Naushad-The Ustad
An interesting insight into Naushad’s music and the relevence of Rafi-Lata in his music as written by i m sathya with his analysis as appeared in freehomepages.com – mohanflora
The question arises – has there ever been a better composer ? Naushad saab’s credentials and his claim to being the greatest ever composer was established during the golden years of the early 50s when a series of musicals flowed from the Master’s baton each vying with the other for the Best. The late 1940s had witnessed a rather disappointing trend of music being totally inclined towards the west and tunes were being bodily lifted from there. This despite the efforts of pioneers like Anil Biswas, Khemschand Prakash, Husnalal Bhagatram et al. Even Naushad had contrived to produce an uncharacteristically western tune like ‘Tarari tarari’. The Indian independence served to make a strong wake-up call to the composers to move further into the Indian roots. But it was not until the 1950s began that the call began to produce fruitful results and if there can be one composer who can be identified to having provided that Indian turn, it can only be Naushad Ali.The young man from Lucknow after a tough beginning had already been acknowledged as the Numero Uno amongst the Indian composers and his influence prompted a special trailer on his working by Mehboob Khan with the punchline, ’Naushad,Naushad..sau carodon me ek hi Naushad’. This was the direct result of a series of silver jubilees that Naushad’s music had prompted – Rattan, Anmol Ghadi, Anokhi Ada, Dillagi, Dard, Dulari etc. And for Naushad- the aura continued uninterrupted into the new decade. ‘Mela’, ‘Andaz’, ‘Babul’,’Deewana’, ‘Deedar’ were all musically super duper hits. What compositions flowed from his baton. The vocals of Shamshad Begum, Mukesh and Suraiya dominated the late 40s musicals- with ‘Andaz’ and ‘Deedar’ there was a visible shift towards Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi. The two’s vocals were to prove the forces behind the most rewarding phase of Naushad’s career. The best of Naushad was still ahead of him.
BAIJU BAWRA (1952)
‘Baiju Bawra’ once and for all established Naushad as the most enlightened of all composers as well as being the Ustad of Hindi Film Composers. Rarelly ever has a musical reached such path breaking levels as this. Rarely has Hindustani Classical music made such an impact on filmi music. The compositions of the movie remain as fresh today as they did nearly 50 years ago. What was the magic behind those songs ? Here is the review of the songs :
(Rating : *- ok, ** – good, ***- great, ****- fantastic, *****- lost for words)
Tori jai jai kartar (Ustad Amir Khan) – Sorry, I have no knowledge of classical music. So whatever I write is from the heart . Ragas etc. you may please tell me. Is this in Darbari? Naushad’s major achievement in this film was to rope in classically renowned artistes who had hitherto looked on film music with abhorrence. A beautiful number that’s to be heard in those early hours of the day where the light clashes with the dark and begins to emerge victorious. (****)
Door koi gaye (Shamshad Begum, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus) – A delightful piece where Shamshad and Lata seem to have a little battle for supremacy. Lata’s words were more in the karun ras which gives her a decided edge. But Shamshad ji certainly matches her word for word. A lovely folk piece. One shouldn’t forget Rafi’s call also ‘Oji oooo..’ which gives a lovely effect altogether. (***)
Tu ganga ki mauj main (Mohd. Rafi) – Possibly the most popular song from the film. This is certainly in Bhairavi. Rafi is irreprisible here. He certainly was the discovery of the film. He had certainly gained ground in the late 40s but with the emergence of Talat Mahmood, he had been pushed to the back seat. With this, he came roaring back. His voice scales the notes- up and down- with such ease that shows him out as one of the greatest singers ever. My favorite are the sthaiyees: Agar tu hai sagar to majhdhar main hoon, Tere dil ki kashti ka bhatwar main hoon, Chalegi akele na tumse yeh naiyya, milegi na manzil tumhe binke vaiyya, Chale aaoji, chale aaoji, chale aao maujon ka lekar sahara. Outstanding!!! (*****)
