Versatility, Thy Name is Mohammed Rafi
Two Rafi Songs from the Film ‘Naya Raasta’- A Study in Contrast
By
Mrs. Usha G Rao- a Senior Member of ‘Baar Baar Rafi’- The Fan Club, Bangalore, India
Mohd Rafi
Call it a cliché, an oft-repeated statement or stating the obvious, I would still like to dwell on this topic and say- ‘Versatility, thy name is Mohammed Rafi’. For me, a discussion on any aspect of Rafi Sahab’s singing amounts to a joyful celebration of his music. Each time I look at the prism of his songs, I see a new angle, a new dimension hitherto unseen by me.
I wish to present here a study of two of his songs from the 1967 film Naya Raasta. The mood and the ethos of the two songs are at total variance with each other and hence are perfect examples for the topic under discussion. The music is composed by Narayan Dutta, better known as N Dutta and the lyrics written by Sahir Ludhianvi Sahab are some of the most meaningful lyrics ever written for films. The two songs are:
- “Ponchh kar ashq apni aankhon se”
- “Main ne pi sharaab, tum ne kya piya”
A brief outlining of the film’s story is necessary so as to understand the mood of the two songs. Balraj Sahni and his screen sister Asha Parekh belong to the economically and socially backward section of society. They are abused, insulted and ill-treated by people belonging to the affluent upper class. Jeetendra who is the love interest of Asha Parekh in the film plays the role of a sheet-anchor in her troubled life.
The first song ‘ponchh kar ashq apni aankhon se’ is happy, upbeat and full of hope and optimism. Saddened by her circumstances, the heroine Asha Parekh is in tears and the hero Jeetendra implores her not to wallow in self-pity and despair but to challenge the existing system and dream of a new social order.
The second antara has some of the most eloquent and thought-provoking words. They are as follows:
“Rang aur nasl, jaat aur mazhab,
jo bhi ho aadmi se kamtar hai,
is haqeeqat ko tum bhi meri tarah maan jaao
toh koyi baat bane.”
Rafi Sahab, as always, breathes life into the poignant lyrics. Gauging the mood of the song, his voice, flowing like a gentle stream, assumes a tender yet cheerful demeanour that is both soothing and comforting. As he sings this song, his voice encapsulates so much of hope, promise and happiness that it encourages the listener to think positively in life.
The second song is “Mainne pi sharaab, tum ne kya piya”.
This song is complex and multi-layered as varied emotions are portrayed in it. There is a sense of doom and despair, anger, frustration, bitterness and even defiance-emotions that are incongruent with each other.
As is evident from the lyrics, the character played by Balraj Sahni is in a drunken stupor while singing this song. Defeated and frustrated by the trials and tribulations he has to undergo in life, he gives vent to his feelings in this song.
As for Rafi Sahab’s singing, well, this is a Rafi song par excellence. This sing should definitely be counted among his best. Rafi Sahab, a teetotaller in real life, does a perfect imitation of a drunken man’s ways of enunciating the words. Notice his slurring and the slight incoherence while singing. When he repeats the mukhda, after each antara, notice how he sings the line ‘main ne pi sharab’ dragging the word ‘pi’.
The second antara begins with the words:
“Tum kaho toh sach, hum kahe toh jhooth,
Tum ko sab maaf, zulm ho ke loot”
While singing the line ‘hum kahe toh jhooth’, he lets out a snigger, a derisive laugh to show the character’s utter contempt, bitterness and a deep sense of hurt towards an unjust society.
Mohd Rafi
The last antara brings out strongly the discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots.
“Reet aur riwaaz sab tumhare saath,
dharm aur samaaj sab tumhare saath
apne saath kya dhool aur dhuan,
aaj chahe tum noch lo zubaan,
aanewala daur lega sab hisaab.”
The intensity of emotion comes out so well in Rafi Sahab’s voice when he sings this antara, especially in the last two lines:
“aaj chahe tum…
……sab hisaab” where he (that is the character played by Balraj Sahni) throws a challenge and warns people around him that future generations would make them pay for their misdeeds.
I urge all Rafi bhakths to watch the video clipping (if they have not done so already) of this song in which Rafi Sahab’s soulful rendition brings out all the subtle nuances of the song and enhances the brilliant performance of veteran actor Balraj Sahni. The entire song sequence, embellished by the two great artistes, makes for a moving visual and aural experience for the viewers.
