignorance of the history/facts of HFM and where Rafi saab stands in terms of his consistent and invaluable contribution from mid 40’s to 1980 and the overwhelming respect and acknowledgements from music literates that includes music directors, singers, critics and millions of fans across the globe that consider him as the best in playback singer for reasons that are as clear as the rising and setting of the sun. Amongst them includes KK himself who not only agreed for Rafisab to sing for him on more than 2 occasions but who also because of these self appointed crusaders had to face the embarrassment of being a part of the comparison theory in the early 70’s when he was forced to come out and declare not to compare him with Rafisaab as he too was a Rafian.
If KK was alive today, he would be further embarsed to by the actions of these so called KK fans who in my opinion are the greatest insult to the fond memory of KK who was a fine gentleman , singer and an all round artiste. These so called crusaders also fail to see the contribution of great singers like Manna dey, Talat and Mukesh who never let Rafisaab out of sight in 40’s 50’s and 60’s. A period where Rafisaab was ruling by the minute these great singers left their mark and is now considered legends. Rafisaab was not only a household name by 70’s but was accepted by a majority as being the best in business for reasons that everyone who has two ears and some sense of music would easily figure it out.
Then there was KK in the 70’s who kept a close watch on Rafisaab, he achieved a lot of fame and Rafisaab had to overcome something which was a near impossible task and that was to overcome a trend. Nothing is stronger than a trend, the trend was on KK’s aside in the 70’s but Rafisaab showed that why he was considered the best in business by the literates by coming back strongly and maintaining the equilibrium. Infact he was on the verge of shifting the equilibrium to his side but for his untimely demise in 80.
All these legends have accepted with grace about the undisputed quality Rafisaab but ashamedly the self proclaimed crusaders who claim to be their fans take it as a personal stigma for this acknowledgement and dwell in such meaningless discussions.
I feel sorry for KK that these crusaders are making a mockery of his skills by promoting his yodeling than his singing. It is a great insult to see that they have also named his site yoodle.com. KK was not about yodeling, he was a gifted artiste that could sing brilliantly. It is shocking that they sometimes even try to prove that KK is better than others specially Rafisaab who somehow is the common factor for all these crusaders who claim to be fans of other singers. Nothing can be more insulting for KK or any other singers that their nanes are dragged in such discussions where they have tobe pitied against Rafisaab who they respected and acknowledged as being the best in business. Crusaders like these are more than often misinformed and ignorant of the facts and opinions of their idols who they are proclaim to be fans of.
I request such crusaders to stop this nonsense and degrading these legends and sit back and enjoy their talents rather that insult them by getting into their personal egoistic wars. No one has given you the authority to represent them and you do not on any of them. They belong to all and all have a right to enjoy their diverse talents and contributions. If the crusaders can’t get this message them they must leave this site and go elsewhere and find some other shoulders to let out their self inflected grief.
As far as the above article goes, whilst it correctly points on the established facts about Rafisaab, the author some how gives an indication of trying to bring down KK which does not have my acknwoledgement.
Treat this as a first and last post from me as far as this section is concerned.
Dear friends- even when you yourself are the judge, it is good to hear what others in the same line of duty as Rafisaab say about the GURU!
What the best/darling hindi singer among the younger generation/modern guys had to say on Rafi’s recent death anniversary(around the time of his radio interview of Lataji)-I am talking about Sonu Nigam:
Sonu Nigam’s tribute to Rafi
SONU NIGAM:
“I think that it is pointless to even think of comparing any other singer, however great individually, to Rafisaab. My whole approach to him as an inspiration and guru is to match that dedication, infuse the same kind of range that he had, and consciously work at not being his clone, since I had grown up on Rafisaab and had the same kind of vocal tenor. Dig through the ocean that is Rafi and you find an unparalleled treasure of happy and sad songs, high-pitched songs and low crooning, and obviously every genre of song from bhajans, ghazals, qawwalis, Western rock numbers, lullabies, children’s songs – the works! He had a soft voice, but what a punch it had when needed!â€
Click on this link to read more and hear Sonu’s selection of Rafi songs:
http://www.radiosargam.com/news/stories/july2006/030j.html
Lata Mangeshkar once commented about Rafi Sahab: “Woh Har Tarah ke Gane is Khoobi se Gaate the ki Gaana Na Samajhne Wale bhi Wah Wah Kar Udthe theâ€. This is not a mere accolade for a colleague. She had observed and convinced about a rare quality in Rafi Sahab that makes him stand out among others. In order to explain this let me please take a listeners perspective. I mean our perspective.
