Their voice too

Rajiv Vijayakar
Posted online: Friday, August 04, 2006 at 0000 hours IST

His was a universal voice. While that statement is true enough, the colossus that was Mohammed Rafi was yet associated in particular with Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Biswajeet, Joy Mukerji, Guru Dutt and Johnny Walker.
His was a universal voice. While that statement is true enough, the colossus that was Mohammed Rafi was yet associated in particular with Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Biswajeet, Joy Mukerji, Guru Dutt and Johnny Walker. In the era (that perhaps ended with Aamir Khan-Udit Narayan) of singer-star associations, it was Mukesh who was considered the soul of Raj Kapoor and Manoj Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor was the other voice for Manoj Kumar, Shailendra Singh and later Kishore Kumar shared Rishi Kapoor, Kishore Kumar was the choice for Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Randhir Kapoor besides himself, and Manna Dey was identified with Mehmood, besides being the second choice for Raj Kapoor.

But Rafi was no stranger even for these stars. For most of them, Mohammed Rafi had a distinguished vocal innings. On the occasion of his 26th death anniversary that fell on July 3, we look at how Rafi, that Voice Nonpareil, never seemed incongruous for any of these artistes.

DEV ANAND
Technically, Rafi’s last song for Dev Anand came as late as the popular ‘Logon ka dil ...’ (Manpasand) in 1980, but Rafi was almost on par with Kishore Kumar as a Navketan pillar (all the way till the qawwali ‘Iss mulaqaat ka bas mazaa lijiye ...’ in the 1976 Jaaneman) and as Dev’s voice both in his own films and outside.

The only other hit qawwali associated with the ever-young Dev, ‘Hum tujhe dhoond lenge ...’ (Mahal/1969) saw Rafi taking over from Kishore Kumar who sang both his other hits in that Kalyanji-Anandji musical suspense drama. The grapevine has it that Rafi lost the Navketan banner only when S.D.Burman’s son R.D.Burman stepped in to help out in Jewel Thief. In all probability this is true, for till then, Rafi was Dada Burman’s vocalist of choice for the urban, urbane and ahead-of-times Dev in films as assorted as Guide, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Kala Pani, Kala Bazaar and even outside films like Baat Ek Raat Ki and Teen Deviyan (in which he shouldered the weighty ‘Aisa to na dekho ...’ and ‘Kahin bekhayaal hokar ...’ amidst Kishore’s lightweight numbers. The same was repeated as late as in the 1971 Gambler, in which the sole Rafi gem, ‘Mera man tera pyaasa ...’ stood taller than all the Kishore lovelies.

The classics from all these films (and other Dada-Dev vehicles) are too numerous and obvious to mention. Suffice to say that Jaidev added his lustrous chunk with the delightful songs of Hum Dono, and that all the other music directors in outside films rarely looked beyond Rafi, whether it be C.Ramachandra (Amar Deep), O.P.Nayyar (C.I.D.), Salil Choudhury (Maya) and above all, market-leaders Shankar Jaikishan, in whose `Anand arena’ Kishore entered only once for ‘Dooriyan nazdeekiyaan ban gayi ...’ (Duniya). And this film also boasted of Rafi’s awesome ‘Falsafaa pyar ka tum kya jaano ...’. S-J also added more to the Dev-Rafi oeuvre, with magic spun in films like Love Marriage, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Asli Naqli and even in relatively tepid scores like Pyar Mohabbat and Kahin Aur Chal (‘Doobte huye dil ko ...’).



