Comments

1. Firoz says:

   July 14, 2012 at 5:24 am

   shakar jaikishan
   Naushad
   O.P nayyar
   madan mohan
   A. R. Quereshi
   Hansraj Behl
   Roshan
   Vasant Desai
   Snehal Bhatkar
   Shyam Sundar
   Kalyanji, Anandji
   Shivram
   C. Ramchandra
   Ghulam Haider
   Basant Prakash
   Laxmikant, Pyarelal
   S. Mohinder
   Ghulam Mohammad
   Shyam Babu Pathak
   Gulshan Soofi
   Vinod
   Iqbal Quereshi
   Sharmaji (Khaiyyam)
   Ravi
   Husnalal, Bhagatram

   And many more says its our pleassure to compose songs with RAFI SAHAB, his voice gives us name and fame, and Music Directors
   who dont want Rafi sahab ends with worst.

   guys stop comparing Rafi sahab with specially Kishore as kishore got no singing talent, please find any single bhajan, Naat, Classical raag based, you will not find reason he cant sings nor he stands. kishore songs are easy to sing but for rafi sahab it needs extra ordinary skills to sung this is words of udit narayan,shaan, kumar sanu, KK etc kishore itself admires rafi sahab and you can find alot of his video saying that he cant be compare with rafi sahab as rafi sahab is his GURU.

   you still ruling on our heart Rafi sahab..my salute to you !
2. lightmusiclover says:

   July 10, 2012 at 12:41 pm

   Dear Haldarji,
   Ref: post 126.
   Thank you for the informations. Most of them are news to me. I thought both those tunes were initially composed in Bengali. Now I can visualise things clearer.
   As for Salil-Lata combo, Your assessment is spot on. Ditto with Salil-Kishore.
   Listened to the first two links. The third one is not functioning but I know the song. Here is a functioning link
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dImPY7vNbsw
   I liked the Lata version immensely but wasn’t too impressed with the Kishore version. How I wish Yesu Das had sung it! Suseela version is pretty good too. If I have to rank them, It’s Lata, Suseela and Kishore in that order.
3. P. Haldar says:

   July 9, 2012 at 10:22 am

   Hans ji,

   From one of your comments, I can tell that you are on the right track. I have been on this forum since its inception and I must say that most of the ire is directed at the easy and sometimes wrong targets. Hindi film music has consumed most of my life, much to the detriment of my professional life, and when I comment on something, I try to stay as close to the truth as possible, even if that is not palatable to some of my friends on this forum. For instance, you will never see me denying the fact that Pancham was the “major” force in the first half of the seventies; if you deny that, you are obviously out of touch with reality.

   Dr. Ranade is undoubtedly a scholar of great repute. But to understand some of the most interesting events in the music industry, you will also have to understand two P’s: psychology and politics. His comment on Salil’s use, or lack thereof, of Rafi is way off the mark. Salil’s leftist leanings have nothing to do with it whatsoever. “Ajab teri duniya”, as you know very well, was sung by Rafi. Other than the fact that many of the IPTA members were atheists, Rafi would fit perfectly in this group, as he did with Shailendra, Sahir, Guru Dutt, Kaifi Azmi and Majrooh, just to name a few. Here is a man who would distribute his money to the musicians, give away his earnings from a show in a Bengal town because it got flooded and commit countless acts of charity — what is there for a leftist not to like about him? And the leftist that he was, Salil collaborated with the No. 1 capitalist of the music industry, a real Bharat Ratan. If you know the real story behind the Maya incident, it would make your blood boil even more. You need to ask yourself a simple question: what is so difficult about the Maya song that Rafi would have problems in singing? In my opinion, it should be a piece of cake. But so many people, including many Rafians, believe the story because Raju Bharatan’s favourite music director, the great Salil da, whispered that into his ears. The question is, why did he do that? There must be a motive and to get there, you’ll have to understand human psychology.

   Life imitates art. And the music industry imitates hindi films.

   Regards and no hard feelings,

   P. Haldar
4. P. Haldar says:

   July 9, 2012 at 2:15 am

   Hans ji,

   You wrote, “but my complaint against salil is not this. to whom he gave songs is his prerogative. i object to his behaviour at the time of the maya duet and later. he quarrelled over a real petty and fake issue with rafi for lata’s sake and forgot his professional ethics.”

   I do not disagree with even a single word you’ve written. In fact, that has been my grouse against Salil all along. If you care to dig out some of my old posts, you will find that I have made this point repeatedly. I was involved in an interchange with the late Sandeep Nadkarni, who used to be a violinist in Salil’s orchestra. I’m sure that what Mr. Sandeep Nadkarni spilled out, a lot of other musicians also knew but never dared to reveal. Before Nadkarni saab could reveal the real reason behind the incident, a journalist intervened and that was the end of the matter. I’ve all along had a hunch of what actually led to the incident, but unfortunately Nadkarni saab passed away a few days later and I couldn’t get my hypothesis validated. But I am 99% sure that my hypothesis is true, and if you analyse the events carefully, you will also come to the same conclusion. But for that to happen, you’ll have to shed your biases and stay away from showing indiscreet valour by saying that Himmat gives you more happiness than Anand (I hope you like the phrasing of this sentence). Because you are a serious student of Hindi music, I would like you to focus on the years between 1957 and 1961, one of the most pivotal periods in the history of hindi film music, and make a dispassionate analysis. I have full confidence that you will arrive at the same conclusion that I did.