An ordinary listener does not hear a song in isolated units. Rather, he/she perceives it in a larger pitch and rhythmic organization. In other words, the listener perceives it in “wholeâ€. However, a musicians approach is different, for he can perceive it analytically – I mean, he can mentally de-compose the song into its elementary components. This, however, requires knowledge of music and its composition. The music composer normally organizes the music in a systematic way based on many complex features of music and textures it with contextual lyrics (these days, lyrics is the skeleton). At this stage the song is a compact structure and accessible only to music specialists. It comes to the ordinary listener through the singers’ voice. The singer first understands the structured information in the song. It is at this point that the real difference between a trained and untrained singer comes up. An untrained singer cannot fully grasp the structure. Now, a trained singer, who has grasped the essentials, can render it with all the complexities packed in the song, for e.g., renditions by most of the Ustads. The listeners perceive it with awe. A singer like Rafi Sahab, who apart from understanding the complexity of the song, renders it with that simplicity that he makes the musical structure explicit even to the musically illiterate listeners (like Nair). A few examples of such complex songs rendered with simplicity are songs like “Aye Gulbadanâ€, “Suhani Raat Dhal Chukiâ€, “Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Parâ€, “Tu Hi Who Haseen Haiâ€, “Mujhe Tum Se Mohabat Haiâ€, Jis Raat Ke Khwaab Aayee†etc. Rafi Sahab exposes every molecule of the song explicit that the listener understands and appreciates the structured auditory information. This simplicity of Rafi Sahab also enables the listener to recall the lyrics and associate it with a socio-cultural context in which the song is played. Now the listener, who has seen the wonderland of music, which was alien to him till then, in delight, says “Wah Wahâ€. Rafi Sahab in his renditions takes care of the interdependencies between the structured sound material of the music and the listener’s capacity for apprehending. To acquire this quality the singer needs to be disciplined, organized, pious, humble, and above all trained in music; it’s a tapasya.
It is this quality of Rafi Sahab that Lata Ji has praised.
Most of the Rafi fans are those who have experienced this feeling. It needs some effort from the part of the listener as well; no matter his/her musical knowledge. Only those who fail in this effort will say Rafi Sahab is inferior.
Rafi fans are calling him God of music not out of emotion or blind devotion; it is with proper understanding of the divinity inherent in his voice.
Long Live Rafi Sahab!
The accusation that Rafi cannot raise his pitch the to “tivra nishadam†is baseless. Tivra nishadam is normally a feminine position because it makes the voice to taper to the extreme. Rafi Sahab is a master in this, say for example, in a live concert (available online) in “Oh Duniya Ke Rakh Waleâ€; please listen to “Mehal Udaas aur Galiyaan Sooni†how the voice climbs to tivra Nishadam just through “Sooniâ€; a person even ignorant of acoustics can realize each and every step the voice climbs. Feminine voice, due to its softness, normally dissolves in tivra nishadam. Rafi Sahab’s comfort at tivra nishadam is so high that he can immediately descend (sudden drop in pitch) to shadjam (Yesudas has emphasized this power of Rafi many times). Tivra swaras cannot be simply used in recording rooms, unless the music director demans. LP demanded in “Nafrat Ki Duniya†from which Kishore had to run away. Certainly, Lata Mangeshkar is also adept in the art of tivra swaras (also Manndey); but why mention it in a forum where Rafi Sahab is (unfortunately) compared with a singer who can’t even sing in komala nishadam with comfort.
Kishore certainly has an over Rafi with his yodlling. Rafians I am dare enough to accuse you brushing aside this point.
REMEMBER: Don’t overlook your Rafi’s weakpoints. They will chase you and defeat you.
Big B had set his foot then. Rafi did sing some numbers for him. They were tipical Rafi type. But Big B personality demanded a much more a voice with guts and manlihood. Did Kishore not meet the demands?
This is Roger Federer. Kishore Kumars yodlling has come under criticism of late. Akka Akka Billi Blii also. Tell me Rafians as choose to call yourself, Do you think Rafi could have brought the same magik to ‘ zindagi ke safar hia suhana’. Is yodlling not a unique feature in that song.
