The article is compiled by Mr. Biman Baruah, Asstt. Finance & Accounts Officer, ONGC Ltd., Assam Asset, Sivasagar, Assam.

Rafi sang for Dev Anand “The Evergreen Romantic Superstar of Indian Cinema”

Oh Oh Ho Ho………………………
Khoya Khoya Chand Khula Aasmaan
Aankhon Mein Sari Raat Jayegee
Tum Ko Bhi Kaise Neend Aayegee………….

Dev Anand’s films are best known for their great musical richness and melodious songs. Some most popular Rafi songs were picturised on him. Mohd. Rafi and Dev Anand’s association with music composers O.P. Nayyar, S.D. Burman, Jaidev, Shankar Jaikishan, Salil Chowdhury and lyricists Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Shailendra, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Hasrat Jaipuri, Neeraj has created some of the best memorable songs in the Hindi Cinema.

Mohammed Rafi Saheb sang the above song for the Evergreen Romantic Superstar Dev Anand in the film Kala Bazar (1959) music composed by S.D. Burman and lyric by Shailendra. The song would be neither appealing in any others voice nor preferable for other singers. There have been number of romantic heroes like Rajendra Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, etc. whose careers were short lived, so no one can beat the heartily youngest and charming old gold Dev Anand. At the age of 85, he is still active in the risky film making business. Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand were called Trimurti of Hindi Cinema in the 1950s. But 50 plus Dev Anand reached the peak in the 1970s as a lead actor and paired with new heroines like Hema Malini, Rakhee, Yogita Bali, Zennat Aman, Parveen Babi and Tina Munim, when the careers of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor was declined. Thus he was the ultimate romantic with Rafi songs like “Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukar” serenading in the steps of Qutub Minar with Nutan, “Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hai” assuring his support to lonely Waheeda Rahman, “Ek Put Banau Tera Aur Puja Karonga Par Marjaonga Pyar Agar Main Duja Karonga” and “Mera Maan Tera Pyasa” expressing his eternal love to Sadhna and Zaheeda respectively.

Dev Anand in Tere Mere Sapne

Mohd. Rafi’s versatile voice made a hit paring with Dev Anand, which enhanced the career of Dev and they ever created a sign of mark in the golden era of Hindi Cinema. There are number of Rafi song in the classic movies of Dev Anand like CID, Nau Do Gyarah, Kala Bazar, Kalapani, Hum Dono, Sharabi, Love Marriage, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Maya, Asli Naqli, Guide, Jewel Thief, Teen Devian, Gambler, etc.

The voice of Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar and Talat Mehmood has been used for playback of Dev Anand’s for hit songs in his initial films. Dev Anand came to stardom with Prabhat Talkies Hum Ek Hain (1946), which was directed by P.L. Santhosi (father of Rajkumar Santhosi), then Bombay Talkies Ziddi (1948), where voice of Kishore Kumar used for the song “Marne Ki Duaen Kyon Mangu”, which was the Kishore’s first film as a singer. The songs “Soon Ja Dil Ki Dastan” sung by Hemant Kumar and “Jayen To Jayen Kahan” sung by Talat Mahmood for Dev Anand in the films Jaal (1951) and Taxi Driver (1954) respectively which were produced under Dev’s own banner Navaketaan.

The trademark composer O.P.Nayyar has first used the voice of Rafi for playback of Dev Anand in the Guru Dutt Production’s CID (1956) which was the debut of director Raj Khosla. The songs of the film “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan” was a Rafi’s famous ode to Mumbai which describes the shaded side of Mumbai City, the lilting Rafi-Geeta Dutt duet “Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein Ishara Ho Gaya Bethe Bethe Jeene Ka Sahara Ho Gaya” created sensations among the youths and the “Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar” by Rafi-Asha-Shamshad Begum was also very popular among common people.