Rafi , the incomparable.
rafi sahib really I m missing u lot nothing can repay my pains for u but I would like to ask u only one quetson will u marry me when I will come to ur place will u plzi beg u
Dear music lovers,you can describe rafi’ as , “rafi thy name is versatility”OR “versatility thy name is rafi ” .Maestro’s peeless voice is just like a rainbow which consists beautiful seven colors,saptsur are living together in rafi’s voice.rafi had ability to change is shade of voice according to the actor.While listening O doorke musafir or khoya khoya chaand or ai husn jara jaag tujhe you feel sense dilip, dev anand,and rajendra kumar only no one else,same is the thing with many more heros and comedians and character actors.Similarly when we listen ‘mujhe apni sharan me le lo raam ‘or ‘parvar digare alam tera hi hai sahara “we sense the ALMIGHTY’.
LATA’S ULTIMATE TRIBUTE TO RAFI SAAB
————————————————-
I do not know what some people in the anti-Rafi camp, who often cited classical maestros such as Bhimsen Joshi, will say now:
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/201101252011012503242735888a69ba3/Even-in-his-illness-he-wouldn%E2%80%99t-stop-singing.html
“At his concerts he was more in-demand for Bhajans than any other kind of singing. He did regular riyaaz. I sang in films. I kept avoiding facing the mike with him. But he never let me feel he was such a great singer.
It was almost like I was singing with Mohd Rafi Saab.”
LATA’S ULTIMATE TRIBUTE TO RAFI SAAB
————————————————-
I do not know what some people in the anti-Rafi camp who often cited classical maestros such as Bhimsen Joshi will say now:
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/201101252011012503242735888a69ba3/Even-in-his-illness-he-wouldn%E2%80%99t-stop-singing.html
“At his concerts he was more in-demand for Bhajans than any other kind of singing. He did regular riyaaz. I sang in films. I kept avoiding facing the mike with him. But he never let me feel he was such a great singer.
It was almost like I was singing with Mohd Rafi Saab.”
dear friends
Dear Friends,
I am another big RAFI fan rather I should say that I am a big RAFI Air Conditioner. Mohammed RAFI, beyond any doubt, has been the greatest singer of all times. He is the most versatile singer ever and has sung in as many as 18 languages an achievement which no other singer will ever reach. He was truly a god man, sent by god to sprinkle happiness in an unhappy world but called back on 31 july,1980, a mistake committed by god by calling him back as we all need RAFI saab more now. Today after 30 years of his soul leaving us I would like to say that RAFI saab you will always be with us through your songs which we all listen and mesmerize. May your soul live happily for ever.
Dear Friends,
I am another big RAFI fan rather I should say that I am big RAFI Air Conditioner. Mohammed Rafi, beyond any doubt, has been the greatest singer of all times. He has been the most versatile singer and has sung in as many as 18 languages. He was truly a god man, sent by god to sprinkle happiness in an unhappy world but called back on 31 july,1980, a mistake committed by god as we need RAFI saab more now. Today after 30 long years of his soul leaving us I would like to say that RAFI saab you are with us, we all can feel you by listening and mesmerizing your songs. May your soul live happily for ever.
Lata on Rafi:
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/07/25/stories/2010072550090200.htm
“He was one singer whose vocal range could outclass any other singer, whether it was me, Asha, Mannada or Kishore bhaiya. Yet, he never believed in dominating the scene.”
“It is very wrong to say that Kishore Kumar overtook Rafi bhaiya in the early 1970s.Kishore was no doubt at his peak, but Rafi bhaiya was equally effective with Tere naam ka diwana, Gulabi aankhen, Yeh duniya yeh mehfiland Tum jo mil gaye ho. Even Kishore bhaiya never felt he was ahead of Rafi.”
i’m taking talent into account, not nations / religion:
The best male singer of all time = M. Rafi …. no male singer can ever match him…he’s just too good!
and although this isn’t for this forum… those of you who are saying that lata is better than noor jehan… please don’t…….. they’re both different singers and you can’t compare the two… it’s not about who’s better it’s about them as individuals … they’re both my fav singers
I love every single song Of Muhammad Rafi, He and Kishore were great singers. if they were not sing songs in Indian music industry than today we are facing very different kind of music in Pakistan and India.
