Mohammad Rafi

Mohammad Rafi

A thoughtful and considerate father, Rafi made sure his family could live in comfort, long after him.

A compassionate human being Rafi recorded for small time composer Nissar Bazmi who had migrated to Pakistan, a song, for a token fee of Re.1.

Composer Laxmikant vouches ‘He would never ask what he was going to be paid for a song. Apart from waiving off payments, he even helped producers financially. He’d help out the needy. He always gave without thinking of the returns’.

Son Shahid recalls ‘If a producer was in a tight spot Abba wouldn’t accept any money from him. He was a God fearing man. He felt he was an instrument through whom God was singing… whenever he was extra busy he’d ask the producer to give the song to another singer’.

Deeply religious, when Rafi Saab was warned against singing, during a Haj pilgrimage, he practically gave up his career. Returning to it only at the insistence of his sons.

Every music lover will recall the dark years of Hindi playback when Rafi and Lata fell out over the issue of royalty. Perhaps the only time the gentle genius took a firm stand. Here was something that he believed went against his well ingrained value system. Lataji firmly believed that singers were entitled to royalty fees over and above the fee paid for recording. Rafi was of the opinion that a singer’s remunerative claims ended once he or she had been paid for recording a song.

Emotionally coaxed by some producers, the magnanimous Rafi had voluntarily chosen to forfeit all royalty claims. To Rafi, creating financial hardships for his producers was a far graver issue than his rightful claim on his art.

Both were right in their own way. After four years, the two finally called a truce, at the instance of Nargis, at a stage concert, to sing ‘Dil pukare’. Lataji confessed with her natural honesty that she had forfeited the privilege of singing with Rafi, only for a just cause. But then she continued ‘making up with such a honest and guileless person like Rafi Saab didn’t take too long’.

For the honest, principled Rafi life was not always smooth – sailing. With the changing trend of uni-dimensional heroes, the flash and flamboyance of the superstar cult, the complete artiste suffered. From subdued, sensitive vocals, tastes changed to a more open, more demonstrative but largely simplistic style. Characters became stereotypes. Actors became stars.

There was also Kishore Kumar whose star was in ascendance with the patronage he received from the Burmans. There was the coincidental eclipse in the fortunes of Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. At the peak of the Kishore wave in the seventies O.P. Nayyar was quoted as saying. ‘How I wish I had just one film in hand to settle all this nonsense, they’re talking about Rafi. Always remember one thing. That if there had been no Rafi, there would have been no Nayyar’.

But Rafi refused to assert himself. And for this lack of fighting spirit, his mentor Naushad chastised, him. `Is there any male singer today, who’s even a fraction as good as you are? You still have the ability to beat the daylights out of all of them’.

True it was but unfortunate. Rafi Saab did make an amazing comeback as the voice for the young Rishi but his reign was over. Perhaps it was for the best. The true Rafi devotee still remembers him as the voice of the both the intellectually complex Guru Dutt in Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and in the immortal Chaudhvin Ka Chand and of the crazy, prancing,gyrating, lovable Shammi Kapoor. Could such versatility have found true expression in the simplistic stories and portrayals of the seventies? Could such talent have been contained in the black and white persona of later times?

Rafi and only Rafi could have bridged the gap between the classical `Madhuban mein Radhika nache’ that he sang for the Thespian in Kohinoor and the breezy, street smart, cocky `Sar jo tera chakraye’ for comedian Johnny Walker in C.I.D.

Who else but Rafi, can transcend age, culture and religious barriers, override genre and form and sing practically every kind of music known to man?

That he strode the film music scene as a colossus for two decades, leaving behind a legacy of more than 5,000 songs, is what every music lover is grateful for.

In these difficult and hard times, these are songs to live and love by. As Naushad Saab proclaims.Tu hi tha pyar ka ek saaz / Nafrat ki is duniya mein / Ganimat thi teri awaz / Nafrat ki is duniya mein’ – Subhash K. Jha

The fact that Rafi was so immensely versatile and that he could take on the personality of the hero on whom the song was picturised, is mentioned by Jagjit Singh. Jagjit mentions, ‘Every time you hear a Rafi song, you see the hero, you can vividly put in place the situation and correctly assess the mood. That Rafi is singing is probably just taken for granted.’