Remember, I am not an illiterate in music. I have completed my junior in Karnatic music and am preparing for my senior exam.
Hello Friends!
I am trying to stay away from this debate, as I realize the futility in debating with Kishore fans. They have nothing new or creative to say. The whole thing has turned so uninteresting. Why should I waste my time? I know that Rafi Sahab is the best. It is as true as the spherical shape of the earth. Kishore fans who deny this fact resemble those Mesopotamians who asserted that earth is flat; they shouted, tried to refute, and rebuffed the rotundity of earth. But all the time it kept on rotating. Likewise, Rafi Sahab’s greatness shines as ever as it was before and forever, even when Kishore fans (or an omnipresent multi-pseudonymous fan) keep on drying their throats.
Regards
Nair
bk loves mohdrafi . hi i am monu i have changed my identity i hate avi
hi monu,
I totally agree with you I saw some photos of KK in which he was wearing a saree and had done all make-up like a lady would do .. he was just looking like a HIJADA…..
This shows KK had a unstable nature he was not sure of what he was doing … He married 4 times … He married 4th Time to LEENA CHANDAVARKAR in 1980 when AMIT KUMAR was ready for marriage ….
BAAP AUR BETE KI SHAADI EK HI MANDAP MEIN HUI …..
Isn’t that a funny stroke … KK fans are happy that MANNA , ABHIJEET , KUMAR SANU , SHAAN said that KK like singer never born again on EARTH… Actually they are right GOD has made one mistake he will never repeat his mistake again…..
1 KK is enough as a comdey of errors ……… KK fans so what are you thinking did anyone went to KHANDWA ……
Dear avi,
As your obsession with KK bounds and leaps, here is a list of other singers August born. The writer of the Article, in the latest Screen Weekly, should be penalised for not mentioning KK at all!
The ‘August’ Company
R V
Posted online: Friday, August 04, 2006 at 0000 hours IST
Female singers seem to dominate the birthday month of August in musicdom. The month begins with Sharon Prabhakar (4th), whose only claim to film fame despite her acknowledged talent is ‘Mere jaisi haseena…’ from Armaan (1981).
Female singers seem to dominate the birthday month of August in musicdom. The month begins with Sharon Prabhakar (4th), whose only claim to film fame despite her acknowledged talent is ‘Mere jaisi haseena…’ from Armaan (1981). Sadly, none of her other songs (in films as varied as Shashi Kapoor’s Junoon and Harmesh Malhotra’s Mangal Pandey apart from many others) made waves.
While Sharon is also a stage actor, Sulakshana Pandit (9th) could neither focus on acting (which she began with Uljhan after a cameo in Sankalp) nor on singing when she attempted to be a singing star.
Nevertheless she managed several hits as a star and as a singer for herself (‘Somwar ko hum mile…’/Apnapan) and other actors like Padmini Kolhapure (Ahista Ahista) and Tanuja (the hit ‘Beqaraar dil…’ from Door Ka Rahi) after a stint as child-singer from the 1967 Rajshri film Taqdeer.
Sunidhi Chauhan (4th), arguably today’s most versatile female voice, is forever exploring new vocal vistas, while Sulakshana’s cousin Hemlata (16th) has had an array of hits, especially in Ravindra Jain’s heyday (Chitchor, Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye) apart from her other hits ‘Dus paise mein Ram le lo…’(Ek Phool Ek Bhool) and ‘Chanda ko dhoondne sabhi… (Jeene Ki Raah).
Daler Mehndi (6th), leader of the bhangra-pop genre, made many forays into films with songs in Mrityudaata, Khauff, Shaadi Se Pehle and Chupke Se…, but the cult song remains the recent Rang De Basanti title-track. Sharing his birthday is Aditya Narayan, Udit Narayan’s talented son who sang in films like Rangeela and Akele Hum Akele Tum besides the hit song ‘Chhota baccha samajh ke…’ in the 1996 Masoom.
Suresh Wadkar (7th), that redoubtable singer who never got his due in Hindi films (his latest song is the placid ‘Jag ja…’ from Omkara), nevertheless had his golden period with some amazing work in Paheli (1978),Krodhi, Pyaasa Sawan, Prem Rog, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Henna, Chandni, Imaandaar, Sangeet, Utsav and many others.