Listen to what Anand of Anand-Milind fame says at 1:51 (same as what Haldar-ji stated sometime back)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9tfQecYKoA
The newly released song is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUGJyOM7zik&feature=related
Haldar-ji,
Nice anecdotes here on the newly released songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2AJSbt_gUg
P haldar gee
this forum is for rafi only and not for noor jahan.if you wana listen facts then plz abide by experts opinion.this is on record that lata never enjoyed that height which is written in noor jahan’s destiny and there is no doubt about it.naushad,ghulam haider c-ram chandra always missed noor jahan a lot.
radha is quite right in this regard why we even bother about any other singer if this is rafi’s forum.this is in the nature of some people who cant listen to logics and invite funny controversies without any regard even for rafi.
its very surprising dat wid biased attitude someone placing lata over noor jaha.lata never placed even equal to noor jahan by music critics.radaha is 100% rite dat we r music lovers and must not be biased.we have to accept da realities and hav to place our likings on side.dis tribute is for rafi and plz dnt spoil it by giving illogical comparisons between lata and noor jahan becz no one could be noor jahan.rafians cant go into controversies and they give equal respect to every legend as a follower of rafi.i request rafians to give a full stop to such elememts who r trying to give it a bad shape.thanks
rafi g is the last great singar of the this malinume
Sun, Feb 14 05:58 AM
Three decades after he sang them, six of Mohammed Rafi’s unreleased songs have been brought together in an album
In the late seventies, while in college, brothers and co-composers, Anand and Milind Srivastava tried never to miss the practice sessions of playback singers who rehearsed with their father, composer Chitragupta. One of their favourites was a soft-spoken man, dressed almost always in a white shirt and white trousers, low key despite his soaring popularity. The man was playback singer Mohammed Rafi, who recorded his last six songs to tunes by Chitragupta, which have so far not been released, but are out now in an album titled The Last Songs (Universal Music; Rs 150).
The six songs were supposed to be part of the soundtrack of a movie, Sorry Madam by director Dilip Bose, who had earlier made films like Chandi Ki Diwar, Sansar, Thokar, Sikka, and Badnaam. While the music, composed by Chitragupta featuring Rafi in most of the duets and the solos was ready by 1979, the shoot for the movie, a re-make of a hit Bengali film by the same name, was to be completed in a year’s time. But post the preliminary shoots in 1978-79, the film got shelved when Bose’s wife passed away. The music spools had been lying with the family since and finally, the youngest son, Bobby Bose, acquired the rights of the songs and decided to put it out on the public domain.
“The songs were composed over three decades ago and as soon as we came to know of their existence we thought it was an album that should be made available to the public, particularly to the scores of Rafi fans across the country,” says Rajeeta Hemwani, Vice President, Content, A and R, Universal Music.
For both Bose and the Srivastavas, the songs bring back some wonderful memories. Bose talks of Rafi’s touching humility. “He was not just an exceptional singer, but a wonderful human being as well,” he says. Anand Srivastava talks of the rehearsal sessions. “Usually all the rehearsals at our place would start at 8 am. Rafi sahab was extremely punctual. He would arrive at five minutes to eight and park his Fiat a few bungalows away. At exactly a minute to eight, he would ring the door-bell and come in. He never drove himself and was always accompanied by his brother-in-law Zahir, who would take down the lyrics in Urdu. Rafi sahab never sang more than once in the practice sessions, and always in a very low tenor. At the pre-recording at the studio though, he would totally change. He put in such passion in each song you would wonder where all the energy and the nuances came from,” says Anand. Let Rafi’s music play, once again.
Paromita-Chakrabarti
I am amazed at the flak that Dhani Ram ji is getting for voicing his honest opinion. I agree with most of what he has written. Rafi and Lata are the biggest names in playback singing. Period. No one — and I repeat, no one — could have stopped their ascent to the top. Just because Rafi idolised Saigal and Lata idolised Noorjehan doesn’t imply that the seniors were better than the juniors. Yes, if Saigal didn’t die prematurely and the country was not partitioned, Rafi and Lata’s entry to stardom might have been delayed. That’s not because Saigal and Noorjehan were better singers, but because they were singing stars. If there’s anything on par or better than a Rafi-Lata duet, it’s a Rafi-Asha duet, Jugnu or no Jugnu. At the time of Jugnu, Rafi was a struggling youngster barely out of his teens. Is it a big surprise that he was a little nervous singing with the number 1 singing actress of that time?
