MOHAMMED RAFI THE LEGENDARY SINGER OF INDIA ref. to 50's..

TRIBUTE TO MOHAMMED RAFI THE LEGENDARY SINGER OF INDIA...1.
With special reference to the 1950’s and 1960’s.

What I present below is just a general observation and impressionistic views of an ordinary fan who did hear and enjoy the songs of Rafi Sahaab in the good old days and cherishes them still.

With the untimely death of the legendary Kundanlal Saigal in January 1947 a void had been created. Most of the actors having given up singing too about the mid-Forties, playback singing was a new industry and those who came in at that stage, most of them were heavily influenced by the Saigal style. Naushad, who had teamed up with Saigal in Kedar’s masterpiece Shahjehan had given the last of great musical hits that kept the memory K.L. Saigal alive. The older generations were crazy after Saigal’s songs. For several years, after his demise, Radio Ceylon used to play a 78 rpm record of Saigal’s songs every day at 7:57 a.m.. It is against this background that emergence of Mohammad Rafi has to be seen and appreciated.

Without going into the story of his earlier beginnings and forays in the Bombay film industry which are too well-known, I would like to begin at once with taking small glimpses of the “Rafian Process” that had a solid foundation in the late Forties itself, and which began building on that foundation in earnest with the 1950’s. In accordance with the compositions of the Music Directors of the late Forties, Rafi Sahaab sang those songs that involved use of low octave in his earlier voice.

After the promising singer moved over to Bombay, Naushad Ali Sahaab used the young Rafi for what has been sometimes termed as the first Hindi/Urdu song of Rafi in the 1944 flick, Pehle Aap. The song was HINDUSTAA.N KE HAMM HAIN/HINDUSTAA.N HAMAARA/HINDU-MUSLIM DONO KI AANKHON KA TAARA, accompanied by a chorus. But according to Rafi Sahaab, it was for Shyam Sunder that he sang for the first time in the 1944, as we shall see below. Naushad Ali was to give him an entire solo in Anmal Ghadi (1946): TERA KHILONA TOOTA BAALAK. In 1946 itself, Naushad had fulfilled the wishes of Rafi by giving him an opportunity to sing in a K.L. Saigal song but the lad had to be content with just the chorus rendering of RUHEE RUHEE where he can be easily spotted on the screen. This, despite the fact that earlier Rafi had soulfully rendered HAAY RE DUNIYA….in Noor Jahan's blockbuster, Zeenat (1945). YAHAAN BADLA WAFAA KA (with the reigning queen of melodies, Noor Jahan), and a light number for collegians: WOH APNI YAAD DILAANE KO where he also appears as himself (Jugnu 1946) went a long way in establishing his popularity. However, personally I’m surprised at Rafi Sahaab’s rendition of KEH KE BHI NAA AAYE TUM…in Safar – a 1946 number under C. Ramchandra. The style belongs to the Fifties with another tonal quality.

The following years we find a powerful amalgamation of the emotional feel of Rafi Sahaab blended in his songs In 1947, Do Bhai which had hit numbers of Geeta Roy, he lamented: DUNIYA MEIN MERI AAJ ANDHERA HI ANDHERA. The same year he gave such hits as TUM HAMAARE HO NAA HO, in Saajan IK DIL KE TUKDE HAZAAR HUWE…was another of his song giving that hapless unrequited love in PYAAR KI JEET (1948). Emotion mixed with Romance in HAMM KO TUMHAARA HI AASRA in Saajan (1947). In 1948 he gave quite a few numbers for Amirbai Karnataki in Shehnaz. However, in MORE RAJA HO LE CHAL… in Nadiya ke Paar the voice used for Dilip Kumar is still in low octave. Which is again reflected in YEH ZINDAGI KE MELE in Mela (both of 1948) though not filmed on the protagonist.

The year 1948 also promised that we had in Rafi Sahaab a singer who could stir up feelings of patriotism in a manner hitherto not done as when he sang in the musical composition of Husnlal Bhagatram: SUNO SUNO AY DUNIYA WAALO BAPU JI AMAR KAHANI. The then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru evidently having heard of Rafi Sahaab invited the young singer to his residence to sing to him that lyrical obituary relating to the Father of the Nation - that Bapu JO POOJYA HAI ITNA JITNAA GANGA MAA KA PAANI. There was, perhaps, no one to record how many precious tears the Indian Prime Minister must have shed on listening to the deep, rich voice, that heart-rending pathos... Though Rafi Sahaab had sung several patriotic numbers such as in Shaheed (1948) which had Ghulam Haider as the Music Director, WATAN KI RAAH MEIN…showed the promise that Rafi Sahaab would be excelling the genre of the patriotic number as well. Since this song is a duet, one can easily fathom what an emotional singer Rafi Sahaab was even at that very young age. The rendition of this song established him as the singer of patriotic songs too.