Vijay Benedict (19th) had his moment of fame in the Disco Dancer era of Bappi Lahiri.
Saawan Kumar (9th) and Gulzar (18th) – note how the two lyric writers of this month are also scriptwriters and filmmakers. Interestingly enough, both fell in love with respected ladies from within the industry – Usha Khanna and Raakhee – respectively. But contrastingly, Saawan has written lyrics rarely for other directors, notably Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, while Gulzar continues to be in excellent tuning with six generations of filmmakers from Bimal Roy to Shaad Ali.
Vishal Bhardwaj (4th), music director who has dabbled in lyric writing, playback singing, non-film albums and writing and directing TV serials and now motion pictures, has shown his distinct individuality in all these areas. As a music maker he has shone in Maachis and Satya. As a filmmaker, Makdee and Maqbool brought him rave reviews. He is all set, perhaps, to get acclaim simultaneously on both fronts for Omkara.
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Dear Friends,
Best wishes to all all for KK’s birth anniversary and related TV programs etc. as per avi.
In a tribute to Mohammed Rafi, Soorya Krishnamoorthy is presenting Pranamam, in association with Kairali TV, in London, Dubai and other parts of the world. Here is a clip from his interview :
What is your message through Pranamam?
The theme or message of Pranamam is the significance of Rafi’s hit song Duniya Ke Rekhuvale in the present world scenario where the concept of human beings is lost. The circumstances when he wrote this song is entirely different when compared to today’s times. I am giving this song a different dimension through my programme Pranamam.
He has sung this song 52 years back looking at a Hindu deity. In the present days it would be impossible for a Muslim to sing such a song looking at a Hindu deity. Therefore, the message of communal harmony is the underlying factor in this song and the programme.
What is the greatness you saw in Mohammed Rafi? Greatness is inborn or is it inherited?
Mohammed Rafi’s greatness lies in the way he approached the 26,000 songs he sang during his life. For the way he put his heart and soul into each song he sang. It is not the number, which counted but for the tremendous range and quality with which he sang all these songs. That is why he is immortal and great. Greatness is a combination of both. It is inborn and at the same time inherited too.
Hard work is required to become great. However, everybody those who do hard work need not become great. That is a blessing of God. I believe that many greats are born again to complete what they did in their first life. That is why many great people do not have a long life and they have died young. Mohammed Rafi did not have a long life. Sri Krishna, Sankaracharyar and many others had a short span only.
How do you plan to pass on this message to your audience?
Each and every line of this song has very important meanings and this three-and-a-half minute song is turned into a symphony. This symphony is transformed into visual symphony, which is not very easy. We are combining cinema, stage, music, dance, light and special effects, a new technique on stage, which I believe so far no one has ever tried. It is presented through an ensemble of classical dances of Bharatanatyam/Kathak, Carnatic/Hindustani vocals and instrumental music fusion.
Avi,
What’s the big deal about telecast of KK program? As music lovers, we feel nice about it. Don’t act like a child like you have got the chocolate and others have not.
Hi Rafians,
Today is Kishore Da’s 77th Birth anniversary.
Today there was 1/2 hr. program telecast on almost all news channels like AAj TAK, NDTV and Star News.
StarNews telecast VISHESH program on Genious at 9:30pm today.
I am sure Rafians will not be happy to read it but it is true. It was live program not published in any web site.
This 1/2 hr. included chat with Jagjeet Singh, Manna Dey, Abhijit, AMit Kumar, Shaan, Babul Supriyo.
Everybody said Kishore like genious never born on this earth again.
Manna Da recollected his recording with KISHORE during “EK CHatur Nari”. he praised Kishore by saying that this person could do anything, he was very innovative. Many great things he spoke abt Kishore.
This was live telecast in STAR NEWS at 9:30pm on 4thAUg’06.
Sorry Guys…..
Dear Anmol,
There was song in “UPKAAR” ..”KASME VADE PYAAR WAFA SAB…” picturised on PRAN. First. KA went to Kishore to sing this songs. As soon as he came to know that KA came to sign him for some song, he said he had already stopped singing.