Dev-Rafi composers: S.D.Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, C.Ramachandra, O.P.Nayyar, Salil Choudhury, Jaidev, Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Rajesh Roshan


RAJ KAPOOR
The Raj Kapoor-Rafi combo was admittedly restricted, with Manna Dey being the original Showman’s second-voice-in-command. But C.Ramachandra, whose pets were Rafi and Talat, opted for Rafi in ‘Main hoon Alladdin ...’ (Sargam). So did Naushad in ‘Yoon to aapas mein ...’ (Andaz), doing a quirky reversal as Mukesh delivered for Dilip Kumar. ‘Hum tum yeh bahaar ...’ and ‘Mera dil mujhe wapas kar do ...’ for Ghulam Mohammed in Amber, and ‘Worli ka naaka duniya dhamaka ...’ and ‘Tere dil ka makaan ...’ both for O.P.Nayyar in Do Ustad, were other vintage Rafi outings with Raj Kapoor. Kalyanji Anandji too took on Rafi for the evocative theme song ‘Gali gali Sita roye ...’ (Chhalia). Shankar Jaikishan could not have brought in anyone other than Rafi to sing the ‘Heer’ for Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker, and let us not forget S-J’s debut film, Barsaat, again produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, which saw Rafi excel with his sole solo, ‘Main zindagi mein har dum rota hi rahaa hoon ...’ in that Mukesh-fest. How strange is it that the only two songs that Rafi sang under S-J for Raj were in the actor’s own productions!

Raj-Rafi composers: Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, C. Ramachandra, Ghulam Mohammed, O.P.Nayyar, Kalyanji-Anandji


MANOJ KUMAR
Even before he became ‘Bharat’ with Upkar, Mukesh and Mahendra Kapoor did have the quantitative edge over Rafi in Manoj Kumar country (no pun intended). But Rafi was no less than them as the voice of Manoj Kumar. From the rousing patriotic songs of Shaheed (‘Mera rang de Basanti chola ...’, ‘Ae watan ae watan ...’) to the romantic rhapsodies of Sajan (‘Resham ki dori ...’, ‘Saajan saajan ...’), Mohammed Rafi sang a complete range of songs in films as varied as Do Badan, Patthar Ke Sanam, Gumnaam and Sawan Ki Ghata down to Amaanat.

Manoj Kumar also had another unusual bond with that peerless voice - the first two (and very popular) songs that Manoj Kumar ever wrote, ‘Sai Baba bolo ...’ and ‘Sainath tere hazaaron haath ...’ were both sung by Mohammed Rafi under composer Pandurang Dikshit for the Manoj-written and presented film Shirdi Ke Sai Baba.

Rafi-Manoj composers: Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Prem Dhawan, Shankar Jaikishan, Ravi, Madan Mohan, O.P.Nayyar

MEHMOOD
The King Of Comedy may be associated primarily with Manna Dey, but Rafi bagged center-stage not only in his maiden production (Chhote Nawab) that introduced R.D.Burman but also with Mehmood hits in films like Shatranj (‘Badkamma ...’), Gumnaam (‘Hum kaale hain to kya hua ...’), Sanjh Aur Savera (‘Ajahoon na aaye baalma ...’), home-production Sadhu Aur Shaitan (‘Kabhi aage kabhi peeche ...’, ‘Mehbooba mehbooba ...’) and Parvarish (‘Mama o mama ...’) down to Ek Baap Chhe Bete (‘Ghadi milan ki aayi...’) in the late ‘70s.

Rafi-Mehmood composers: Shankar-Jaikishan, Dattaram, Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Rajesh Roshan


RAJESH KHANNA
Ah - Rajesh Khanna! The man whose superstardom meant a curtailment of work for Mohammed Rafi after Aradhana ! But the Rafi-Rajesh record is rich with regal melody, and even a Bappi Lahiri used him in for a Khanna qawwali in Suraag. At the other end of the musical spectrum, Naushad too used Rafi for Rajesh Khanna in Dharam Kanta the same year.