How else can one explain how the sober, conservative Rafi could articulate the mad, unrestrained youthfulness of Shammi Kapoor. Here was a voice, a style that captured the imagination of a whole generation. Here was a talent steeped in classical learning, that could move young hearts in a beaty, rock ‘n’ roll member. Remember `Tally ho’ from China Town or ‘O Haseena zulfon wali’ or ‘Aaja Aaja main hoon pyar tera’.

Shammi Kapoor has openly acknowledged his debt to Rafi for creating his image as the Yahoo star. There’s the loud flashy ‘Yahoo’ from Junglee composed by the enduring Shankar Jaikishan that became the buzzword of a whole generation. Yahoo stood for rebellion, non­comformity, and absolutely unfettered, voluble love.

Bharat Bhushan’s success as the classical hero, could only be wrought by Mohd. Rafi. Every one of the songs from Baiju Bawra could only have been sung by the Virtuoso – Mohd. Rafi, ‘There’s the peppy `Tu ganga ki mauj’ the enduring bhajan ‘O duniya ke rakhwale’ and of course the moving `Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj’. Again the images of the musically passionate, `Bawra’ Baiju come to mind. His enormous devotion, his phenomenal talent. And of course, only Rafi could have articulated `Baiju’s’ passion. When Bharat Bhushan made his move to Muslim socials, Rafi sang the still hummed ‘Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi, woh barsaat ki raat’. And you picture the sensitive poet-lover completely besotted by the stunning Madhubala, on a romantic, rainy night.

Even for the Thespian Dilip Kumar, Rafi created magic with his voice. This multi dimensional hero’s enormous talent found a befitting vehicle in Rafi’s vocals. There’s Dilip Kumar calling back the condemned Nimmi in the Shangri – la like film ‘Uran Khatola’. The brooding, broken lover in the haunting Madhumati song `Toote huye khwabon ne’ and of course the frisky, energetic rustic lad in `Nain lad jaihen to manava maa kasak hoi bekari’. The confirmed teetotaller Rafi articulates the betrayed trust of the Thespian drowning his sorrows in `Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin’ and in ‘Mujhe duniyawalon sharaabi na samjho’

Rafi had the amazing ability to completely efface himself and blend his voice into the character that was portrayed onscreen. When the Thespian flirted gently in Leader with ‘Teri husn ki kya taarif karoon’, mischief sparkles in every note.

Jubilee Rajendra Kumar was literally made by Rafi. All those old world songs, steeped in courtly romance and elegant Urdu poetry from ‘Mere Mehboob’ were gems created by the Naushad – Rafi team. The yearning ‘Mere Mehboob’ the paean to love ‘Aye husn zara jaag’. Quivering songs of restrained passion that the natty Rajendra Kumar lip synched for, in his fez and sherwani. As one listens, the door opens, to a gentleman Nawabi lifestyle – full of adab and tehzeeb. And there’s the other face of Rajendra Kumar, the `ganwar’ poet in Geet - ‘Mere mitwa mere meet re’.

Dev Anand’s films were always known for their wonderful music. And the debonair Dev’s voice in early films was The Virtuoso. Whether it’s the gently romantic ‘Abhi na jao’ from Hum Dono composed by Jaidev, the brooding ‘Din Dhal Jaye’ from Guide or that precursor to Sapnon Ki Rani – ‘JiyaO jiya O jiya kuch bol do’ from Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai. Every shade of the Indian Gregory peck has been given voice to by Rafi. Again the marriage between the hero’s persona and the singer is complete and perfect.

The early Jeetendra hit from `Geet gaga pathron ne’ Shashi Baba’s `Ni sultana re’ and ‘Pardesiyon se na ankhiyan milana’, the early Dharmendra songs ‘Gar tum bhula na doge’ ‘Chalkayen jaam’, the later ‘Main jat yamla pagla deewana’ – all belonged to one voice – Mohammed Rafi. Right down to Rishi Kapoor in Sargam, Karz and Hum Kisi Se Kum Naheen.