He always praised Rafi. I am putting few incident where he said let Rafi sung this songs because he knows noone can sing except KISHORE, himself. I can give 2 examples:
1. QAWAALi cum Mujra from Dushman
Kishore asked Pyarelal, let Rafi sing this song but pyarelal shown confident in him and everyone knows the result. Kishore’s energy in this song is matchless.
2. Saalam-e-Ishq meri Jaan from “MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR”
Again he said Let Rafi sing the song but Anadji insited that Kishore only sing this song and everyone know the result. Personally i feel Kishore lateral entry in the song i sfabulous. I feel He sang better than LATA.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KISHOREDA.
Thanx
Due to abuse of comments by cloak IDs, users from now on must be logged to comment in all the articles.
Hi Avi,
When we give rebute to KK you are not satisfied stating “Anmol, good to know KK did nothing”.
When we analyszed KK with other singers you said “Anmol is not a music lover but definately a KK hater”.
When we praise KK’s singing skills with reference to his songs, then at least your collegue Shankar is a bit satisfied, but still says that KK is a spontaneous singer, no one can sing “Mein Hon Jhaumru”. There also we have clarified speed is not an issue to any trained singer.
Then you are insisting the KK is a genious composer. Again through fair analysis we specifically analyzed KK with music composers who also singers. It was found all were better then KK.
Then your collegue Shankar brings this so called joker Rajan Parrikar into picture. We have told him let Rajan himself come in the forum we will answer him. But he is insisting for the all the answer for his posts, so to satisfy his ego we have clarified every thing.
Again you answer on his behalf that KK should have been nominated for “Door Gagan Ke Chaun Mein”, in others word you cannot digest the reality.
Unlike many KK fans except for Prashant Veer, including Rajan Parrikar write the training can be attained by any one so singing songs of Baiju Bawra is no big deal, but what KK is doing that is difficult to reproduce. Actually it is the vise versa, that also we have proved it.
Then we have taken up the issue whether kk’s success criteria is personality dependent, though he sings for many actors. But the fact is that he sings mainly for famous actors, this is right from 1950s, we have found an evidence to support this theory.
The song “Chal Re Sajni” from Bombai Ka Babu was originally given to KK, which he rejected saying it is not picturized on Dev Anand. So Mukesh had to sing it, which SD Burman didn’t like it.
http://www.singermukesh.com/articles_files/raju2.htm
Every now and then we have found though KK is a great singer but there are many limitations in him compared to Rafi, plus we have proved why Rafi is the best. But you people don’t seem to accept the facts.
We would like ask you and all KK fans what is it that you want? You wanted praises of KK, tribute, declared him Legend we have given every thing.
we want to pay respect to rafi sahab we dont want to insult him by idots such as avi and shanker .fine if u love kk but make ur own site and pay that guy tribute . he was a bad singer what do u mean if a person starts singing gilli gilli akka billi billi this makes no sence a 3rd grade singer with a 3rd grade voice
Happy birth day to KK
http://www.yoodleeyoo.com/web/singing-semifinals-held-by-kishore-memorial-society.html
avi let me make this clear boy i abused u sorry if you are hurted i have already said sorry to anmol .but u stop barking about rafi sahebs songs .please please i get hurt if u insult rafi saheb u are puting a clear blanket over ur suggestions about rafi saheb by saying that ur his fan …………………………………….. if this is true then read statements written by roger fedrer ( a person who abused rafi in this site ) and ask urself if u support him . if yes then sorry to say that ur not a rafi fan
Dear Suhail,
You should understand first, I critise Rafi’s songs not Rafi. You should know this. Tell me when i used dirty word for Rafi. I have written dirty word in reply to SAAGAR comments, pls. go through all blog from begining.
This page name is RAFI_KISHORE_SAGA, I have seen many nonsense comments by Rafians against Kishore which you people were really enjoyed, but now you are raising the issue because i am writing in favor of kishore.
Please see blogs from manu, Saagar and many others.
I am assuring you that i will not visit this site again if the Page caption will change. .
And Boss, i can’t change ur view and u can’t change my view.
Last but not least, I am great fan of Rafi also. No need to prove it to you.
