Remembering Mohammed Rafi
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Mohammed Rafi
Come July 31, and it is Mohammed Rafi’s death anniversary. So much is written about Rafi (1924-1980) that I don’t quite know where to begin and what new to say really. I am stumped.
It should just suffice if I say that Rafi was one of the most versatile singers in the history of Hindi film music. His pan-Indian (and beyond) appeal seems to get only stronger with time. From the doleful Jugnu (1947) to the patriotic Shaheed (1948) to the classical Baiju Bawra (1952) to the effervescent Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955) to the regal Raj Hath (1956) to the poetic Pyaasa (1957) to the meltingly romantic Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)—phew! the list is endless—Rafi sang it all. And more.
Equally at home on different turfs, Rafi could convincingly slip under the skin of characters that were poles apart: he sang for the brooding Dilip Kumar in Deedar (1951) with the same ease with which he lent his voice to a frolicking Johnny Walker in C.I.D. (1956). And, truly, it is difficult for the listener to decide where Rafi excels more.
In his earlier years, before he had fully come into his own, Rafi sang for Ghulam Mohammed (Naushad’s protégé) a lovely duet with Lata in Pardes (1950), called “Akhiyaan milaake zara baat karo jee,” a song to which I am very partial for two reasons: Madhubala’s striking beauty, and Rafi’s deep, powerful rendering that is reminiscent of Pankaj Mullick, not to mention a very young Lata’s exquisitely honeyed voice.
In the lines of the second stanza, “Dil ke khazaaney koyi aaya hai lutaney aji din hain suhaney chaley aao naa,” Rafi’s inflection has a strong, decisive tinge of Mullick’s style of singing; it is one of those nuances that just cannot be overlooked. I have not heard such likeness to the Bangla maestro in any of Rafi’s other songs. (Of course, there are many Rafi songs—his earlier ones, especially—that I have not heard; so there might easily be other instances as well.)
Moreover, for various reasons, some songs are not as well known as they deserve to be (one does not find these in the typical compilations), and this particular Rafi-Lata duet is a prime example. (By the same logic—or lack of—Ghulam Mohammed was one of those vastly—and most unfairly—underrated composers.) Here is the song, on Rehman and Madhubala: Song 1:
As the decade of the 1950s unfolded, Rafi’s own distinct style—with its almost nonchalant attitude to the vagaries of life—firmly struck roots. This is the quintessential Rafi, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the “Le chala jidhar ye dil nikal padey” number from Miss Bombay (1957), picturized on Ajit (much before he turned villain for the screen).
Bombay—that teeming metropolis, teeming then in the 1950s just as it is teeming today—the land of opportunities—was masterfully captured by lyricist Prem Dhawan to composer Hansraj Behl’s tune that is born for the harmonica. (Its more famous precursor that spoke of urban vicissitudes, also tailor-made for the harmonica, is, of course, “Ay dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan” from C.I.D. in 1956.) Here is Rafi in Miss Bombay: Song 2:
I am going to end this piece with “Dil ki tamanna thi masti mein,” a hit song from Gyaara hazaar ladkiyaan (1962), a film that is, nevertheless, not easy to come by. Rafi and Asha Bhonsle sing for Bharat Bhushan and Mala Sinha, under the music direction of N. Dutta (another underrated composer). On a personal note, this is one of my mother’s favorite songs—it takes her back to her college days, when she and her friends would attend matinee shows, spellbound by their favorite heroes. And, of course, they would also get the latest fashion tips from the reigning screen queens of the day, whose sari styles and hair buns they would imitate. That nostalgia has badly rubbed off on me, too; it just underscores the cross-generational appeal that Rafi’s songs have. So here is going back to another era: Song 3:
Tags: Ajit, Bharat Bhushan, Ghulam Mohammed, Hansraj Behl, Madhubala, Mala Sinha, mohammed rafi, N. Dutta, Pankaj Mullick, Rehman
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Nivedita- thank you for the links to these lovely songs. I especially love song 2 (and I think, I’ve heard song 3 before). Mohd. Rafi was my favorite singer as a kid (and still is)..My constant complain used to be the lack of awareness of his more beautiful, older songs- so your post struck a chord immediately..:). It is amazing how certain aspects of his voice change depending on whom the song is being picturised on. For example, his voice gets deeper when singing for Bharat Bhushan/Pradeep Kumar, acquires a slight nasal twang when singing for Guru Dutt and becomes smoother when singing for Dev Anand..