Jhoole me pavan ki aai bahar (Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd.Rafi) – Not my favorite duet, but one which leaves you with a feeling of freshness and cheer. Well sung and composed. (**)
Mohe bhool gaye sanwariya (Lata Mangeshkar) – If you think the film was an all-Rafi affair, listen to this. A sensational piece. What a bewitching melody !!! Certainly amongst the half-dozen of Lata’s finests ever. Again the raga eludes me. This is one of the best songs of the film and Lata has filled the words with such pathos that was a high even by her own standrads. (*****)
Man tarpat hari darshan (Mohd. Rafi) – Another undescribably beautiful number- a bhajan. Possibly the most beautiful and the purest bhajan ever done in Hindi films. But do you see the irony of it. This bhajan of bhajans was composed by Naushad, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni and sung by Mohd. Rafi – all Muslims. Can anything better illustrate the ‘unity-in-diversity’ concept of our India ? (*****)
Bachpan ki mohobbat ko (Lata Mangeshkar) – Another Lata masterpiece. While not quite in the same class as the other Lata solo in the movie, this is certainly a beautiful piece. Some Lata aficionados do consider this a superior composition – but musically I feel ‘Mohe bhool gaye sanwaria’ was better. But it’s a real close finish. Lets just forget it all and just enjoy the music. (*****)
Insaan bano karlo bhalai ka koi kaam (Mohd. Rafi) – A superb composition that is overlooked in almost all mentions of Baiju Bawra. I don’t know why. It certainly does not lag behind too much when compares with the other masterpieces of the film. And Rafi sounds near perfect. Again the raga ? (*****)
O duniya ke rakhwale (Mohd. Rafi) – The most celebrated song ever. And it certainly deserves every accolade that it has received. This is a triumph of Rafi the singer over Naushad the composer. This is considered by most to be the greatest Rafi song ever and I extend it further- it might well be the greatest composition ever. What a sweep of notes that Naushad has brought out. A masterpiece forever and ever. (*****) The musicals flowed from the Master’s baton. What years those were – for Hindi Film Music and for Naushad saab himself. Never before or since has a composer maintained such high levels of compositions over extended periods of time and films.
‘Shabab’ followed in 1953. Some of Naushad’s conneissuers argue ‘Shabab’ to be a step ahead of even ‘Baiju Bawra’ and though I am not in complete agreement with this view, it cannot be denied that ‘Shabab’ was not too far behind ‘Baiju Bawra’ and that’s saying a lot indeed. The compositions were more balanced this time with Lata getting her share of memorables in ‘Jogan ban jaoongi’, ‘Jeena teri gali me, marna teri gali me’, ‘Mar gaye hum jeete ji malik tere sansar me’ and the duet with Rafi ‘Man ki been matwari baje’ in Raag Bahar. Mohammed Rafi could not be overtaken completely though with some bewitching compositions, especially the evergreen ‘Aaye na balam vada karke’ which stands out as one of Rafi’s finest renditions. ‘Yehi arman lekar aaj apne ghar se hum nikle’ is a fine piece as well. Manna da also got to do some singing for Naushad saab with ‘Bhagat ke bas me hai bhagan’- nothing outstanding but pleasing nevertheless. The song of the film was however ‘Chandan ka palna, resham ki dori’ , a mesmerizing duet of Lata and Hemant Kumar and Lata for once, has to take a back seat. Hemant da was much too good and this song fitted his voice like a glove. One of the greatest numbers ever.
Lata Mangeshkar, if at all she had any complaints against Naushad saab for not being given the Numero Uno status, might well have forgiven him and more with ‘Amar’ in 1954. This film I vote as the greatest combination of Naushad-Lata. There were 7 Lata songs in the film each of the highest quality – ‘Umangon ko sakhi’, ‘Udi udi chayi ghata jiya lehraye’, ‘Janewale se mulaqat na hone payi’, ‘Na shikwa hai koi’, ‘Khamosh hai khewantar mera’, ‘Na milta gham to barbadi’ and my favoutrite ‘Tere sadqe balam na kar koi gham, yeh sama yeh jahan phir kahan”- a lovely piece with Lata’s voice displaying all its beauty and melody in full colours.