Yes Avi, you should leave this site. You are only guest over here. Please remember this is Rafi Saheb site and it is only meant for Rafi Saheb fans. You can write your views but you should never criticise him. If you have any jealousy with Rafi Saheb you should share this with KK fans in KK site. How dare you use dirty languages. And why do you think that you should convince us to believe that there are many good singers apart from Rafi Saheb. We know there are many good singers but not good than Rafi Saheb. And why should we listen to any other singers. We are Rafi Saheb fans and hence we are listening to his songs. But we are not critising other singers like you. We are Rafi fans and hence we are in Rafi Saheb site you are KK fans you should go to KK site. O.K.
Dear Ammad,
Answer to ur questions:
Q: “why did a big deal of music faternity concluded rafi as the best male singer ever”
A: My dear friend, No MDs can say that Rafi is the best or Kishore is the best but they have their own favorite. Recently i saw Naushad interview and in reply to ur question, he said he enjoyed working with Rafi, Mukesh and Talat.
Q: “do u think that u know music better than Great Manaday.”
A: NO. NEVER. I don’t know music but i listen to my heart. They are millions ofpeople who also listen from heart.
Dear Ali,
I am agree with you except highlighted line as you said “THEY SHOULD GIVE AWARD TO OTHER IN THE NAME MOHD RAFI NOT TO MOHD RAFI,
MOHD RAFI IS BIGGER THAN ANY AWARD”
Dear Monu,
I think u have taken over all worst quality from SAAGAR. Keep it up. Your words are telling everythign abt u…
In short.. U r really not only idiot (not ediots) but also Illiterate. You abused Anmol, He is Rafi’s supporter and i am too. Stop Barking.
what i say to anmol singh,
Query – “How do we evaluate KK compositions are of high quality? There is no single nomination for his work as a composer. The detailed analysis we have already done.”
Ans – the fact that many music fans still hum songs like “aa chal ke tujhe”, “koi lauta de mere”, “koi humdum na raha”, “matwale hum matwale tum”, “beqarar-e-dil” etc. prove this. we don’t need any other proof.
Query – “KK doesn’t fullfill the requirments of majority music composers as a singer, so he is left with no choice but to do some thing of his own. Any professional singer will never question a music composers work, he/she is supposed to sing the song the way it is to be sung. Rafi / Lata are ahead of every one here. This also has been discussed.”
Ans – You are wrong again here. If you’ll remember i had once posted links to two songs of kk sung for anil biswas and khemchand prakash. songs were “husn bhi hai udhas udhas” from “fareb” in 1952 whose music is by anil biswas, and “jagmag jagmag karta nikla chand” for khemchand prakash. listen to those songs. they required total control over sur and are not easy to sing. kk sang them when he was very young and his voice was still raw. anil biswas was a very strict composer (lata herself said this that when she was new and he was a famous composer, she was scared because he was very strict and particular about the rendition being perfect to his liking).
Query – “KK voice is not a classic baritone, it is Hemant Kumar to be more precise. Any singer who can sing High pitch songs with comfort, singing in any scale is not an issue for them. Since KK was an untrained singer, he was not comfortable with high pitch operation, but he had the capability. This has been explained by Prashant.”
Ans – hemant kumar also had a good bass in his voice but he didn’t have as much as kk. can you picture hemant kumar singing for amitabh ? no because he wouldn’t have had the necessary bass or baritone.
Query – “SDB gave him only easy numbers to sing, Salil C was never comfortable with KK except for one song in Mere Apne. Same is the case with most MDs for 50s and 60s.”
Ans – this shows that you don’t know much about kk’s early career. before sdb came along, kk sang for khemchand prakash, anil biswas, husnlal-bhagatram etc. who gave him tough songs to sing. pls listen to “marne ki duaen kyon mangoon”, “husn bhi hai udhas udhas”, “aa mohabbat ki basti”, “jagmag jagmag karta nikla chand”. they were not at all easy songs to sing. kk sang like mukesh, talat in those songs with awesome control. it was sdb who took him away from there and gave him light songs. But even sdb gave him a good duet song in “woh dekhe to unki inaayat” from “funtoosh”. it’s not a light song by any means. how about “paayalwali dekhna” ? it’s not a light song but kk showed perfect control there.
Query – “Most trained singers fail when they try to replicate classical numbers sung by Manna Day, Rafi or Lata, because following the discipline in classical singing apart from talent is not part of everyone’s personilty and body language. It was God gifted to Rafi, Manna Dey, Lata, Asha, Mahendra K, Mukesh, Talat. But KK fails here miserably, therefore couldn’t contribute much in the first 2 decades.”