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Lavanya, Glad you enjoyed the songs. And, yes, that is exactly my point… as you say, there is a “lack of awareness of his more beautiful, older songs.” It seems so unfair really, given the melody of these songs…
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Don’t parts of the second song remind you of: ‘khud jiyo auron ko bhi jeene do”- a sort of patriotic song which used to be sung in the morning assembly in school?
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I have not heard this song, but now that you mention the parallel, I would love to… Is it a film song? I could not find it on YouTube.
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khud jiyo auron ko bhi jeene do was indeed a patriotic song filmed on Prithvi Raj Kapoor with children with map of india in a classroom setting. It was perhaps not a movie song but a documentary by Films Division. If any one finds the song kindly intimate
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Can you please give the full song
“Khud jiyo auron ko bhi jeene do” I am just trying to remember the song but it is long back I learnt the song. I would appreciate it.
Thanks
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The song goes like this
Khud Jiya Auron ko bhi jeene do
yehi to hai zindagi ka raasta
tumhe aman ki shanti ka waasta
heard it years back on radio
very unheard song though
thanks for reminding
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So true! Rafi has sung brilliant songs for every mood. Right now listening to ‘kahin bekhayal hokar’
@Nivedita
I always discover some unheard gems through your posts. Keep them coming!
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Thank you, Neeraja. Sure, many more gems on the way…
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Nice collection Nivedita… by the way you always reminds us some bhule bisre geet.. i mean some forgotten old classics. It is always nice to liston these classics. Keep bringing..
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Akash, Thank you. More and more bhule bisre geet in the days to come…
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Thanks for the article. It evoked fond memories of my
college/hosteldays- late 50’s and early 60’s- when Md Rafi
was at his peak.
A group of us- about 20 strong- were regulars at the Mess block,
around the only radio of the hostel, ( those were days before the transistor radio- in our final year-1962- one student had
one) for the 8 pm Radio Ceylon Listeners’ Choice. We’d never
miss Wdnesdays- Binaca Geeth Mala , with Hamid Sayani. Very
often our ranking of the movie songs would not be far off from
the official one. The annual ranking show would be the
highlight of our year. Those days were pleasantly filled with
Rafi and Mukesh (among the male singers)- we’d note every new
song making its entry at the bottom and slowly work its way up
the rankings. Chaudvin ka chand and Tumsa nahin deka were
perhaps the most enduring songs.
Hope to see more articles- esp about the mid century movie
days! Thanks once again!
Prabhu Madras (as it was known then!)
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Interesting to read about 20 students crowding around the only radio in the hostel
Thanks for that glimpse into life then.
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I have read till date many articles on Rafisaab, but few can be called as classic as the Rafisaab himself. Yours is a writing one will like to go through again and again. And then listen the songs to have the ultimate pleasure.
I am very much touched by one song ” Is bhari duniya mein koi bhi hamara na hua..” from the movie ‘ Bharosa ” with music by Ravi.
I hope you must have heard it.
Thanks for the write up and songs too.
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Hi Nivedita, Many many thanks for the song upload. This is a very rare song and more so the video.
Goes without saying that you have a great taste for music.
Cheers
Vineesh
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An immortal singer, who, for ages to come, will be considered the best ever play-back singer India ever produced. I really get emotional when I listen to great Mohd.Rafi’s songs. He should have lived atleast for another quarter of a century.
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