Mohammed Rafi – Pyar Bhara Dil aur Meethee Zuban
Provided by Mr. Devdatta P. Bijoor – “This small article is shared by Mr Nitin D Dhareshwar, my dear friend, philosopher & a great guide”
Mohd Rafi with Sapan Jagmohan
Mohammed Rafi thy name itself spells Magic. Rafi Saab you are one of those very rare Gandharvas who has been specifically born to perform your sacred duty of rendering peace & solace to millions of your fans & admirers like us by your sheer, sweet & inimitable voice & presence. Hence you are termed as the Greatest Ever for centuries & centuries to come!!!
All the admirers & fans of our beloved King of Melody Rafi Saab are aware that he has lent his voice to almost all the leading & unknown artists & also various characters from the film Industry ranging from Mahmood to Talat Mahmood and he also has the rare distinction of singing with almost all the Music Directors ranging from Naushad to Nashad.
Rafi’s generosity and above all his simplicity had indeed labeled him to be known as the Sweet Ladla amongst the various greats of his counter musicians that he had associated himself with.
Mohd Rafi with O.P.Nayyar
We the admirers have always had the privilege of listening to Rafi Saab in the August Company of the great, powerful and popular music directors from time & then, however this Golden & Sweet Voice has also given his best when it came to performing for the musicians of the caliber & class who have been either denied their respective due by the Industry OR were always away from fame & popularity.
Today we are putting forth a small list of all such Music Directors who undoubtedly possessed the beauty & the class within each of them – but unfortunately were deprived of the true honors & respect due by the fraternity of our film Industry.
A few of such greats are enumerated as follows
1) Khaiyyam
| Akele mein ghabrate to honge | Film BIWI (1950) |
| Hai Kali Kali Ke Lab Par | Film Lala Rukh (1958) for Talat Mahmood |
| Jaane kya dhhondthee raehti hai ye aankhen mujhmein | Film Shola aur Shabnam – Dharmendra debut film (1964) |
| Jeet Hi lenge baazi hum tum | Film Shola aur Shabnam (1964) |
| Tum Chalee Jaaogee | Film Shagun (1964) |
| Parbaton ke pedo par sham ka basera hai | Film Shagun (1964) with Suman Kalyanpur |
| Tehriyen hosh mein aa lun to chaley jaiyega | Film Mohhabat Isko Kehte Hai with Suman Kalyanpur |
| Tere Bharose | These are the private songs which Rafi Saab had rendered for Khaiyyam which had great lyrics by Madhukar Rajasthani |
| Paon padoo tore shyam | |
| More Shyam pal-pal more | |
| Shyam se neha lagaye | |
| Suniyo araj hamaree | |
| Main gwalo rakhwalo maiya |
2) Sardar Mallick
| Saranga Teri Yaad Mein | Film Saranga (1960) |
| Yoon Na Hame Dekhiye | Film Jantar Mantar (1964) with Suman Kalyanpur |
| Piya Kaise Miloon Tujse | Film Saranga |
| Na Ja Mere Saathi Na Ja | Film Saranga |
3) Husnalal Bhagatram
| Aye Ishk Hame Barbad Na Kar | Film Naach with Surayya |
| Chanda Ka | Film Khoj (1953) |
| Hamein Dunya Ko Dil Ke Zakhm | Film Aadhi Raat (1950) with Lat |
4) Nashad
| Loot Gaya Mera Sapno Ka Dera | Film Pyar Kee Dastan |
| Tera Muskoorana Bana | Film Pyar Kee Dastan with Suman Kalyanpur |
| Bhoola Nahee Dena | Film Baradari (1955) with Lata |
5) Iqbal Quereshi
| Aaj Mausamki Mastime | Film Banarasi Thug (1962) |
| Haal Yeh | Film Panchayat (1958) with Geeta Dutt |
| Ek Chameli Ke Mandave Tale | Film Cha Cha Cha (1966) with Asha Bhosale |
| Main Apne Aap Se Ghabra Gaya | Film Bindiya (1960) |
| Subha Na Aayee Sham Na Aayee | Film Cha Cha Cha |