Ans- wrong again. if i ask bhimsen joshi to sing all the classical songs by those singers, he will sing them better than them even in his sleep. if u’ll see my other post, u’ll see how a knowledgeable guy criticized rafi’s rendition of “man tarpat hari darshan”. in fact, in baiju bawra, there was a duet sung by rafi and ustad amir khan in which the difference in class was very obvious. sonu nigam sang all of rafi’s songs exactly like rafi technically (though his voice is nowhere near rafi’s class). it’s clear how much u underestimate kk’s capabilities as a singer. because u haven’t heard kk’s rarer songs, u think he’s not good for classical songs in his early career.
Query – “This point has also been discussed eailer. KK compensates his high pitch operation with yoodel.”
Ans – i wonder how rafi would compensate for his low pitch operation if he’s asked to sing as low as kk does in “panthi hoon main is path ka”, “koi hota jisko apna”, “pyaar hamein kis mod pe le aaya” etc. it’s just a voice characteristic. if rafi is so talented, why doesn’t he contribute something of his own to songs ? because he doesn’t have the natural musical gift. he’s just a trained singer without the soul of a genius.
Query – “Certianly for doing Yoodleing and comical things in singing, one doesn’t need training. Any professional mimickry artist of the calibre of Sudesh Bhonsle will easily replicate KK’s yoodeling and comical stuff without any difficulty.”
Ans – well, you just said that a trained singer should be able to sing any type of song. so i wonder why, apart from sudesh bhosle, nobody can yodel like kk. forget that, rafi never showed the control that kk had even in songs like “aake seedhi lagi dil pe” from “half ticket”. can you try to change ur voice to female voice and then back to ur own voice in the middle of the song ? can u do it very fast ? people like you who cannot do it give excuses like “it’s not a classical song” or “it’s a stupid song” etc. basically, your ego prevents you from admitting that it’s difficult.
Query – “If a singer or a composer is saying so then he/she is questioning Naushad’s work. Many such singers might have asked Naushad for such adjustments, no wonder Naushad gave majority of his compositions to Rafi. Rafi will sing anything the way it is given to him. Plus the song is remembered till date.”
Ans – manna dey could’ve sung it better. the only reason why naushad gave it to rafi is bcos rafi’s voice is much better than manna dey’s. the song is remembered to this date because of the excellence of the composition, not just because of rafi’s singing. even if talat had sung that song, it would’ve been a hit.
Query – “KK certainly had the classical base, but not the discipline to follow it like other singers. Every thing while singing a song has to be done is tune, whether it a small commmet/conversation or a laughter or as a matter of fact any thing. Yodel is no big deal as such.”
Ans – can you do it if it’s no big deal ? can you do all the sounds that kk makes in “main hoon jhumroo” if it’s “no big deal as such” ? u can’t. but u don’t like to admit it and so u say it’s “just noise” or “cheap”.
Dear Sagar,
I DON’T THINK THAT IS GOOD NEWS MOHD RAFI HAS BEEN FINALLY NOMINATED FOR( BHARAT RATNA )THIS YEAR BECAUSE THEY SHOULD GIVE AWARD TO OTHER IN THE NAME MOHD RAFI NOT TO MOHD RAFI,MOHD RAFI IS BIGGER THAN ANY AWARD.
sorry anmol ,very sory and i am thankful to shambu for making me realise my mistake …………………….i hope ur also a die hard rafi fan like me and u also want to make roger fedrer ,avi and shanker shut theire mouths do not read roger fedrer s message u would be ashamed as a rafi fAN HE IS ABUSING RAFI SAHAB
dear monu,
read what anmol write carefully, he is answring shaker and avi not critiisizing mohdrafi,THANX ANMOL BHAI FOR THIS POST.
DEAR RAFIANS,
THERE IS A GOOD NEWS I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU
MOHD.RAFI SAHAB HAS BEEN FINALLY NOMINATED FOR ” BHARAT RATNA ” THIS YEAR…………
IF THAT CROOKED TINGLING LATA DOESN’T INTERFERE THIS YEAR THEN HE SHOULD GET THE AWARD THIS YEAR.
LETS PRAY EVERYONE THAT RAFI SAHAB GETS THE AWARD THIS YEAR.
REGARDS
SAGAR