For Ghulam Mohammad Rafi sang in Kajal (1948), Shayar (1949). His DIL KI LAGI NE HAMM KO DIWAANA…in Paras (1949) was at the simple best.

Besides his teenage debut, SONIYE NEE HEERIYE NEE/TERI YAAD NE SATAAYA which was Rafi's first recorded song along with Zeenat Begum for Shyam Sunder in a Punjabi film, Gul Baloch in 1942 (released 1944) and in Gaon ki Gori - AJI DIL HO QAABOO MEIN (a duet with G.M.Durrani and chorus) the same year, Rafi Sahaab continued to sing for Music Director Shyam Sunder right from 1948 till 1953 such hits as AY DIL MERI AAHON MEIN (Actress -1948); AY MUHABBAT, UNSE MILNE KA BAHAANA MIL GAYAA and the lament in MERE BHAGWAAN TU MUJH KO YUNHI BARBAAD REHNE DE (Bazaar 1949); HASEENON KI ADAAYE BHI (Char Din 1949); the light foot-tapping HALLA GULLA LAEE LAA (Dholak – 1951); KYA RAAT SUHAANI HAI (Alif Laila –1953)to name just some. Shyam Sunder was highly impressed with the singing talent of the young Rafi so much so that he made Rafi sing seven songs in "Bazaar."

Khemchand Prakash and Husnlal Bhagatram were some of the other composers for whom Rafi Sahaab sang giving them many hit numbers. In Meena Bazaar, Husnlal Bhagatram tasked Rafi Sahaab to sing all their numbers, nearly ten, either solo or duets. For Husnlal Bhagatram he sang such soulful songs as: IK DIL KE TUKDE HAZAAR HUWE (Pyar ki Jeet - 1948); MUHABBAT KE DHOKE MEIN KOI NA AAYE (Badi Bahen – 1949); THUKRA KE HAMEN CHAL DIYE BEGAANA (Baalam -1949) among others. The romantic AYE MUHABBAT, UNSE MILNE KA BAHAANA MIL GAYA, (Bazaar), and DIL HO UNEH MUBARAK in Chaandi Raat, the vocal timbre sounds the same. The song of Badi Bahen: MUHABBAT KE DHOKE MEIN KOI NAA AAYE, and in Dillagi ISS DUNIYA MEIN AY DILWAALO.n…is still effectively at low key though the latter was under the baton of Naushad Sahaab. We find certain direction of the genre of Ghazal or Nazm in JIN RAATON MEIN NEEND UD JAATI HAI….(Raat ki Raani) and that of a soulful lament in MUJHE BHAGWAAN TU MUJHKO YUNHI BARBAAD REHNE DE…(Bazaar). In other song of Dulari (duet) such as MIL MIL KE GAAYENGE HO DO DIL YAHAAN…or in Rafi Sahaab’s duet with Suraiya in Duniya (1949): HAAY RE TUUNE KYA KIYA, and YUN TO AAPAS MEIN BIGADTEY HAIN..in Andaaz with Lata definitely reflects the style of late forties and early Fifties with a special reference to the sweetness of Rafi Sahaab’s vocals. But in RK’S Barsaat (1949), Rafi Sahaab’s MAIN ZINDAGI MEIN HARDAM ROTA HI RAHA HOON…seems to be the precursor of the songs that were later composed under the baton of Naushad Sahaab in the fifties. However, the all-famous song from Dulari SUHAANI RAAT DHAL CHUKI… stands as the benchmark of a style that was common to all the coming decades.

The picture that emerges shows that in the Forties itself Rafi Sahaab’s name became a household name and that his songs had become a run-away hit with the masses. The presence of other male singers such as G.M. Durrani, Surendra, Khan Mastana, Shyam and others could not suppress the rising star. Bollywood song sequences by the mid-forties had become more dynamic and the camera was liberated to roam around freely. This was synonymous with Rafi Sahaab’s voice that had laid the foundation in the forties to make the business of musical recording songs more exciting.