Iqbal Quereshi had also composed classic songs sung by Rafi Saab in the films like Love in Simla (1960), Qawwali Kee Raat, Oomar Qaid, Yeh Dil Kisko Doon etc
Iqbal was one of those classic composers who always stood aloof from fame & publicity. We had the honor of meeting this Gentleman when Rafi Saab had suddenly left us for his heavenly abode. He was also invited by us to be the chief guest in one of the small tribute program arranged by us in 1980-1981 at Bandra, however due to his nature he did not attend the said program
6) Jaidev
| Abhee Na Jao Chod Kar | Film Hum Dono (1961) |
| Main Zindagee Ka Saath Nibhata Chala | Film Hum Dono |
| Teri Tasveer | Film Kinare Kinare (1963) |
| Kabhi Khud pe Kabhi Halat pe Rona Aaya | Hum Dono |
7) Sonic Omi
| Dil ne Phir Yaad Kiya | Title Song with Mukesh & Suman Kalyanpur |
| Har Chehre Yahan Chand | |
| Aapse Pyar Huwa | |
| Yeh Dil Nahee |
8) Chitragupt
| Chori Chori ana na | Rafi for Kishore |
| Pehlee nazar tere pyar kee | Film Tel Malish Boot Polish with Kamal Barot |
| Aandhiyaan gam ki chalti hai | Film Kangan |
| Khush Raho ahle watan | Film Main Choop Rahungee (1962) |
| Chand Jane kahan kho gaya | Film Main Choop Rahungee |
| Ada see zoomte huve | Film Sindbad the Sailor |
Chitragupt had also great compositions with Rafi Saab in various films like Ramudada (1961) Zimbo (1958) Pyar Ka Sapna (1969) Kaali Topi Lal Roomal (1959) Bada Aadmi (1961) and lots of others.
9) N Dutta
| Na Mano to koyee shikayat | Film Ustad 420 with Suman Kalyanpur |
| Tu Hindu banega na | Film Dhool ka Phool (1959) |
| Dil ki tamanna thee | Film Gyarah Hazar Ladkiyan (1962) |
| Joye dil dewana | Film Dharamputra (1961) |
| Sambhal aei Dil | Film Sadhana (1958) with Asha Bhosale |
| Aaj Kyon hamse parda hai | Film Sadhana with Balbir |
Mohd Rafi with G.P.Sippy and N.Dutta
10) Chitalkar (C Ramchandra)
| Mehfil me mere kaun ye diwana | Film Albela (1951) with Lata Mangeshkar |
| Jawani mein | Film Paigam (1958) with Asha Bhosale |
| Yeh Hasrat Thee | Film Nausherwan-e-adil (1957) |
| Taroon kee zuban par | Film Nausherwan-e-adil (1957) with Lata Mangeshkar |
| Bhool jaye sare gam | Film Nausherwan-e-adil (1957) |
| Dekh hame aawaj na dena | Film Amardeep (1958) |
Chitalkar was the great admirer of Rafi Saab but as all the admirers are aware of the fact that his association with Saab was limited only to a certain extent mainly considering the severe pressure in which he was engulfed in those days. In his last days he was very lonely and when he suddenly passed away for his heavenly abode it was very hard to believe that the very those who had climbed on top with the help of his ladder were nowhere to be seen.
The other small time greats like Vasant Desai and Ramlal have also given us classics in Goonj Uthee Shehnayee & Sehera respectively. Hansraj Behl has given that evergreen song Jaha Dal Dal par sonekee chidiya karti hai basera who bharat desh hai mera
We were also thinking of Khemchand Prakash who had rendered that evergreen song Ayega Ayega by Lata Mangeshkar from the film Mahal, however it is observed that Rafi Saab did not get the opportunity to sing with him
Please Note: We have tried to present this small article mainly with the sole intention of remembering these great musicians with whom the legend had comfortably associated with, however in case if we have not included OR omitted certain musicians we should be pardoned. Further if at all we have committed certain errors while presenting this small piece we equally regret for the same.