The next year saw yet another block buster for Naushad – ‘Uran Khatola’. The songs were more equally distributed this time between Rafi and Lata with the more popular numbers coming to Rafi’s share. Look at the phenomenol numbers of the film – the foot tapping, sweet Lata piece ‘Mera salam leja, ulfat ka jaam leja uran khatole wale rahi’, the soft ‘More saiyanji utrenge paar o nadiya dheere chalo’ with human chorus used as background score, ‘Ghar aaya mehman koi jan na pehchan’, ‘Dooba tara umidon ka’, ‘Na ro ae dil kahin rone se taqdeeren badalti hain’, ‘Sitaron ki mehfil saji hai’ and two of the finest Lata numbers of all time – ‘Haal e dil main kya karoon’ and ‘Hamare dil se na jana, dhokha na khana’. Add to this list of super-Lata- numebers the Rafi magnificents- ‘Mohobbat ki rahon me’ , ‘O door ke musafir humko bhi saath lele re’ and my favourite ‘Na tufan se khelo na sahil se khelo, mere paas aao mere dil se khelo’. All in all, yet another feather in Naushad saab’s cap and one of the glittering jewels of or musical legacy.
One might have expected the caravan to go on and on, but Naushad saab’s career graph began to take a downward turn now. There were other scintillating musicals to follow but the Midas touch he had displayed in those early years of the 1950s was missing. ‘Sohni Mahiwal’ did not fare well, though it had a few really fine numbers- Lata’s ‘Mera bichda yaar milka de’, Rafi’s ‘Id ka din tere bin hai feeka’, ‘Aaj galiyon me tere aaya hai hai deewaan tera’ and Rafi-Lata’s ‘Aane wale ko aana hoga’. Mahendra Kapoor also made a memorable entry with ‘Chand chupa aur tare doobe’. For all its fanfare, ‘Mother India’ was far from Naushad saab’s best. Only Lata’s ‘Nagri nagri dware dware’ was anywhere close to the Naushad we knew. Naushad redeemed himself with ‘Mughal-e-Azam’- a veritable Lata festival, with some of her greatest songs ever. My personal bests from the film- ‘Mohobbat ki jhooti kahani pe roye’, ‘Ae ishq yeh sab duniyawale’ and the very best- an extremely diffcult choice between ‘Khuda nigehbaan ho tumhare, dhadakte dil ka payaam lelo’ and ‘Bekas pe karam kijiye’. Take your pick.
The 60s saw the Shammi Kapoor’s Yahoo wave sweep across the film world and changed the musical requirements and amidst all the noise, the melodies of ‘Mere Mehbooob’ and ‘Son of India’ served as balms to the ears. Where at one end, Rafi was bellowing away with ‘Aaja aaja’s, he was made to remember the old too with a host of beautiful melodies ‘Mere mehboob tujhe meri mohobbat ki kasam’, ‘Ae husn zara jaag tujhe ishq bulaye’, ‘Tumse izhaare ha kar baithe’ and ‘Yaad meteri jaag jaag ke hum’ in ‘Mere Mehboob’ and ‘Zindagi aaj mere naam se sharmati hai’ and ‘Dil todne wale tujhe dil doondh raha hai’ from ‘Son of India’. The latter saw some lovely Lata numbers also. ‘Aaj chedo mohobbat ki shehnaiyan’, ‘Chal diye deke gham’ were two memorables. The rest of the 60s saw more ordinary compositions from Naushad saab with a spark now and then reminding us of the magic of the Master. ‘Palki’, ‘Dil diya dard liya’, ‘Aadmi’, ‘Leader’, ‘Saz aur awaz’ while being good musicals were never quite in the same class as those of the 50s. And as a close to the 60s, we got one of Naushad saab’s worst efforts in a long, long time- ‘Saathi’- a remake of the Tamil movie ‘Palum pazhamum’ which had some of the most magical numbers ever in Indian cine history with Vishwanathan Ramoorthy demonstrating their prowess capably. Naushad’s reply hardly offered any competition to the original. Its was a big let-down and since then, it has been near farewell to Naushad saab. His entries now and then have been mediocre efforts- only because they were in no way the Naushad of yore.