Such was Rafi’s supremacy over the playback kingdom that in his heyday he sang for two songs filmed on the actor – singer Kishore Kumar – ‘Man mora baawra’ from Raagini composed by O.P. Nayyar and `Ajab hai yeh dastaan teri ae zindagi’ in Sharaarat composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Teetotaller Rafi, under Sachin Da’s baton is the smitten, intoxicated lover in ‘Hum bekhudi mein tum ko pukare chale gage’, which he renders with absolute conviction and is the restrained, gentleman lover in `Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar’.

S.D. and Rafi wrought mega hits like Naushad and Rafi. Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, and Navketan’s Guide, Kala Bazar, Tere Ghar Ke Samne. For Guide it is said Burman da insisted on the vocals of Rafi, though by that time, Kishore Kumar had practically become the singing voice of Dev Anand. And what a landmark score that decision produced.

Ghazal Badshah Madan Mohan probably found the perfect male voice in Rafi. That wonderfully memorable Ghazal from Chirag `Teri aankhon ke siva, duniya mein rakha kya hai’ could only have been composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Rafi and even that heartrending song of despair and frustration sung by the desperate Ranjha ‘Yeh duniya, yeh mehfil’.

Madan Mohan was also responsible for resurrecting Rafi Saab’s career. At a time when Kishore Kumar was the most sought after playback artiste, Madan Mohan insisted on Rafi’s vocals for Laila Majnu. The songs `Tere dar pe aaya hoon’ and `Barbad-e-Mohabbat ki dua’ went on to become huge hits, wiping out the stigma of non-success on Rafi Saab’s impeccable career – graph.

Laxmikant Pyarelal will always remember Mohd. Rafi with affection and sadness. After recording his last song for Aas Paas composed by them. Rafi Saab said ‘Main chaloon?’. The surprised L – P didn’t reply because Rafi had never said this before. Again before leaving he said ‘To main chalta boon’. He passed away that evening on July 31, 1981 at 7.30 p.m. after a massive heart attack. Some premonition of his impending end had perhaps prompted the sensitive Rafi to speak so.

Rafi Saab was special to L – P. Dosti had proved to be a turning point in their career. And the song `Chahoonga main tujhe’ had won Rafi Saab a Filmfare award and Laxmi – Pyare an award for the score. Other awards including the Padmashri followed but to Rafi, this award was special. The song had been originally written and composed for Laxmikant Pyarelal’s mentor and godmother Lata Mangeshkar. When they were informed that Rafi Saab would be singing it, they were more than alarmed. However Rafi won them over with his enthusiasm and dedication.

Once Mohd. Raft recorded as many as six songs for Laxmikant Pyarelal in one day. That too without the dubbing techniques that are used today. Laxmikant also reveals that Rafi Saab always spared time to record L – P’s songs even if he had four other recordings on the same day.

O.P. Nayyar, along with Asha Bhosle and Mohd. Rafi created the hummable tunes of the late fifties and early sixties. O.P. Nayyar’s compositions, in Rafi’s voice were used to delineate the young, rebellious Shammi Kapoor’s image. There’s the soft, ebullient ‘Jawaniyan yeh mast mast’ from Tumsa Nahin Dekha and the jumpy, `Taarif karoon kya uski’ from Kashmir Ki Kali.

O.P. Nayyar and Rafi created many other lovable hits. There’s `Aaanchal mein sajaa lena kaliyan’ from Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon which had Ustad Amir Khan marvelling at the musically unlettered Nayyar’s prowess. And then Anjaan‘s immortal ode to love in `Aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj naya noor hai’. Even R.D. Burman, largely responsible for promoting Kishore Kumar, used Rafi in his hugely successful Teesri Manzil where Shammi Kapoor wowed an entire nation with his antics. Ironically it was R.D’s rise to fame and patronage of Kishore that eclipsed Rafi Saab’s own career.