hi all rafians
lets cut the crap out.we r not here to discuss controversies and dnt agree wid social limitations of music.we must throw those ppl out of here who r inviting unnecessary mes.i request all rafians to avoid those ppl who r trying to degrade the legens bcs rafi is also a legend,he is not out of music person.so i once again request all rafians to discourage such ppl who r discussing social values of indo-pak.and i fully agree wid radha in this regard.thax
dhani gee
m not here 4 anybody’s advocacy.i have jst revealed facts(nt my self asumed).i quoted noushad’s,nisar’s and c ramchandra’s authenticated remarks who were best in da game.dis is rafi’s site and m stil unable 2 get it 4 wat dis biased comparison has been started…?initialy, u were after great ahmed rushdi by taking a hard line of placing low level singers like masood rana over rushdi and den suddenly u started targeting madame noor jahan who is da ideal of lata mangeshkar,rafi,feroz nizami,noushad,ghulam haider,kl sehgal,geeta dutt and many more..
i agree wid ali dat dere r some ppl who r trying 2 convert dis forum into indo-pak battle but m greatful 2 asjad and odrz,dey maintained repect of dis forum.4 ur info dhani sir, lata got fame bcz noor jahan left 4 pakistan(dis is on record and do chk it b4 cuming out wid ur own logics).if rafi or rushdi or noor jahan could have read ur biased logics,dey would have laughed only..
dhani g..u dnt like ahmed rushdi(though he is one of da greatest singers of south asia not declaired by me but by music critics),u hav reservations against noor jahan(4 dat no one could even give a logic),u hav problems wid kl sehgal(wat one can say??),u hate kishore kumar(sympothies wid rd burman),u have serious issues wid barey ghulam ali(4 which classical music must b feeling sorry)…if someone has dese serious troubles den dat person has no respect 4 anybody(including Rafi). 1 thing 4 sure,if sum 1 is doing so,he/she is just using rafi’s name just 2 satisfy his/her…i dnt kno wat.
lets discuss ur likings now…masood rana(a copier of rafi who rose in 1962 and was not at all a versatile singer but still i respect his work),saleem raza(a voice which doomed immediately after start of his career and he has no single film song after 1969 though he died in 1984),surayya multani(a ghazal singer wid only 1 famous ghazal u mentioned),mala(a female singer whose voice quality was in no match wid noor jahan,lata and she got fame bcz of her duets wid one and only ahmed rushdi..consult mala’s wikipedia plz).
dhani ram g…u hav affiliated urslf wid rafi and doing exactly opposite to da traditions of rafians.watever i listed above is supported by authenticated facts easily available everywhere.but wat u r saying is only asumption and nthing else. u said u hav a rite to criticise any 1 u feel like,sory no 1 has dis rit,even nt sd burman or nisar bazmi(though dey r da rite ppl 4 dis job).i request all rafians 2 discourage such attitudes and give equal place 2 every legend bcz music is our life.thaks
For once, I did not fully agree with Dhani Ramji’s tone, but I agree with the overall spirit of the message. That, Indian film music is richer than Pakistan’s. And the reason to me is social, and little to do with musical talents. I will not delve into those social issues because that will lead to unnecessary controversy.
Rafi saab’s greatness was not that he was the best in every genre. But his adaptation to every genre was amazing, backed by his golden emotive voice which added a different dimension to everything he sang (emotive quality does not matter much outside film music). He almost had the ‘perfect voice’-a voice that could ‘represent the mood’ without having to compromise on the fundamental rules of singing..He was almost 10 singers rolled into one (though those 10 singers individually could be better than him on some counts).
To me, singers in film music can be classified into 5 types:
1. Bad singers
2. Good/okay singers
3. Great singers
4. Legends
5. Rafi
first of all saleem raza was an urdu singer not punjabi and he started his music career in 1955 in tallat mahmood’s inspiratin.his voice had a close resembelance with tallat’s.for example ”bhool jao gey tum kar ke wada sanam”.he sang less than 5 songs in pnjabi and a total number of 92 songs in his entire career.how one could compare him with afmed rushdi(seven thousand film songs)???(if the criterian set by dhani sir is bein implemented here as he raised a question abouth ustad amanat ali khan).one thing has to be kept in mind like barey ghulam ali,amanat ali hated playback singing.
masood rana again was rafi’s immitation who remained a fourth number singer in rating.those who have a limited variety and are not capable of singing every type of song,if these singers are being praised and given priority over extraordinary singers like ahmed rushdi,means a level of hatred.i will not go further.but if some pakistani will say i dont think high of rafi or he doesnt like rafi this means what????evry body has the answer.
