The voice of love
N. DIVAKAR
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Mohammed Rafi sang for more than four generations of Hindi film heroes and became a symbol of the Indian pluralistic cultural ethos. HE died on July 31, 1981
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MUSICAL BOND Rafi and Lata sang so many evergreen numbers that continue to linger on in the minds of connoisseur; Music director Shankar having a discussion with the star performers
For those who listen to Radio, and especially Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), the month of July would have been a real treat. Throughout the month, the SLBC broadcast songs of an immortal voice — the great Mohammed Rafi, who breathed
his last on July 31, 1981 at the age of 57.
Much water has flown down the Ganges over the past 26 years and Indian film music has run a long course, but the melodious voice of the king of Indian film music, Mohammed Rafi, still rings in the ears of millions across the country, irrespective of caste, religious, linguistic and provincial boundaries. Rafi during his reign of four decades over the Hindi film world has given new meaning and aesthetics to film music.
Born in a small village as Kotta Sultan Singh on December 4, 1924, Rafi was not encouraged by his parents to take up a musical career. But he learnt Hindustani classical from Ustad Gulam Ali Khan and came over to Lahore at the age of 14 with dreams of becoming a singer. Carried away by the melody of the young boy in an orchestra, a music director, Sham Sunder, offered him a chance in his Punjabi film “Gul Baloch”, which eventually became a launching pad for a great career.
Great music directors of those years Naushad Ali and Anil Biswas predicted that the lad would one day raise to the zenith of the music world. And Rafi’s career got a shot in the arm with the song “Yahan badala wafa ka bewafai”, a duet he sang with Noor Jehan, a reigning singer of the 1940s. And Rafi never turned back thereafter.
Naushad, who had a fond relationship with Rafi, offered him a chance in the film “Pehle Aap” in 1944. And from then on started the golden period of Hindi cinema, with the Dilip Kumar-Naushad-Rafi-Shakil Badayuni quartet becoming a rare kind of musical combination.
The 50s saw great movies like “Baiju Bawra”, “Mughal-e-Azam”, “Udan Katola”, “Dulhari”, “Amar”, “Son of India”, “Kohinoor”, “Dil Diya Dard Liya”, “Mother India” and so on. Apart from being great hits, these movies had some of the best songs that the Indian film Industry has produced. Rafi had a role to play in all of them. The devotional songs of “Baiju Bawra” were not only melodies, but were the symbol of Indian pluralistic culture, with the combination of Rafi-Naushad-Shakil behind those evergreen hits. In a way, these films also laid a firm foundation for Indian classical music in the film industry.
One thing that distinguished Rafi from the rest of his compatriots like Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor and the others, was his sheer melody and adaptability, along with versatility. Be it Johnny Walker, Dilip Kumar or Shammi Kapoor, Rafi’s voice suited all. Rafi almost became a de facto voice for Dilip Kumar and for most of the heroes of his times, Rafi was a preferred singer. So much so, that O.P. Nayyar made Rafi sing for Kishore in the film “Ragini”, despite Kishore Kumar himself being a renowned singer of the times. Many heroes of the 50s and the 60s, considered to be the golden era of Hindi Film music, must be thankful to Rafi, for it was his songs which made the films super hits; specially the likes of Joy Mukerji, Biswajeet and even Rajendra Kumar.
Manna Dey, a contemporary of Rafi and himself a great singer of his times, once said :
“When it comes to modulation and versatility, no one can beat Rafi”. This can only can be gauged by listening to Rafi’s songs in various hues. Be it the fast-paced “Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe” of “Junglee” or the comic “Jungle mein more naache” of “Madhumati”, or the tragic “Aaj purani rahonse” of “Admi”, serious gazal “Rang aur noor ki baarat” of “Gazhal”, the classical “Madhuban me radhika nache re” of “Kohinoor” — these songs saw Rafi at his best. Rafi not only lent his voice to these songs, but his soul as well.
Dilip Kumar, the doyen of the Hindi film world, considered Rafi to be his soul. Though the advent of the Kishore Kumar era in the late 70s was a setback to Rafi, he could come back strong with the national award winning song “Kya hua tera vaada” from “Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin”.
He could modulate his voice to suit the younger generation of heroes of the late 70s.
It was at this point that O.P. Nayyar had said: “Give me one film and I shall prove what Rafi is.” It was Naushad who encouraged Rafi to sing for the heroes of the 70s.
A staunchly religious person, Rafi never compromised his principles, so much so, he stopped singing with Lata Mangeshkar for four years over the issue of royalty. It was Nargis who reunited them.
Having rendered his voice to more than 25,000 songs in different languages, Rafi stood as a symbol of Indian pluralistic cultural ethos and was an inspiration to scores of singers and musicians. Naushad had rightly said, and quite poetically so:
“In a world of hatred
Rafi, you were a voice of
love;
In a world of miseries
Rafi, your voice was a
spring of joy.”
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