The trend had changed- then in the 50s, Naushad could say ‘We create music for the people’, whereas in the 90s the composers when approached about the mediocre quality of music reply ‘We provide what they want’. The approach had changed. Music was business now, not an art. Naushad saab’s magic belongs to the Golden Age of Film Music when the composers vied in providing quality music to the masses- and people’s tastes could accept the more modern taps pf Shankar Jaikishan and S.D.Burman as it could the more traditional and classical based numbers of Naushad and Anil Biswas. The times- they had changed. Thankfully, those songs, those beautiful songs remain on tape for us to sit back and listen and allow Naushad saab to work his magic on us again and again and…
Naushad’s message to Parvez Musharraf sent through Akbar Khan producer of Taj Mahal:
Jo dard tumhaare dil mein hai
Apne bhi wohi gham hain
Lag jaao gale aa kar
Jo tum ho wohi hum hain
Naushad wrote these lines days after Mohd Rafi passed away:
Goonjte hain tere naghmon se ameeron ke mahal
Jhopron mein bhi gareebon ke teri aawaaz hai
Apni mousiki pe sab ko fakr hota hai magar
Mere saathi aaj mousiki ko tujh par naaz hai
On Western music and remixes at a TV awards function some years back:
Saaz-e-dil ke taraane bahut hain
Jeene ke bahaane bahut hain
Dar-e-ghair se na maango bheek fann ki
Jab ghar mein hi khazaane bahut hain
Naushad Saab was a very sophisticated and dignified personality. He was a great orator especially when he spoke about Raags in urdu in interviews. Any person who is an illerate in music would listen it with great interest. Perhaps it is Naushad Saab’s great power of expression. No wonder Naushad Saab was a very good poet apart from a great music composer. This control of urdu was such that it represented the Lucknow Gharana the best.
Songs of ‘Amar’ are all remarkable in particlar the 2 sung by Lata “Na Milta Gam To Barbadi Wo Afasane” and “Jaane Wale Se Mulakat Na Hone Paee”. Both songs picturized on the legendary Madhubala. Madhubala plays a serious character in the film, but still looks beautifull. The music in the songs is too lively till date.
The one the Rafi Saab “Insaf Ka Mandir Hai Yeh” is another unforgetable score. ‘Amar’ is perhaps one of the best works of Mehboob Khan as a Film Maker.
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This article was presented earlier too but just a reminder!
STRICT DISCIPLINARIAN: Mohammed Rafi
When filmmaker Babubhai Mistry asked Laxmikant-Pyarelal to compose music for the low-budget costume drama Parasmani in 1963, the duo began thinking of which singers to choose. In his natural narrative style, Pyarelal recalls: “We chose the singers on the basis of the song, instead of sticking to one singer. If we felt Mohammed Rafi’s voice suited Woh Jab Yaad Aaye and Roshan Tumhi Se Duniya, we chose him. And if we thought Mukesh’s voice went well with Chori Chori Jo Tumse Mili, we chose him.â€
Parasmani, in fact, marked the beginning of a long association between Rafi and Laxmikant-Pyarelal.
The singer was to give L-P a major hit with Chahoonga Main Tujhe in Dosti. Over the years, he’s rendered a string of hits for the music directors — including Beimaan Hai Bada (in Loafer), Na Tu Zameen Ke Liye (Dastaan), Aane Se Uske Aaye Bahar (Jeene Ki Raah), Chalkaaye Jaam and Hui Shyam Unka (Mere Humdum Mere Dost), Yeh Jo Chilman Hain and Itna To Yaad Hai Mujhe (Mehboob Ki Mehndi), the Patthar Ke Sanam title track, the Khilona title song, Jhilmil Sitaron Ka (with Lata Mangeshkar in Jeevan Mrityu), Parda Hai (Amar Akbar Anthony), Dafliwale (with Lata in Sargam), Dard-e-Dil (Karz) and scores of others. In fact, Rafi’s last song Tu Kahin Aas Paas Hai Dost was recorded for L-P in the film Aas Paas.