now about noor jahan.no one in this room can qualify that criterian to say any thing about her.lata gee declares her ideal and she sang a better variety of songs in pakistan in khawaja khurshid anwer,rashid attrey,nisar bazmi’s etc compositions.”dukhaye dil jo kisi ka”..”mujhko ghame halat ki’..o janey waley rey” are some of the examples.even rafi was depressed once he was singing his first duet with noor jahan”yahan wafa ka badla bewafai ke siwa kia hai”film(khandan).i think it would suffice.
k asif’s mughl-e-azam is the best suited example given by radha.rafi learned classical music from barey ghulam ali.rafi was not only a great singer but a great human being also.he admitted several times in his life that barey ghulam ali had yet to teach him many aspects but unfortunately he left.”o dunya ke rakhwaley” is the rafi’s masterpiece but the clasical allap of mughl-e-azam could only be qualified by barey g. ali khan(who knows better than noushad).these are the facts which i never wanted to elaborate here but compeled to do so.
now about mohammad rafi.he is my favourate singer and i am proud that we had him.he was master of all moods and one of the very few singer who had such a grip over voice and deep expressive throw(according to sonu nigam..a great admirer of mohammad rafi).i again request every one not to go in this comparison business because it will spoil the purpose of this tribute .respected dhani g..please create a battle site somwhere without using rafi’s name and start comparison over there.for me ahmed rushdi,mohd rafi,noor jahan,lata every one has equal importance.
Dear friends,
I’m glad to see that a lot of old-timers like sudip ji, dhani ram ji and venkat ji are back in full force. I spent the first three weeks of the year in Kolkata and what a great time it was! The mercury had dipped to around 10 degrees celsius and the very first time I switched on the radio, I was treated to “main kahin kavi na ban jawoon.” Next morning I was in a taxi, I caught a few lines of Rafi’s “janu meri jaan” playing outside and before the other singer could chip in, I was out of earshot. Very auspicious, indeed. Next day, in another taxi, the radio was playing “chunnu chhabile munnu hatile”. And then when I was just about to enter a friend’s house, I heard “tum to na kaho hum khud hi se khele”. And that night, someone outside was playing “dard-e-dil dard-e-jigar”. Five in a row! Reminded me of my youth.
I am not a superstitious person but I must confess that some of the best things in my life have happened when rafi saab’s voice has streamed into my consciousness through the air waves.
On behalf of all the rafian friends today 18th February I would like to wish a very very “happy marriage anniversary” to our rafian friend mr. prakash shah and mrs. Mallika shah.
Bhagwan kare ye jodi ta-qayamat salamat rahe !!!
Plz keep voting for “rafi sahab”…
http://www.whopopular.com/Mohammed-Rafi
rajkumar akela
radhaji and ashokji
i shall not comment on your personal comments on me as that has nothing to do with music.actually when one is weak in logic and facts, one resorts to such tactics.i am interested in music and not in your personal tastes and proclivities.
1. i would request both of you to read my post carefully again.i have not denigrated pakistani music in any way. overall i believe that pakistani music was ahead of indian. i love amanat ali khan but how many songs did he sing for pakistani films? just a couple of them.he was not a film singer just as amir khan sahib was not.i was simply comparing hindi film music with pakistani film music of a certain era and i stand by my statement that indian music was far ahead.Pakistani music (films only) was average.
2. i didn’t bring in pakistani singers into the debate.actually, i was keeping away from it but then on this rafi forum i found people extolling rushdie and masood and others.and i wanted to straighten things out.
3. i don’t buy false and sentimental assumptions that we shouldn’t appreciate or criticise a particular cultural item because it has political overtones.by saying that indian film music is superior, i am not making any nationalist statement.if i say that tolstoy is a better novelist than munshi prem chand,am i making an anti-national statement? when discussing music,let us keep our discussion limited to music only.
4. i said that pakistani film industry’s forte was making panjabi films and their punjabi music is very good.it was in that connection that i mentioned saleem raza and masood rana and i cited one of their songs also. you should listen to songs of pakistani panjabi films.you will find them closer to their soil.besides.saleem raza’s jaane bahaara rashke chaman has no equal in pakistani film music except perhaps suraiya multanikar’s bare be murawwat hain yeh husn wale.but then suraiya was not a regular film singer.
5. again about rushdie i said that i had no likiing for him and added that i would let that pass.i still don’t want to argue about him.personally he doesn’t appeal to me
6. now if i say anything about noor jehan it will raise another controversy.in india she sang some passably good songs but in pakistan she produced only average songs(quite often even below average).there was once a debate in pakistani press on noor jahan as a singer in which she faced a lot of flake.she was certainly an overrated singer.i don’t want to go into the reasons for this.