   Regards,
   P. Haldar
5. P. Haldar says:

   July 9, 2012 at 2:14 am

   post 128:

   Hans ji,

   You wrote, “but my complaint against salil is not this. to whom he gave songs is his prerogative. i object to his behaviour at the time of the maya duet and later. he quarrelled over a real petty and fake issue with rafi for lata’s sake and forgot his professional ethics.”

   I do not disagree with even a single word you’ve written. In fact, that has been my grouse against Salil all along. If you care to dig out some of my old posts, you will find that I have made this point repeatedly. I was involved in an interchange with the late Sandeep Nadkarni, who used to be a violinist in Salil’s orchestra. I’m sure that what Mr. Sandeep Nadkarni spilled out, a lot of other musicians also knew but never dared to reveal. Before Nadkarni saab could reveal the real reason behind the incident, a journalist intervened and that was the end of the matter. I’ve all along had a hunch of what actually led to the incident, but unfortunately Nadkarni saab passed away a few days later and I couldn’t get my hypothesis validated. But I am 99% sure that my hypothesis is true, and if you analyse the events carefully, you will also come to the same conclusion. But for that to happen, you’ll have to shed your biases and stay away from showing indiscreet valour by saying that Himmat gives you more happiness than Anand (I hope you like the phrasing of this sentence). Because you are a serious student of Hindi music, I would like you to focus on the years between 1957 and 1961, one of the most pivotal periods in the history of hindi film music, and make a dispassionate analysis. I have full confidence that you will arrive at the same conclusion that I did.

   Regards,
   P. Haldar
6. Hans says:

   July 9, 2012 at 2:11 am

   contd..

   you have in your later post said that you have no problem if i did not consider salil a great md. that is not true, i consider him a great md and i only objected to him being called one of the greatest. if you had called him one of the greats, i would have readily agreed. and to refute your claim of anti-bengali bias against me, i would like to declare that i put sdb in the highest bracket i.e. one of the greatest, despite my protestations against his shabby treatment of rafi.

   you asked me to ask lata about salil. she would perhaps say what you say, but that she would say for anybody who demeans rafi. as for hemant, talat and mukesh, salil gave hemant just 9 songs and one cant remember any other except ‘ganga aaye kahan se’ from kabuliwala. to talat also he gave only 11 songs and of these 4 were from chhaya and 3 from his own film ‘ek gaon ki kahani’. mukesh also got less than rafi. and i may also tell you that after the so-called super songs of anand by mukesh, salil gave him only 3 songs in the six years that mukesh lived after anand. to manna dey though he was generous and he kept him as his main singer. and i am happy that he gave manna his due, because manna is a truly great singer and other mds did not give him what he deserved.

   your line which felt really bad was the last line of your post 118. i do not claim to be any music expert and certainly not of your level, but certainly i can tell the difference between madhumati and khilona. i wont say more than that.
7. Hans says:

   July 9, 2012 at 1:39 am

   contd..

   so far as the music of anand and its comparison with that year’s other music is concerned, i may like to say that the music is excellant but to me it is very hyped and is not of that quality which you proclaim. anand was a very fine film, but, it is not mandatory to praise the music also to the extent the film is praised. i never said the himmat or pkk had better music. i used the words better and popular. there were a lot of songs in that year with better music and also many others which were very popular. ‘hai shukar ke tu hai ladka’ and the two duets of himmat were ringing in the streets that year and nobody was singing anand songs – though they were appreciated slowly by a minority class. i wonder how you talk about pkk in such demeaning terms, calling it joke of the day. pkk had three superb rafi solos ‘aashiq hoon ek mahjabin ka’, ‘tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge’ and ‘ae mere dil yahan tu akela nahin’, one solo ‘meri bhains ko danda kyun mara’ by manna dey and one solo by lata ‘tum mujhe yun’. the music of that film was not inferior in any way, if not supeior, to anand.

   you have praised the lata solo profusely, though there is a factual error in that it was duly released. i would ask you to compare this with the three solos by lata in dastak (which forgot to mention in the list). all three will individually beat the anand solo handsomely. there is also the rafi solo ‘tumse kahun ek baat’. i dont want to go into details about other films.

   contd..
8. Hans says:

   July 9, 2012 at 1:12 am

   contd..