Exactly 26 years after Rafi’s death, his songs remain immortal. On July 31 every year, musicians and fans do their bit to remember their idol.
Naturally, memories of Rafi dominate our conversation with Pyarelal when we meet him at his Bandra flat. Willingly, the composer talks about Rafi the person. Relaxing on his sofa, the music director says: “Rafi was like a farishta. No other word would be more appropriate to describe him.â€
Pyarelal spins back down the years. He recalls: “Laxmiji and I became music directors after a long period of struggle. But we had known Rafi because we had been musicians for many years. In our early days, Rafi had given me Rs 500, which was a big amount those days. I told him I won’t return it and he just smiled. Till today, I have kept that money.â€
According to Pyarelal, Rafi laughed a lot. “He talked less and had a special style of nodding his head. He always looked down and talked, no matter whom he talked with. For him, everybody was the same, and he talked to everybody in the same tone,†he points out.
Rafi had a special habit of keeping his car spotless clean. “He had a Fiat, and he would put together all these lights and bright-coloured objects. Even at home, he would insist on cleanliness. There was one room full of awards, and he took care of each award. Another thing he loved was good food. He’d have a lavish meal whenever he could,†he says.
Pyarelal, however, points out that Rafi rarely went to parties. “He liked to stay in his own world, and concentrate on two things — namaz and riyaz. But he has come to my birthday party twice. They may be among the exceptions he made, but we were so close,†he adds.
The conversation naturally shifts to Rafi’s approach towards singing. Says Pyarelal: “He was God-gifted. He used to do so much riyaz that everything looked so simple. Then, he would modulate his voice to suit each hero, whether it was Dilip Kumar, Bharat Bhushan or Shammi Kapoor.â€
Pyarelal says Rafi was a strict disciplinarian when it came to work. He elaborates: “He never cancelled any recording, even if he had a 102 degree temperature. In fact, he was the first singer to regularly go on foreign tours. He would go every year, first with his small orchestra, and later with a bigger group.â€
Was there anything that Rafi loved as much as singing? Pyarelal laughs: “Yes, he loved whistling. He would whistle regularly, either in the form of a tune or just loudly when he was happy.â€
For Pyarelal, the tales would never cease. But then, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Rafi not only made some great music together, but shared a special bond too.
Hi Anmol, Narayan, Unknown,mehtab, nair and all others,
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banjara.blogspot.com
May 05, 2006
Maestro Naushad Ali: Awaaz Dey KahaaN Hay
Awadh Dec 24, 1919—Mumbai May 05, 2006
The composer, who hailed from Lucknow, had cried when his film Baiju Bawra was premiered at Mumbai’s Broadway theatre. When the late producer Vijay Bhat asked him why he was crying, Naushad told him he was sleeping on the footpath opposite the theatre when he had dreamt of seeing his music brought to life here. ‘It took me 16 long years to cross that footpath,’ he had said.
Early this morning temporal informed me that Naushad Ali had passed away and asked me to pen some thoughts on his life and music.
Naushad, as he was universally known, learned classical music from Ustad Ghurbat Ali, and Ustad Babban Saheb in Lucknow, before he ran away to Bombay in 1937 to make his name in the film industry.
He struggled in his early days and worked as a pianist in composer Mushtaq Hussain’s orchestra till he got his big break with music director Khemchand Prakash as an assistant. His first independent film was Prem Nagar in 1940 but he got noticed in A.J.Kardar’s Sharda, which was released in 1942 and introduced Surayya to the film industry. (For trivia buffs: A.J.Kardar was the older brother of A.H. Kardar the first Pakistani Cricket Captain.) However, it was Rattan released in 1944 that brought overnight fame to Naushad Ali.
Naushad gave us some of the greatest hits of all times. Starting from Rattan in 1944 till Taj Mahal in 2006, he composed music in nearly seventy films.
He introduced Surayya, and gave breaks to Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi. They went on to become Bollywood legends. Nausahd was a colossus who ruled over the music industry from mid 40s to mid 60s, the golden era of Bollywood musicals.