7. as consumers of music,we need to have a dicriminating critical sense about it.we can’t just accept it blindly.i have every right to criticise what i find substandard.
8.there is distorted logic in saying that naushad in mughale azam got classical singers to sing classical numbers.in baiju bawra ustad amir khan sang a classical song but man tadpat and o dunia ke rakhwale were given to rafi.both the songs had classical base.do you think the ustad could have sung either of them? that is not to belittle the great ustad.he was the best in what he could do. but rafi could do that no other singer could,whether classical or any other.
Dear fans,
I think in Pakistan there are great singers and music directors, some of them they worked for bollywood ,we should know why singers and films in Pakistan are not famous as in Indian as I think(maybe I am wrong)because they are culture and most places in Pakistan there ppl don’t like music…..
it is not important who is from where and we r music lover and should enjoy good music and no problem where he or she from…If am not wrong Mohd rafi is the top singer also in Pakistan and also there should be many great singer in Pakistan(sorry i don’t know music)
Please stop compare Pakistan to India or India to Pakistan we are music lover and not in unwanted war..ppl in India and Pakistan are same colour .
sorry to Dearest Pakistan fans please understand that no mohd Rafi fan will say anything wrong about any Pakistan singer but there are some bad people who have no place and they want us to fight for nothing ,Mohd Rafi himself was a fan of Pakistan singer G Ali and Lata ji also….
If am not wrong I feel that mohd rafi songs should most sale in Pakistan and india……
when ever I asked a Pakistan fan about Mohd Rafi he or she said no one be compare with mohd rafi…..
If my father is so bad man and other man is father is so great when he said me that ur father is so bad , I will aswer that ur father is bad because we don’t agree with the trueth something when it comes to us…….
for me Mohd Rafi is like the sun and when sun comes out we can’t see moon and stars
sorry dear if heart any of u…………..
hi friends
m from pakistan and great fan of ahmed rushdi but has equal respect for mohammad rafi sahab. rafi sahab is a great legend and equally respected every where.like rushdi sahab,rafi sahab had amazing voice quality and no one can compete rafi sahab as far as playback singing is concerned.tallat mahmood,mukesh,hemant kumar,all are great names but rafi is above all.
m extremely thankful to ashok sahab,radha gee and sadhna gee for giving an unbiased opinion.your knowledge on the subject surprised me that you people know so much in detail about ahmed rushdi,masood rana etc.you are right that masood rana and saleem raza cant stand with rushdi sahab though they were also amazing singers like kishore kumar,manna day cant compete rafi sahab.masood rana was a big fan of rafi and he use to sing high pitch sogs normaly.unfortunately saleem raza doomed earlier because of mehdi hassan and ahmed rushdi’s presence in pakistan film industry.rafi sahab inspired a lot many singer during the past 65 years and his legacy still travels.i thank you all once again for giving a neutral opinion and keeping certain elements who enjoy controversies, away from creating bad taste.my only purpose of posting comments here is to express my respect and likeness to the great voice of subcontinent by the name of mohammad rafi.
hi radha and ashok and oderz
m a great fan of rafi but 100% agree wid u ppl dat dis is a respectable forum to pay a tribute 2 da greatest singer of subcontinent rafi sahab.i understand some ppl out of their biased nature r trying 2 degrade paki singers and its very frustrating..4 da instance v take da example of one and only ahmed rushdi.he is da most versatile and sweetest voice i ever listened 2..i dnt place rushdi above rafi bcz no one could b mohammad rafi but have to admit also da greatness of ahmed rushdi.
4 ppl like mr dhani ram, i hav 2 recall dat classical rag and allap of movie mughl-e-azam by barey ghulam ali khan.k asif requested barey ghulam ali to sing dat claasical song rather than asking mohd rafi.it dosnt make rafi less great but in classical allaps,barey ghulam ali was the last word.as far as kl sehgal is concerned,da biggest wish of rafi was 2 sing a single line wid him.so da music in kl sehgal’s time,wasnt infant..mukesh and manna dey has no match wid ahmed rushdi..not even a single song of these singers could be mentioned which matches da expressive singing of ahmed rushdi.can some one do dat logicaly??
mohd rafi has no match.i love his voice like anything..i agree dat dis forum is 2 praise rafi by discussing his greatness and not by degrading other great names.v must request all those ppl who r trying 2 give dis tribute a differnt shape and using dis forum 4 their own hatred and despration, must stay away and dnt bring a bad name 4 rafians.