Sachin Dev Burman mostly used the voice of Rafi for the playback of Dev Anand in the films like Nau Do Gyarah, Kala Bazar, Kalapani, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Guide, Jewel Thief, Teen Devian, Gambler, etc. and their association created some wonderful evergreen songs. The Rafi-Asha duets from the film Nau Do Gyarah are “Aaja Panchhi Akela Hai” and “Kali Ke Roop Mein”. The film Kala Pani gives the evergreen Rafi song “Hum Bekhudi Mein Tumko Pukaare Chale Gaye” and the unforgettable duet “Acha Ji Mein Haari”. The songs of Kala Bazar “Apni Har Aah Ek Toofan Hai Uparwala Jaan Kar Anjaan Hai”, “Khoya Khoya Chand Khola Asmaan”, “Teri Dhoom Har Kahin” by Rafi and “Rimjhim Ke Tarane Leke Ayee Barsaat” by Rafi-Geeta Dutt created a landmark. The romantic comedy Tere Ghar Ke Samne gives some memorable songs and special credits goes to Director Vijay Anand for wonderful song picturisation, especially in “Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukar”, Dev serenading Nutan on steps of Qutub Minar . The other songs of the film are “Too Kahan Yeh Bata Ish Nacheli Raat Mein”, “Soon Le Too Dil Ke Sada” by Rafi and “Dekho Rootha Na Karo Baat Nazroon Ki Suno”, “Ek Ghar Banaunga Tere Ghar Ke Samne” duet by Lata-Rafi. The three solos in Guide “Tere Mere Sapne”, “Din Dhal Jaye” and “Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya” perfectly matched for Rafi only and not for other singers. Another super romantic comedy Teen Deviyaan scores two Rafi solo “Aise Tu Na Dekho” and “Kahin Bekhayal Hokar”. The hunting Rafi-Lata duet “Dil Pukare Aare Aare Aare” in Jewel Thief and the heartily romantic number “Mera Man Tera Pyasa” in Gambler were the single ones for which voice of Rafi has been used by S.D.Burman to playback for Dev Anand and the voice of Kishore Kumar has been used by DADA for other songs in the two films.

After S.D.Burman, composer Salil Chowdhury recognized the voice of Rafi to playback for Dev Anand and Dev Anand-Mala Singha starred film Maya is a good example Salil-Rafi-Dev Anand combination. The Rafi song “Koi Soney Ke Dilwala Koi Chandi Ke Dilwala Mehfil Nahin Yeh Tera Diwanee Kahi Chal” is really peerless. The Rafi-Lata duet “Tasveer Teri Dil Mein Jis Din Se Utari Hai Piya Tushe Sang Leke Nayee Nayee Rang Leke Sapnoo Ki Mehfil Mein” is also memorable.

The first ever duo composer of Hindi Cinema Shankar-Jaikishan used the voice of Rafi to playback for Dev Anand in Subodh Mukherji’s Love Marriage, Nasir Hussain’s Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai and Harshikesh Mukherji’s Asli Naqli. The Rafi number from Love Marriage “Kahan Ja Rahe The Kahan Aageyee Hum Kisike Nighahoon Se Takkara Geye Hum”, “She Ne Khela He Se Aaj Criket Match” the crazy cricket number was so popular and the Rafi-Lata duet “Dheere Dheere Chal Chand Gagan Mein Kahi Dhal Na Jaye Raat Tut Na Jaye Sapne” was very impressive. The Nasir Hussain musical blockbuster gives some evergreen memorable songs: “Jiya O Jiya Kuch Bol De Dil Parda Khol De” “Teri Zulfon Se Judai To Nahin Mangi Thi”, “Mohabaat Isko Kahte Hain” by Rafi and “Sau Saal Pahle Mujhe Tumse Pyar Tha”, “Yeh Aankheen Uff Umma” duet with Lata. After Hum Dono second and last Dev Anand-Sadhna starred Asli Naqli also gives some memorable songs like “Kal Ki Daulat Aaj Ki Khushiyan Unki Mehfil Apni Galiyan”, “Gori Zara Hansde Too”, “Ek But Banaunga Tera Aur Puja Karonga” and the fast sharabi number “Chera Mere Dil Ne Tarana Tere Pyar Ka Jisne Suna Khogeya Pura Nacha Hogeya” by Rafi and the serious romantic number “Tujhe Jeevan Ki Door Se Bandh Liya Hai Teri Zulm-Sitam Shar Aankho Par” was the duet with Lata.