After the unprecedented success of Rattan, Naushad Ali went on his purple patch of producing phenomenal music in Shah Jahan, Anmol GhaRi, Dard, Dillagi, Dulari, Andaz, Babul, Mela, URan Khatola and his magnum opus Baiju Bawra. The film that formally introduced Hindustani classical music to Indian film goers.
In Baiju Bawra he used famous maestroes Pandit D.V.Paloskar and Ustad Amir Khan in a Jugalbandi. Mohammad Rafi also sang his sublime bhajan Man taRpat hari darshan ko aaj in Raag Malkauns and O duniya ke rakhwale in Raag Darbari: perennial hits with the lovers of Indian cinema.
His other memorable films were Rattan, Mela, Deedar, Jadoo, Shabab, Mother India, Mughl-e-Azam, Ganga Jamuna, Mere Mahboob, Ram Aur Shyam, Pakeezah and Aadmi.
Naushad Ali succeeded to sign Ustad BaRe Ghulam Ali Khan to sing Shubh ghaRi aayo raaj dulara to perfection in Mughl-e-Azam.
Naushad gave Lata Mangeshkar her big break in Andaz in which she sang this beautiful ghazal:
Uthaaye ja un ke sitam aur jiye ja
yuN hi muskraay ja aanNsoo piye ja
Lata being a Maharashtrian, her Urdu diction and delivery was far from ideal for a perfectionist like him. He personally sat with her for hours and coached her till her diction, delivery and accent was perfect. Lata herself was a great student who went on to master the Urdu, Hindi and Avadhi diction and delivery to become at par in ghazal gayeki with Begum Akhtar and Avadhi/Poorbi gayeki with Girija Devi. Her perfect rendition of Dhoondho dhoondho re sajna more kaan ka bala in Ganga Jamuna and Mohe panghat pe Nand Lal cheR gayo re, both under Naushad Ali are a tribute to both Lata and Naushad, two of the most radiant stars of Hindi film music.
It is not generally known that Naushad was a fairly good poet himself. This gave him an added insight into the lyrics that he fused with his genius. His music highlights and enhances the beauty and sweetness of poetry and blends with the theme of the plot. Another name that enhanced Naushad’s magic was poet Shakeel Badayuni who penned hit lyrics for most of his films.
Even though Naushad had 26 silver jubilee, 9 golden jubilee and 3 platinum jubilee films to his credit, only Baiju Bawra netted him his only Film Fare award for Best Music Director.
However, Naushad’s greatest contribution to Indian film music is the introduction of Hindustani Classical music into the mainstream cinema music. Today, after sixty years, people of all ages and taste listen to Noor Jahan singing with pathos Awaaz de kahaN hai, duniya meri jawaN hai in PahaRi and marvel at the ethereal beauty of this song.
Naushad never left his Hidustani Parampara and used the ragas and folk in those memorable songs which bring a joie de vivre to the listeners. Here is an example of the beautiful use of the ragas in some film songs.
1. Jo maiN jaanti bisrat hai saiyyaN in Maand (Shabab.)
2. More sayyaNji utreNge paar ho in Pilu (Uran Khatola.)
3. Jaane waale se mulaaqaat na hone paayi in Yaman (Amar.)
4. Tere pyaar meiN dildaar in Bihaag (Mere Mahboob.)
5. Suhaani raat dhal chuki in PahaRi (Dulari.)
6. Meri kahani bhoolne walay tera jahaN aabad rahe in Tilang (Deedaar.)
7. O duniya ke Rakhwalay, sun dard bhare mere naalay in Darbari (Baiju Bawra.)
Despite his laid back demeanor and conservative background Naushad was an innovator, risk taker and a perfectionist. He was very selective and accepted limited number of films per year even when he was at his peak.
He introduced Qawwali and Bhajan into film music along with western orchestra, church and choir music.
He also pioneered the use of large orchestra for the first time in Mahboob Khan’s film Aan in 1952. He is also credited with introducing Ustad BaRe Ghlam Ali Khan in Mughl-e-Azam who sang Shubh din aayo raaj dulara and Prem jogan ke sundari with great aplomb. Pandit D.V.Paloskar and Ustad Amir Khan sang a jugalbandi in Baiju Bawra.