THE SONGS FOR SALIM AKBAR ANARKALI WERE RECORDED IN THE VOICE OF MOHD.RAFI ON THE INSTANCE OF THE PRODUCER ALTHOUGH THE MD WAS C.RAMCHANDRA
Good Article…
Rafi Sb work with Iqbal Qureshi was great. In the movie Cha Cha Cha he composed gems like “Wo Tum Na Thi To Kaun Tha”. what a great composition. “Phir Ane Laga Yaad” from movie Ye Dil kis ko Doon. is also a great piece of work. Sweetness of voice was the main aspect of these gems.
Regards,
-Imran-
Pmc Thangaljee
In fact the song saranga teree yaad mein sung so beautifully by Rafi Saab is a very rare gem of a song and is not to be heard more often nowadays
I have the recording of this very beautiful song and I presume you may get this song if you surf the http://www.youtube site.
Post 14 PMC THANGALJEE
The song saranga teree yaad mein is sung by both Mukesh & Rafi Saab which please note.
Nice Article by Mr Bijoor and thanks Mr Dhareshwar ji, however isn’t the ‘Khoj’ song – ‘chanda ka dil toot gaya’ composed by Nizar Kazmi (who later went to Pakistan).It wasn’t Husnalal Bhagatram.I had heard that Rafisab sang this song for mere 1 rupee.However, i would take this moment to highlight one of their best compostions’ Ek dil ke tukde hazar huye’ .Also I would like to mention’Ganesh’ whose composition ‘Dil ka suna saaz’ for ‘Ek naari do roop’ makes us realize Rafisaab’s worth.
dear bijoor, the song saranga teri yaad.. is not sung by rafi saab but mukeshji. similarly the md of khoj (chanda ka dil doot gaya …)was master nissar not husen lal bagad ram.with great regards pmc panakkad
Post 12 : pvks raju :
i had the pleasure of listening to rafi saahebs non-hindi numbers in languages like bengali, oriya, kannada, telugu,marathi, punjabi and some others. they are all beautiful to the ears.
two english numbers heard many years ago are splendid too. many music lovers are yet to listen to this two great numbers.
binus, mumbai
Rafi Saheb telugu songs as mentioned earlier became instant hits in andhra pradesh when those films were released. Rafi Saheb playbacked for the telugu legendary actor nandamuri taraka rama rao in Bhale Tammudu (1969) and Aradhana (1975). The songs of these films sung along with P Suseela and S Janaki(telugu Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle) were a rage and are popular to this date. The telugu version of Baar Baar Dekho(China Town) and Aaja Tujko Pukare Mere Geet Re(Geet) were instant hits. Apart from these two songs….. Haseena Haseena from Akbar Salim & Anarkali(again a NTR starrer)(1978) along with P Suseela became such a super duper hit song, it is often a popular audience choice. Special mention is to be made of the lyrict writer…. Dr.C.Narayana Reddy a very competent and soulful lyricist… who penned all of these songs in Urdu for the convenience of Rafi Saheb to practice the language well before recording. Rafi Saheb along with P Suseela and S Janaki immortalised the songs alongwith the arresting screen presence of the great NTR.
Fantastic article by Bijoorji and Dhareshwarji. You have given a brief information of songs of rafisahab. I love one grt8 song which was composed by N Dutta from the film “Chandrakantha”, Maine chand aur sitare ki tamana ki thi”. what a song it is. Its big song but really melodious song.
Post 6 : Sandeeep and music lovers :
Naushad saaheb is there too, the guru of rafi saaheb. and majrooh saaheb, madhubala too. all at the santacruz juhu gardens burial ground inside the grand mosque.
only mohd rafi and naushad saahebs sacred burial space remains. all others have been filled up by many lucky souls.
binu nair : mumbai
Bijoorjee & Nitinjee
Indeed a great piece of article. You both have brought forth those beautiful memories of the past & have freshened my small little heart a lot.