When we come to the Fifties, in the very early couple of years we still find traces of the style that was prevalent in the late forties – again probably due to the fact the Music Directors had not explored the potentials of Rafi Sahaab and were content with their same old style of song and music. Thanks to the experimentation of Naushad, the Fifties were to witness, or rather hear, and treasure that quality of Rafi Sahaab that was not present in the earlier playback singers, namely, his phenomenal range of voice. The song from Baiju Bawra (1953) : O DUNIYA KE RAKHWAALE is still fresh in the memories of music lovers even after the lapse of fifty-four years. This high range was of Rafi Sahaab was used in MERI KAHAANI BHOOLNE WAALE (Deedar 1951), YAHI ARMAAN LEKAR. (Shabab 1954) or O DUUR KE MUSAAFIR (Udan Khatola 1954). Shankar-Jaikishen made use of this range in Basant Bahar (1956): DUNIYA NA BHAAYE MOHE…where the voice rises in crescendo and is one of the most difficult songs to sing. Some singers have tried to sing the Baiju Bawra and the Udan Khatola songs but hardly one is found attempting to sing the Basant Bahar Bhajan of Rafi Sahaab. Hansraj Behl too got him singing MUHABBAT ZINDA REHTI HAI with the high octave of the words: CHALI AA, CHALI AA, CHALI AA….(Changez Khan – 1956). So did S. Mohinder for the song HAZAARO.N RANGG BADLEGAA ZAMAANA…(Shirin Farhad – 1957). In the late fifties Salil Choudhry had to give TOOTE HUWE KHWAABON NE to Rafi Sahaab in Madhumati (1958) and so also Shankar-Jaikishen had no option but to give that difficult but racy and thunderous number: YEH DUNIYA YEH DUNIYA (Yahudi 1958) to him.

it had became as clear as crystal to the Music Directors and the film industry in general in the Fifties as to what a storehouse of powerful voice did Rafi Sahaab have. They thus could come up with many compositions without restrain about the scales for they had found in Rafi Sahaab a singer who could not only understand and emote the finer nuances of lyrics effectively but also deliver the songs with grace and sweetness going from the low and high and back without losing the voice quality. Rafi Sahaab’s ability to staying in tune even in fluctuation of voice range, producing specific vowel sounds and tone colours for the sound that were needed were now all too evident. So by the close of Fifties it was Rafi Sahaab all the way. He could sing all genres of songs with great ease. The semi-classicals he had already rendered in Baiju Bawra and Basant Bahar and other movies of the Fifties, culminating in 1960 with MADHUBAN MEIN RADHIKA NAACHE RE….(Kohinoor) a song so popular that Rafi Sahaab did not charge the producer of the movie a single rupee out of his own satisfaction. His duet with Lata in Suvarna Sundari: KUHOO KUHOO BOLAY KOYALIYA is again an unforgettable number. Other genres such as Ghazals, Qawwalis, Western-influenced numbers too were already mastered by him in the Fifties. To give just an example each when the question of rendering a ghazal of Ghalib (Mirza Ghalib – 1954) in a difficult composition came up before Ghulam Mohammad he could only turn to Rafi for rendering HAI BAS KE HAR IK UNKE…. As for the qawwali style and its feel, who can forget AANKHON MEI.N TUMHAARE JALWE in Shirin Farhad. In the Fifties itself the Western pop music had begun its assault and the Bollywood film industry could not remain unscathed. Therefore, when the West danced to Rock ‘N’ Roll music, we had our own Desi version in LAL, LAL GAAL, JAAN KE HAIN LAAGU…(Mr X - 1955) belted by our own Rafi Sahaab who could not at all be repressed. Later, O.P. Nayyar found it to his comfort to use Rafi Sahaab’s mastery over this style to churn out lilting numbers such as JAAWAANIYA YEH MAST MAST BIN PIYE…(Tumsa Nahin Dekha - 1956). When Usha Khanna was introduced as the Music Director in DIL DEKE DEKHO (1958) she seemed to be under this influence too. Rafi Sahaab rendered the title song of the movie that was inspired by SUGAR IN THE MORNING, SUGAR IN THE EVENING. In the same movie, Rafi Sahaab also rendered the Desi version of the DIANA number: I’M SO YOUNG AND YOU’RE SO OLD… by KAUN YEH AAYA MEHFIL MEIN… By the way, after a quarter of century later, Rafi Sahaab would be singing to Usha Khanna HUM AUR TUM AUR YEH SAMAA from this movie showing his pleasure for the masterly composition of TU ISS TARAH SE MERI ZINDAGI MEIN SHAAMIL HAI from the 1980's AAP TOH AISE NA THEH.