Dev Anand in Taxi Driver

Dev Anand’s banner Navaketan introduced the composer Jaidev in the film Hum Dono and he used the voice of Rafi to playback for Dev Anand in the songs “Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya”, “Kabhi Khud Pe Kabhi Halat Pe Rona Aata Hai” and the duet “Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar Yeh Dil Abhi Bhara Nahin” with Lata.

Modan Mohan also used the voice of Rafi to playback for Dev Anand in the film Sharabi and the Rafi’s solo sharabi number “Kabhi Na Kabhi Kyoi Na Kyoi Tu Ayega Apna Mujhe Banayega” was quit popular.

The popular mythology of Hindi Cinema has a view that Kishore Kumar was the voice of Dev Anand. But the view is totally disputable. The quality of Rafi songs are much high for Dev Anand films like CID, Nau Do Gyarah, Kala Bazar, Kala Pani, Hum Dono, Love Marriage, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Asli Naqli, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Guide, Jewel Thief and Gambler. From the viewpoint of comparing the singing of Rafi and Kishore Kumar for Dev Anand, the films Guide, Jewel Thief, Teen Deviyan and Gambler are the better examples. S.D. Burman used the voice of Rafi for three solos in Guide: “Din Dhal Jaye”, “Tere Mere Sapne” and “Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya”. He composed the Kishore-Lata super hit duet “Gata Rahe Mera Dil” on special request from Dev Anand. Dada Burman openly admired Kishore that the three solos by Rafi never matched for any other singer. Similarly, the Rafi numbers in Ten Deviyaan, Gambler and hunting duet with Lata in Jewel Thief were supersedes the Kishore numbers in the films. Any way both were proficient singers of their times but had own separate styles. Rafi Saheb was a classically trained singer. On the other hand Kishore Kumar was naturally endowed and self-brilliant singer.

The following are the one dozen selected Rafi gems picturised on Dev Anand: –

Amitabh Bachchan releases Dev Anand’s Autobiography Romancing With Life

Dev Anand is going to re-release his timeless classic “Hum Dono” in colour like Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur, where he plays his first and only “Double Role” for his banner “Navaketan”. After re-release of the film, the new generation will see the magic of Rafi songs in the Dev Anand’s mannerism. Dev Anand has released his autobiography “Romancing with Life” on his 84th birthday on 26th September 2007, Prime Minister Dr. Monmohan Singh at New Delhi does inaugural release, and fortunately it is also 74th birthday of PM. Penguin International Books published the hardcover autobiography cost at Rs.650 having 495 pages, which contains lot of reading material with selected pictures, and a CD of selected favourite songs from his films. After Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore, Dev Anand will take the book to the Frankfurt Book Fair in October and thereafter to Stockholm, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Canada.

In Dev Anand’s words, “Romance is taking life as it come, it is beautiful. But the word romance need not limit itself to a relationship between a man and a woman. A good book, a good poem, a beautiful girl, making a movie, that’s romance for me”.

Dev Anand

At the age of 85, he is making films one after one with amazing energy without bothering the box office results of his films. His philosophy is to think positive. In his words, “I never give myself a chance to get depressed. In think ahead”. His most recent releases were “Censor”(2001), “Love at Times Square”(2003), and “Mr. Prime Minister”(2005). His forthcoming films are “Beauty Queen” and “Charge Sheet” in Hindi, “Song of Life” an American Musical to be shot in US with American star cast and “When Hearths Meet” to be shot in Croatia which has been invited to make by the Government of Croatia.

The evergreen actor and the ultimate romantic Dev Anand’s personality is best manifested in the following Rafi song from his film “Hum Dono”(1961) which was produced under his banner Navketan:-

Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya
Haar Fiqar Ko Dhuen Mein Udata Chala Gaya….
Barbadiyoon Ka Sauk Manana Fujul Tha
Barbadiyoon Ka Jasan Manata Chala Gaya……

Mr. Biman Baruah with his wife, Angana and son, Anshuman

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