One thing that cannot be denied is Rafi’s huge contribution to the success of a whole host of heroes, included among them, Thespian Dilip Kumar, Jubilee Hero Rajendra Kumar, Evergreen Dev, Junglee Shammi, Tragic Bharat Bhushan.

The genial genius of Hindi playback – a kind, generous, considerate and thoughtful human being was Rafi saab. A shining example who has lit the way, blazed the trail for numerous admiring aspirants, from Mahendra Kapoor, to Anwar, Shabbir Kumar, Mohd. Aziz right down Sonu Nigam.

It’s this amazing humility that Lata Mangeshkar speaks of by mentioning `A man of unassuming temperament, Rafi Saab was very melodious. It’s my good fortune that I sang the maximum number of duets with him. He sang every kind of song so brilliantly that even those listeners not very conversant with music, would spontaneously break into appreciative wahs – wahs. Singers like Rafi Saab aren’t born everyday’.

Mohammed Rafi came from a family where humility was equated with worshipping the divine. A disciplinarian father disapproved of Rafi’s abiding passion in music but nothing could tie Rafi Saab down. When he moved to Lahore at the age of 14, from Kotta Sultan Singh village where he was born in 1924, on December 4, Rafi learnt music from classical stalwarts like Ghulam Ali Khan.

The first song that Rafi Saab sang was in Punjabi for the film Gul Baloch, a duet with Zeenat Begum `Soniye ni heeriye ni’. Composer Feroze Nizami spotted the young singer’s potential and found him a job at Radio Lahore. Feroze Nizami also composed Rafi’s first major hit `Yahan badla wafa ka’. And also in Amar Raj, where producer J.B. Wadia was so taken up with Rafi’s voice that he went looking for Rafi, because he wanted none other to sing his song.

Composers have always shared a warm rapport with the Virtuoso. Shyam Sunder who composed Rafi’s first song in Gul Baloch, gave the 25 year old aspirant as many as seven songs in the film Bazaar.

And then came the composer, largely responsible for showcasing and presenting Rafi’s awesome repertoire – Naushad Saab. Rafi’s first song for the composer was `Hindustan ke hum ham hindustan hamara’ for the film Pehle Aap in 1944.

Prophetic lyrics, for soon enough Mohd. Rafi became the voice of Hindustan, expressing the hopes and dreams, wishes and anxieties of a young nation in songs created by Naushad. In 1946, songs in Anmol Ghadi laid the bedrock for a long and enriching relationship between Rafi and Naushad.

Perhaps Rafi’s own disciplined and principled life, was responsible for Naushad promoting Rafi. Angered with Talat Mahmood, whom he found smoking during a recording, the perfectionist composer, hired Rafi on a whim and decided that he would sing all the songs of Baiju Bawra. Rafi’s gentle nature, non-smoking, teetotaller habits, his devotion to his religion and family, were perhaps in more than one way responsible for his huge success.

Naushad Saab’s pays warm and effusive tribute to Rafi by saying ‘Teri awaaz ki shabnam se dhul jati thi gham sare’. For he believed that Rafi’s voice reflected the beauties of life, and it would live through centuries as long as music lived. Naushad placed Optimum faith in young Rafi, when he was struggling to establish himself as a playback singer. Rafi started his career by imitating G.M. Durrani, the reigning male singer despite glaring differences in their respective personalities. Naushad Saab himself favored Durrani’s voice in the forties. One of the earliest songs Rafi sang for Naushad was the duet `Dildaar ki aisi taisi’ for the film Village Girl – with the then formidable G.M. Durrani.

Then came the Fifties and Naushad would compose for no other male artiste but Rafi. So much so that a few prominent singers of the time who went on to become famous in their own right, resented Naushad’s complete patronage of the young Rafi.

It is of course to the maestro’s credit that he with his keen ear recognized genius as soon as he heard Rafi. Together Naushad and Rafi rewrote the rules of film music, introducing a solid classical base in popular music.