for me rafi is the start and end of playback singing.
respected dhani g
i realy dont understand wat are u trying to prove here.your self asumed assumptions will damage this tribute to great mohammad rafi.m a greatest admirer of rafi but the way you are trying to express your feelings,plz dont mind,its not a voice of a fan but of a disrespectful person who lacks sense of proportion and judjement..again i apologise
wat if pakistani/indian admirers of ahmed rushdi/mehdi hassan/noor jahan start degrading our great indian legends because of your small little effort for mohd rafi.we are not supposed to invite pakistani’s to start a useless fight.sir umair’s commemts give us a very neutral overview but you are going in wrong direction.you are speaking high of masood rana and saleem raza who even dont stand 100 km near ahmed rushdi(its a fact not an assumption,read masood rana’s wikipedia).masood rana got fame for a while because he started his career with rafi’s style.he had a stiffed voice and never got priority over magician of voice ahmed rushdi.saleem raza’s career met an end in 1960 because of ahmed rushdi.if you dont consider some great singer up to that level,,plz dont express it.dhani gee,lata has no comparison with noor jhan and lata herself accepted not only this fact but also started her career in noor jahan’s style(though my favourate singer is lata like every hindustani).
respected sir…legends cant be compared.our purpose for gathering here is to express our feelings to our love mohammad rafi.restrict yourself to the soul of this site and avoid controversies and dont get sentimental on the subject.please dont spoil this effort of millions and millions fans of mohd rafi.even then,i thank you for you contribution.
well dhani ge
thanx 4 replying.i dont understand y we indians try to give dis impression dat v r extremests and hav no respect for othrz work.if shah rukh speaks 4 pakistani cricket team,he gets threats over life…u said u dnt think high of ahmed rushdi,dis means u consider urself above than sd burman,nisar bazmi,noushad,lal iqbal,deebo batti charia.in classical music rafi cant even stand near to mehdi hassan,ustad amanat ali and barey ghulam ali.i consider rafi a great singer but factually speaking there is a difference between playback singing and classical singing.
now lets discuss ur 2nd statement dat u love saleem raza and masood rana which clearly speaks abt ur standard of singing(wid due apologies).masood rana was a pale immitation of rafi and stands no where near rushdi bcz rana was only specialist in theme songs.now abt saleem raza..raza is an absleted voice which doomed in mid 60s just like tallat mahmood and u r comparing masood rana and saleem raza wid versatile ahmed rishdi.m realy surprised over ur logics whish amused me a lot.u said even aasha bhosley is better than pak singers but u forgot wat noushad said wen noor jahan was leaving india.”now v have left witd half lata only”.
dhani g m nt here to speak 4 pak singers but this mind set wont lead u any where.kishore was nt even consider to b a singer till late 60s..noushad said abt asha bhoseley”this is a market (bazari)voice.”with due respect sir dhani,the comparison of songs u asked 4 are of these films which i mentioned above,kindly listen to these songs on youtube and uprise urself on the subject.
last bt nt least..,sir, plz dnt place urself above than c ram chander,noushad,rd burman…etc.v have to accept da realities rather just taking a false and biased stance and got to give respect to the graeat legends of subcontinent.i never read or listen any pakistani degrading rafi,kishore or lata den y v do dat.plz use dis forum to praise rafi only and nt 4 a controversial comparison.thanx sir.
Question for Haldar-ji and others
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Was the guitar flanger used anytime before ‘Dhanno ki aakhon mein’ by RDB in ‘Kitaab’?
ms radhaji
and for once i must return the compliment and say that you do not want to face the facts.i have no intention of raising any unwarranted controversies.this forum is for rafi fans and i consider myself second to none in my admiration for rafi sahib,a singer like whom the subcontinent has not seen .but i can’t accept your unfounded assertion of equivalence between hfm of 50’s and 60’s and its pakistani counterpart.you have cited pakistani films but haven’t cited the songs of these films that compare favourably with the hindi films i mentioned by me at random.from beginning to end they were non-descript compositions sung in non-descript voices.can you cite any ten pakistani songs of the period set in classical mode and sung with classical grasp.please list them to match the indian classicals.