Naushad completed Pakeezah after Master Ghulam Mohammed’s death and continued doing an occasional film right up to the 1990s but he was not the same Naushad of the golden era. (I have a confession to make. I have refrained from commenting on his last film the epic Taj Mahal because I have not heard its composition.)
Some of the many awards he received over his lifetime included Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan and Sangeet Natya Academy Award. He passed away in Mumbai on May 5, 2006 due to old age. Inna lillah e wa inna ilaihe rajeoon.
posted by Banjaara at 9:42 PM 1 comments
Monday, May 01, 2006 banjara
where is Naushand in Media?!!!!
Great job Sir,
well written article thanks Sathyaji and Floraji
In my opinion Shababs mindblowings songs like Yahi Armaan…… of our great maestro Rafi Sahab can give a tough competition to his own Oh duniya ke ……..from Baiju Bawra. Those 50s and 60s were the period when Rafi Sahabs melody was competing with each other in various films resulting in a feast of melodious hits.
Recently in a tribute to Naushad sirs program held in Bangalore Sanjeev Ramachandran NRI from New York winner of the erstwhile TVS Saregama gave enthralling and superb performance by singing all the hits of his guru Rafi Sahab making the audience to clamour for more.The choicest songs were from Baiju Bawra, Shabab,Kohinoor,Deedar,Dulari,Mere Mehboob etc.
In the above article we have missed out on Aadmi, Ram aur Shyam, Mela, Andaz,Dulari, Ganwaar, Dil Diya Dard Liya,Leader, Ganga Jamuna,Kohinoor, etc most of the songs were sung by Rafi Sahab, Latajiand few by Mukeshji and Shamshadji.
Naushad Saab has developed many stalwarts. Apart from Rafi, Naushad was responsible in shaping Mukesh to his original style. Songs like “Tu Kahe Agar”, “Gaaye Jaa Geet Milan Ke” and later “Ye Tere Pyar Ka Gam”, “Mera Pyar Bhi Tu Hai” are all one the best songs sung by Mukesh sang under Naushad. Mukesh has sung very few numbers under Naushad but mostly are Gems.
Respected Fans of Rafi Sahib,
I want to give many many thanks to Mr. I. M. Sathiya & Er. Mohan Flora at this platform. That was Naushad who actually gave his full support to the Great Great Mohd. Rafi from the very beginning. Before Baiju Bawra, he used Rafi Sahib’s voice in a chorus in the film ‘Pehle Aap’. He used him in ‘Dillagi’ also i.e. “Is duniya main ae dil walo dil ka lagana khel nahin” & “Tere kooche main armanon ki duniya le ke aaya hun.” Naushad ji gave final touches to the voice of Rafi sahib. He picked Rafi sahib out of the impression of KL Saigal and KC Day or GM Durrani. He made Rafi ultra modern. This step was very necessary at that age. He placed the foundation of a great singer and a legend none other than Mohd. Rafi sahib. Naushad sahib used thoroughly the voice of Rafi Sahib. The film ‘Dharam Kanta’, which released in 1982, also has/had a song of Rafi Sahib i.e. ‘Yeh gotedar lehnga niklun jab dal ke’. This song is still popular with the customary marriage band-parties.
It was also the greatness of Naushad ji that he never boasted of his such remarkable achievement. He always praised Rafi Sahib by heart. He even wrote many couplets/poems about Rafi sahib and his greatness. Naushad ji really identified the distinctiveness of Rafi Sahib and serve it before the whole world. With such a moral & solid support Rafi sahib, then, never looked back. Rafi sahib touched so many zeniths, heights, climaxes that even today, after 27 years, none is able to even imitate him. No one can reach near him, his art, his professionalism, his professional proximity, his love, his character and his voice. He is just like the Sun as none can go near him and none can beat him. He is the father of the Universe of light-songs/music.
Mehtab (+9198157 03226) & mehtabmasih@yahoo.co.in
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