Though I did not get a chance to be of service in the august company of these great musicians as appeared in this article, I had a unique opportunity to be in the violinist team with the great – Iqbal Quereshi for the film Cha Cha Cha.
The song titled – Subha na aayee Sham na Aayee with Iqbaljee was beautifully recorded in my presence in the recording room & what a piece Rafi Saab has rendered with such very ease & purity. Fantastic!!!
Iqbal Quereshi was indeed a great musician & above all he was a great human being.
Such good souls can never ever fade!!!
hello pvksrajuji, i am looking for all the songs in telugu by rafi sahab, both solo and duets. can you send them to my email id rafimurty@gmail.com i.e. in case you have all of them ?? thanks in advance.
Very lovely article. Rafi Saheb had also rendered a couple of regional songs with a few music directors down south(especially in telugu). They were ….. T.V.Raju(Bhale Tammudu-1969 starring NTR which was remake of China Town)., S.Rajeswara Rao for Ram Rahim (1974)(Rafi Saheb sang two songs one a solo hindi… one duet with N.Ramesh), S Hanumantha for telugu film Aradhana(1975) starring again NTR which was telugu version of Hindi film Geet, Akbar, Salim & Anarkali (1978) version all songs for N Balakrishna(made by NTR-based on Mughle Azaam) composer was C.Ramachander. Apart from these films. a song each in film Thathma Kalla(1969- telugu version of Hindi film Bidaai(1974)and Sri Tirupathi Venkateswara Mahatyam (1979) a song on character artist Kaikaluri Satyanarayana. One song was sung by Rafi Saheb for K Jaggaiah in a telugu film 1961 produced by the actor K Jaggaiah himself(I cant remember the names exactly).
Post 4, rashid diwanjee
In addition to Talat Mahmood, there are also the other greats in the form of Sahir Ludhianvi, Madhubala, Yusuf Khans (Dilip Kumar) elder & younger brothers Ehsan & Nasir Khan (Gunga Jamuna fame) who all have been rested in piece at Santacruz (West) opposite Juhu Garden
A few years back I had heard Mr Shahid Rafi (Saabs Son) saying that mainly due to certain rules & regulations the concerned authorities have objected to putting name plaque pillars of the various personalities who have been rested
Of course, Naushad had given him first solo break for Rafi Saab in 1946 in Anmol Ghadhi ‘tera khilona toota balak’, but the real break to sing romantic solo song was given to Rafi Saab, hold your breath, by C.Ramachandra (Chitalkar). The song was very touchy and very emotionally rendered by Rafi Saab in the same year. That song was ‘KEHKE BHI NA AAYE TUM’. Safar released before Anamol Ghadhi. This was major break for Rafi Saab in solo singing of romantic songs. Naushad gave big breaks to Rafi Saab thereafter, but C.Ramachandra gave Rafi Saab to sing very best solo song in Amardeep after long time in 1958. Ashok Kumar starrer Sajan(1947) and Dilip Kumar Starrer Nadiya Ke Paar (1948) duet songs sung by Rafi Saab with Lalita Deowulkar under C.Ramachandra requires worth mentioning. Rafi Saab very beautifully renders these songs with his tender and young voice.
Congratulations on this wonderful article, I am saddened that many people who reached their glory on the back of Rafi Saheb were not around at the time of his funeral. I am also saddened that on a recent trip to India I made a special side trip to Bombay just for a day to pay my respects to the great man’s last resting place and saw that there was no name or any thing marking the grave which is sad because in years to come the grave will just disappear. I was told Talat Mahmood’s grave is there too but no one could find it. I hope something can be done about this.
respected D.P. Bijorji n D N Dhareswarji
hearty thanks & congratulations for sharing of rafi saheb’s association with lot of nobal music composers alongwith good numbers rafi gems freshing our heart & mind.
with thanks & regards
biman baruah
dear,
thanks for such informative article,but there are some mistakes occured by you, like as Chanda ka dil toot composed by nisar bazmi not husanlal baghatram,plz check it
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