The Fifties were also a decade when many low-budget mythological movies were made. It was a boon for their music directors that Rafi Sahaab sang the Bhajan’s with so much emotion, pathos, power, and mastery of Hindi dialect as well. (He had already proved that with MANN TADPAT HARI DARSHAN KO…in Baiju Bawra). His Bhajans from Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1953) including GOKUL GAAWOON, and from Tulsidas (1954) including MUJHE APNI SHARAN MEIN LE LO RAM….; from Chakradhari (1954): KAAHE KO BISRAA HARI NAAM; Aastik (1956) O JISKA SAATHI HAI BHAGWAAN…. Or from the Dilip Kumar starrers: Amar (1954): INSAAF KA MANDIR HAI, Insaniyat (1956): APNI CHHAAYA MEIN BHAGWANN, Naya Daur (1957): AANA HAI TO AA.., can never be forgotten. The genre comedy are amply represented by such songs as: AY DIL HAI MUSHKIL (C.I.D – 1956) SAR JO TERA CHAKRAAYE (Pyaasa -1957), JANGAL MEIN MOR NAACHAA (Madhumati – 1958). These songs are specially known for their uncanny resemblance to the voice and the mannerisms of comedian Johnny Walker. But then he also sang such songs for other actors too. One such notable movie is HAMM SAB CHOR HAIN.

In the Fifties the Voice of Rafi Sahaab was sugar and honey and tugged at the hearts of its listeners, evoking all shades of noble emotions. No doubt he became a national icon. Mohammad Rafi’s songs in the Golden Age are vocally seductive, rendered under great composers such as Naushad, Shankar-Jaikishen, S.D. Burman and C.Ramchandra, as well as the musicians of the next in ranks. Letting aside the most popular songs of Rafi Sahaab in the Fifties under the batons of Naushad (Dastaan, Deedar, Aan, Baiju Bawra, Udan Khatola, Sohni Mahiwal, Amar, Shabab,Mother India… ); Shankar Jaikishen (Seema, Shri 420, Raj Hath, etc.) O.P. Nayyar, (Aar-Paar, Mr. and Mrs. 55, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, C.I.D., Phagun, Howrah Bridge, 12 O’Clock, Naya Daur, Aakhri Dao…); S.D. Burman (Nau do Gyaraah, Pyaasa, Solva Saal, Kala Pani, Kaghaz Ke Phool); C.Ramchandra: (Sargam, Hangama, Insaniyat, Amar Deep…); Hemant Kumar (Jagruti, Miss Mary, Payal…), a few of other representative numbers of the Fifties in general are: AKELE MEIN WOH GHABRAATE TO HONGE from Biwi; ARRE DENE WAALE YEH KYA ZINDAGI DI..from Meena Bazaar; HAMM ISHQ MEIN BARBAAD HAI.N..from Aankhen; ADAA SE JHOOMTE HUWE…Sinbad the Sailor; YEH SAAWAN AUR HAMM AUR TUM from Dastaan; DUNIYA EK KAHANI (Afsana); JAB SHAMMA NAY PUKARA TOH ….(Albela); O SANAM O SANAM (Sanam)NAIYYA TERI MAJHDAR HOSHIYAAR. (Awara); JAYEGA JAB YAHAAN SE (Moti Mahal); TOOFAANON SE KHELE JAA (Sinbad the Sailor); AJAB TORI DUNIYA HO MORE RAAMA (Do Bheega Zameen)DEVTA TUM HO MERA SAHAARA (Daaera); NAYI ZINDAGI SE PYAAR KAR KE DEKH (Shikast); TERA KAAM HAI JALNA PARWAANE (Papi); CHAL CHAL RE MUSAFIR CHAL (Pooja); OH MAI HOON MASTANA (Mastana); AB WOH KARAM KAREN KE SITAM (Marine Drive); DAULAT KE JHOOTHE NASHE MEIN HO CHOOR (Oonchi Haveli); HAI DOOR BADI DOOR, BADI DOOR THIKANA (Madhur Milan); MERA TANGA BADA NIRALA (Tangewaali); KAALI KAMLI WAALE TUM PE LAAKHON SALAAM (Hatim Tai ki Beti); RAHI O RAHI (Devdas); PARWAR DIGAARE AALAM (Hatim Tai); APNA HAI PHIR BHI APNA (Bhai Bhai); BIGDI HUWI BANAADE AJMER WAALEY KHWAAJA (Alam Ara); MAGHROOR NA HO APNE MUQADDAR PE O NAADAAN... (Insaf); MAINE CHAAND AUR SITAARON KI (Chandrakanta); CHUN CHUN KARTI AAYI CHIDIYA (Ab Dilli Duur Nahin); AA HA BADLA ZAMAANA (Miss India); ANDHE NE BHI SAPNA DEKHA (Sujata); CHAL UD JAA RE PANCHCHI (Bhabhi); LE CHALA JIDHAR YEH DIL NIKAL PADE (Miss Bombay); MAN MORA BAAWRA NIS DIN GAAYE..(Raagini); MAI.N, MAI.N MAI.N CARTOON M.A. (Title Song); Ai JI MAINE POOCHHAA AAPKO HUZOOR KYA HUA (Mainay Jeena Seekh Liya); AJAB HAI DASTAA.N TERI AY ZINDAGI (Shararat). And many, many more.