But the real gems for The Phenomenon came earlier - in `Yeh reshmi zulfein ...’ and ‘Chhup gaye saare nazaare ...’ in Do Raaste, ‘Itna to yaad hai mujhe ...’, ‘Yeh jo chilman hai ...’ and ‘Pasand aa gayi hai ...’ (Mehboob Ki Mehndi), ‘Koi nazrana ...’ and the title-track in Aan Milo Sajana, ‘Yoon hi tum mujhse baat karti ho ...’ (Saccha Jhutha), ‘Sajana saath nibhaana ...’ and ‘Daanton tale dabaakar honth ...’(Doli) and those gems from Aradhana itself, ‘Baagon mein bahaar hai ...’ and ‘Gungunaa rahe hai bhanwre ...’. And of course there were others too, from his debut film that saw the haunting ‘Akele hain chale aao ...’(Raaz) to films like Shehzada, Humshakal, Bundelbaaz (all under R.D.Burman) of which ‘Kaahe ko bulaaya ...’ from Humshakal stood out.

Rafi-Rajesh composers: Kalyanji-Anandji, R.D.Burman, S.D.Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Ravi, Naushad, Bappi Lahiri


RANDHIR KAPOOR
From the word ‘Go’ Randhir Kapoor and Kishore Kumar had a bond that lasted as long as Kishore Kumar was alive. And yet Rafi had his moments with the senior son of Raj Kapoor, with popular songs in ‘Chal premnagar jaayega ...’(Jeet,Randhir’s first outside assignment), ‘Chup chup chup kyoon baithi ho ...’ (Humrahi) and ‘Ibb lagan lagi ...’ (Lafange). But the standout song came all the way late in 1981 - in the devotional Sufi number ‘Har jalwa tera jalwa ...’ in Harjaee.

Rafi-Randhir composers: Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, Ravindra Jain, R.D.Burman


RISHI KAPOOR
In the Shailendra-Kishore wave for heartthrob Rishi Kapoor, shrewd observers were already feeling a lacuna that only Rafi could fill - instinctively, they seemed to feel that Rafi, rather than both these singers, would suit Rishi Kapoor. But who would bell this musical cat?

The onus thus fell on Madan Mohan when Laxmikant-Pyarelal went out of H.S.Rawail’s Laila Majnu. The heavyweight Punjabi music with Sahir’s poetry was unthinkable then without Rafi’s skills, and the score emerged as Madan Mohan’s last burst of glory despite Jaidev having to come in to complete it when Madan Mohan passed away.

And then the floodgates opened,never to close till Rafi’s death. Rishi Kapoor, easily among our most musical stars, and Rafi seemed to share a rare and royal rapport and resonance as film after film and song after song were unleashed by multiple music directors, including the Kishore-oriented Pancham.

In the cavalcade of dazzlers they collaborated on, with Rishi’s on-screen expertise matching Rafi’s peerless craft, the truly standout ones included awesome songs like the complete score of Sargam (led by Dafliwale ...), ‘Parda hai parda ...’, ‘Shirdiwale Sai Baba ...’ and ‘Taiyab Ali pyar ka dushmun ...’ (Amar Akbar Anthony), ‘Hai agar dushmun ...’(Hum Kisise Kum Naheen), ‘Pooncho na yaar kya hua ...’(Zamaane Ko Dikhaana Hai) and Rafi’s last stunner released in his lifetime ‘Dard-e-dil (Karz). These were backed up by other hits as well as excellent but less-popular songs in films like Naseeb, Deedaar-E-Yaar, Badaltey Rishtey, Do Premee, Duniya Mein Jeb Mein, Aap Ke Deewane and Kaatilon Ke Kaatil.

Rafi-Rishi Kapoor composers: Madan Mohan, Jaidev, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, R.D.Burman, Rajesh Roshan


AMITABH BACHCHAN
Amitabh Bachchan’s music began with Mohammed Rafi with the songs ‘Ek pate ki baat sunaaoon ...’ and ‘Koi aur duniya mein tumsa haseen hai ...’(Pyar Ki Kahani) as the first two songs ever lip-synched on the iconic star.