but i give credit where it is due.overall pakistan was far ahead of india in music from mid_60s onwards.I love masood rana for his punjabi songs.i love saleem raza.there is one song based on punjabi bolian that i can hear a thousand times without getting satiated.the song is: asmaani taare ne, baazi dil waali canna wey aseen jit ke vee haare wey. it is sung by mala( i am not sure.correct me if i am wrong),saleem raza and masood rana.there is another.its wording is in urdu but otherwise it is punjabi in everyway:chaand take chhup chhup ke peechhe khazoor ke.again saleem raza with a female singer.
unfortunately pakistan had no singers to match rafi,lata,mukesh,manna de,talat and even asha. i don’t have a high opinion of ahmad rushdie but let that pass.
however, i agree with you regarding the decline of hfm.if you permit me to use metaphorical language and if you will support me in any controversy arising out of it,i will say that hindi film music had its childhood when sehgal sang ai katibe taqdeer.it grew to youth with lata and rafi and then headed towards gerontion and demise. it got its embrace of death from rd-kishore-asha combo and decent burial with slum dog millonnaire.jai ho is the final mantra chanted at its burial. i call it a decent burial because of the glitter of the international awards. from dil jalta hai to jalne de (for illustration sake only) to jai ho is a long saga of melodious freshness to decrepitude and death.
in any case, thanks for responding to my views.
u r absolutely rong abt it dhani sir.m not pakistani but i know dat indian and pakistani film music was in equelence in 50s and 60s.indian film baiju bwra, pakistani film mosiqar,indian film mughl-e-azam,pakistani film arman etc.indian music faced a downfall in 70s wen kishore took over rafi and pakistan wen urdu film era finished.i request u dnt bring any sort of comparison here bcz dis forum is 4 great rafi not 4 controversies.thanx
Let us put things in proper perspective and not sentimentallise them.
1.Pakistani film music of the 50s and 60s was mediocre,mediocre compositions sung by mediocre singers.there were some sweet songs here and there but nothing great or outstanding.there is nothing there comparable to baiju bawra,mughale azam or hum dono and scores of other bollywood movies of the period.
2. the forte of lahore film makers were punjabi movies and they did a much better job in that area.Pakistani punjabi music was far ahead of its indian counterpart.
3.in non-film music pakistan was way ahead of india in 60’s and 70s.there was nothing comparable in india to pakistani ghazal,sufi,qawwalii,folk music.Palostan excelled at music overall.
4.unfortunately,music is dead in both countries.the race to ape the west has destroyed music in both countries. I have always loved pakistani music.Zubaida khanum,zareef,attaullah and a host of other gave us divine songs.what has happened to pakistani music.to india r.d.burman happened.
being a student of music,i hav a great inspiration from mohd Rafi,ahmad rushdi and lata mangeshkar.kishore kumar is a very good vocalist but v cant compare him wid rafi.its just like we cant compare kumar sanu wid him.anwaz,i agree legends can’t b compared.
murti sir
u dnt seem to understand da purpose of dis tribute to one and only rafi…umair,radha,vkram are quite rite abt dis fact dat legends r uncompareable.even v r nt suppose to call kk a lower grade singer from rafi bcz den it will hurt kk fans.i listened to many rushdi songs and admitted dis fact dat the man was out standing.mukesh,manna dey, kl sehgal all r great.if dere wud b a compitition between rafi,rushdi,tallat,manna dey and hamant kumar,only one out of these was suppose to b a winner but dis winning never undermined the importance of others.thnx
thanks sadhna for admiring my efforts
RS murti gee…
thankyou very much for replying.you are absolutely right about great mohd rafi and i would add that not even a single song of rafi can be copied by any other singer.same is the case with ahmed rushdi,he set a level of expressive singing which cannot be qualified(according to nisar buzmi).but just to uprise you,i wana give an example of tallat mahmood.his certain songs are best suited to his voice only and no ther singer could have done justice with those songs.likewise kl sehgal’s certain songs cannott be copied with same expresssion.these great legengs never consider any other singer below their shade.rafi,rushdi,lata,noor jahan,tallat etc always respected each other and the level of singing these great names ensured will never be compromised.for example sonu nigam sings rafi very closely but he will never be rafi.these great names are the institutions of music and we are just suppose to keep one thing in our hearts for them and that is repect and only respect.
hi umair gee…
ur knowledge on music is wonderful and amazed me a lot.u beautifuly describe the great singing legends.and u r rite dat legends r not at all compareable.every playback singer after 70s has inspirations 4m these great names.thanx 4 shairing ur info.
4 post 199..i hav an advise..he must nt post any coments again bcz kishore has no comparison wid great rafi.