Rafi Sahaab is generally credited with having given us about 27,000 songs in his career. The great forte of Mohammad Rafi Sahaab was that he moved with the times. In this process, he himself brought about a positive change in the playback singing, widening the horizon for the music directors, and was responsible for the liberation of filmy music that had become type-cast and monotonous to say the least. By the time we come to the year 1960, we find that Rafi Sahaab had no more musical territories to conquer. As Lata Mangeshkar was to observe much later: "The void that was created by K.L. Saigal had been filled". But another sign of a great playback singer is not to rest on his laurels. But that story belongs to the Sixties.

We saw the tremendous impact of Rafi Sahaab on the film music in the Fifties. However, it should not be in the least imagined that it was a smooth sailing for him. Of course he sang duets with all the female singers of the Fifties, including Shamshad Begum whom Asha Bhonsle had once called “Punjab Ka Jaadu,” Lata and Usha Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Raj Kumari, Ameer Bai, Madhubala Jhaveri, Meena Kapoor, Mubarak Begum, Geeta Roy (Dutt), and others. But he faced the toughest of competition from the other male singers specially Talat Mehmood and Mukesh, and others such as Manna Dey and Hemant Kumar, and to a lesser extent from C.Ramchandra and Kishore Kumar. Naushad’s home production, Babul, (1950) had Talat Mehmood’s number for Dilip Kumar. Rafi Sahaab figured just nominally in the background voice singing: DUUR JAANA DUUR HAI…in the Talat-Shamshad duet: NADI KINAARE PAAS HAMAARE SHAAM SUHAANI AAYI. In fact, by the time we approach 1960, Mukesh had won the 1959 Film Fare best singer award for his SABB KUCHH SEEKHA HAMMNE in Anari.

At the same time it also goes to the credit of Rafi Sahaab that he shunned acting and concentrated only on singing unlike Talat Mehmood who went on to act in at least 13 movies, mostly as a hero, which surely dried up his singing offers from Music Directors, as he himself had admitted. Talat Mehmood was the hero in Lala Rukh, and Rafi Sahaab was called upon to render the playback song: HAI KALI KALI KE LABB PAR which he did in a subdued voice to sound like Talat but that beautiful song was ultimately picturised on a minor character played by Sadiq Ali (Reena Roy's father) in the movie. Though Talat Mehmood also sang songs like Chal Ud Jaa Re Panchhi (Bhabhi) which was actually a Rafi Sahaab's song, there are concrete instances in or about the mid and late Sixties when he was replaced with Rafi Sahaab at the instances of the heroes of the movies for no fault of his own, and much to the chagrin of Rafi Sahaab.

Rafi Sahaab also sang for Kishore Kumar in Baghi Shehzada, Ragini and Shararat. The songs in Raagini: MANN MORA BAAWRA, in Shararat: AJAB HAI DAASTAA.N TERI AY ZINDAGI; were great hits. O.P. Nayyar’s decision to make Rafi Sahaab sing the semi-classical song Mann Mora Baawra was upheld by Kishore Kumar's brother, Ashok Kumar who happened to be the producer of Ragini. Shankar-Jaikishen too for their Shararat song needed Rafi Sahaab for his classical background and the phenomenal range of voice. Rafi Sahaab’s voice was lip-synched on the screen by both Bhagwan and Kishore Kumar in HAMEN BHAYY DARR HAI, which is a Rafi-Asha duet in the 1956 flick, Bhagam Bhag. Another duet that Rafi Sahaab sang for Kishore Kumar in the same movie is MASEEHA BAN KE - CHALE HO KAHAAN KAR KE JEE BEQARAAR. Of course, there was a comical duet of both Rafi-Kishore: CHHOD CHALE PYAARI DUNIYA KO in the same movie. Surprisingly, even as late as 1972 Rafi Sahaab sang for Kishore Kumar in Pyar Deewana and the song was: APNI AADAT HAI SAB KO SALAAM KARNA under the music direction of Lala Sattar. Years later, Amit Kumar, while recounting the simplicity of his dad, Kishore Kumar, and that of Rafi Sahaab as human beings, would state how in 1972 both the singers passed good time in the London home of Mohammed Rafi recalling their early days and also the time when Kishore Kumar would sing in the chorus of a Rafi song.

..continued...
NASIR.