Bachchan’s subsequent innings were also studded with Rafi memorabilia, like the classic ‘Teri bindiya re ...’ from his home-production Abhimaan and ‘Patta patta boota boota ...’ (Ek Nazar, his first film with future wife Jaya Bhaduri as co-star).

Oddly enough, most of Rafi’s later songs for Amitabh Bachchan were either duets (Benaam, Adalat, Suhaag, Mr Natwarlal) or multi-singer songs (Kasme Vaade, Suhaag, Naseeb). But there were solos too, like ‘Mere dost qissa yeh kya ho gaya...’(Dostana) and ‘Mere desh premiyon...’ (Desh Premee) and above all the cult Naseeb song ‘John Jani Janardhan...’ in which Bachchan danced in front of the Who’s Who among stars in a ‘film party’ sequence.

And Rafi himself was a major fan of the star. When it was time to record their duet, ‘Chal mere bhai...’(Naseeb) in which Bachchan sang his own lines while Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor, the singer became as excited as a child!

Rafi-Amitabh composers: Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, R.D.Burman, S.D.Burman, Rajesh Roshan, Vijay Raghav Rao, Madan Mohan


KISHORE KUMAR
This was perhaps’s Rafi’s ultimate achievement - actually singing for his great colleague and singer Kishore Kumar himself. It was also the supreme mark of respect that Kishore had for Rafi that he approved of this on the basis of the needs of the two sterling compositions, the pathos-filled ‘Ajab hai dastaan teri...’ from Shararat and the classical ‘Man mora baanwra...’ from Ragini under S-J and O.P.Nayyar respectively. Perhaps it would be apt here to also mention the standout duets and multi-singer songs they sang too - from ‘Chal shuru ho jaa...’(Humjoli) to ‘Chana zor garam...’(Kranti) with the title-song of Yaadon Ki Baaraat, ‘Chal kahin door nikal jaaye...’(Doosara Aadmi), ‘Salaamat rahe dostana hamara...’(Dostana), ‘Ek rastaa do raahi...’(Ram Balram) and many others in films like Naseeb, Waqt Ki Deewar,Neeyat,Raampur Ka Lakshman, Aap Ke Deewane, Chupke Chupke, Kasme Vaade, Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Zakhmee and Jungal Mein Mangal. Rafi-Kishore composers: Shankar Jaikishan, O.P.Nayyar (for playback), Rafi-Kishore together: Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, R.D.Burman, S.D.Burman, Shankar Jaikishan, Rajesh Roshan, Bappi Lahiri, Madan Mohan.

Would someone be able to let us know the number of songs that each of the two singers rendered for Dev Anand?

Just for information.

Thanks for the article. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Mahendra Kapoor the one who has sung, "mera rang de basanti chola" from Manoj Kumar's Shaheed? I don't think it is Rafi Sahab.
And if I may, my favourite song by Rafi Sahab for Mehmood remains, "woh din yaad karo" from SJ's Humrahi.

Absolutely right! The Rafi classic from "SHAHEED" picturized on Manoj Kumar was "Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna" (with co-singers for supporting artistes).

Despite the best intentions of the writer, such mistakes often crop up. For example, in a piece for "mohdrafi.com", I wrote "In 1949 he had his first brush with fame, with the popularity of “Yahan Badla Wafa Ka”, a duet with Noor Jehan for the film “DULARI”, under the baton of the redoubtable composer Naushad".

The song was from "JUGNU"!

I am quite surprised that he missed out the "Dev Anand - Madan Mohan" contribution in "Sharaabi", whose "sawan ke maheene mein" was Madan Mohan's personal favorite number.

Also, it is a well known fact that Rafi Saheb was never a C Ramachandra pet singer, who actually never liked him a lot. His hypocricy is well illustrated by the fact that he included Mohd Rafi in a lot of his compositions ( Rafi was his main male playback, apart from himself) and later on made statements that Rafi was no good as a singer. He stands on the forefront of the Rafi bashers group, lead of course by Anil Biswas, with Salil Choudhary a distant third.