   you have tried to circumvent the facts given by me in reply to your regularity argument, by giving yearwise list of films in which rafi sang for salil. i would like to tell that there were two more films between biraj bahu and jagte raho in which rafi sang two songs each. but this does not change the facts i gave that after jagte raho in 10 films salil gave only 3 songs in two films. neither was he composing for less number of films. in the first 8 years till 1961 salil gave music for 26 films which comes to about 3 films per year.

   but my complaint against salil is not this. to whom he gave songs is his prerogative. i object to his behaviour at the time of the maya duet and later. he quarrelled over a real petty and fake issue with rafi for lata’s sake and forgot his professional ethics. if he was sure that rafi was not singing the song correctly, then he should have replaced him for the duet. there was also no problem in that because he gave a solo to dwijen mukherjee(who gave a good account of himself) which went on dev anand and he could easily have given dwijen the duet. but he knew exactly that rafi was singing the song in the right manner and defect, if any, was in his composition which rafi had corrected by his interpretation.

   and this he did after he had utilised rafi’s expertise for two songs ‘ki main jhooth boliya’ and ‘ae saba kehna mere dildar se’ and particularly the first one. the first was almost a panjabi rendition and in my opinion it was taken to the heights just by rafi and balbir’s rendition. salil’s contribution was perhaps limited only to setting the orchestra. this can be verified from another song which was later composed by him and the mukhda of which contained some panjabi words. this song ‘o gori aaja gaddi wich bahja’ from sapan suhane(1961), was sung by manna dey and lata. this song exposes the limitations of the composer as well as singers in adopting the panjabi words and shows the contrast with ‘ki main jhoot boliya’. the kabuliwala song was also based on folk music of the area around which rafi was born and bred.

   contd..
9. Hans says:

   July 8, 2012 at 9:12 pm

   post 118

   haldar ji,

   i was not hurt but surprised by your response of taking recourse to such a weak argument like anti-bengali bias for putting me on the defensive. you must be knowing that i am right, because you know bengalis better. i wonder how you came to the conclusion that some kk fans and mds constitute the whole of bengal, because i had criticised just them. bengal has much more likeable than these, huge amount of quality literature, tagore, subhash bose, a host of revolutiionaries to be proud of and lot more. i dont want to prove, i am not anti-bengali, because you know that. your post of 2008 supports my claims.

   similarly, your comment about daan singh is out of place because i was only replying to your challenge to find any md who could match salil’s high quality music in anand. i listed some films of 1970 and not the 70s as you have tried to make out. as those films were by established mds, i pointed out daan singh, a lesser known md to emphasise my point. no comparison was made with salil or any other md, because daan singh simply does not have enough material. but his talent cant be denied and his two mukesh songs, i reiterate, are much better than mukesh’s anand solos. he had one or two flop films and one was shelved and then he was from rajasthan and did not fit in any of the prevalent bollywood groups of punjab, bengal and maharashtra. salil was lucky in that regard.

   contd..
10. P. Haldar says:

    July 8, 2012 at 1:34 am

    Lightmusiclover,

    I agree with your assessment of the two tunes, but let me also point out that in both cases, the Malayalam version was composed before the Hindi version. Salil used to spend a lot of time in Kerala and many of his musicians were from the south (ARR’s dad used to play in his orchestra and, if I’m not mistaken, Ilyaraja also used to assist him). So when he creates an original composition in Malayalam, he would definitely tailor the tune to the demands of the milieu. Also, his tunes often have swift-changing notes and South Indian singers may have a natural proclivity toward his tunes. Yesudas’s “Poomaanam Poothulanje” is a classic; it’s impossible to beat him on such a song. Yesudas was also one of Salil’s favourite singers, and that shows through his songs.

    In addition to being a great composer, Salil was also a class music arranger. Listen to his interlude music in the Madhumati songs and see how wonderful it sounds. They are of contrasting styles. The prelude to “Suhana safar aur yeh mausam haseen” with birds chirping and the shepherd herding his flock are great, but then when the hills reverberate in chorus in response to Mukesh’s “Oh ho ho”, it’s just out of the world. There are many other songs where Salil’s use of chorus is excellent; take, for instance, two songs by Manna
    Dey: Jaane walo sipahi se puchho and Zindagi kaise hai paheli. If you ask any musician, he will tell you that his chord progressions are very complex. There is a Rafian by the name of Ramakrishna (aka Sabnavees); he plays Salil’s tunes on his harmonica and he would be a good person to comment on Salil’s musical arrangements.

    Although Kishore delivered some good songs for Salil, I really don’t think he was well suited for his music. Give me Mukesh, Talat or Manna any day. “Aansoo samajh ke kyun mujhe aankh se tum ne gira diya… jo na chaman mein khil saka main woh garib phool hoon ” — waah Talat, kya baat!

    It would be an understatement to say that the nightingale resonated at Salil’s frequency. Theirs was one of the greatest partnerships in music history; whether you like them as people or not, you cannot deny the fact that they created magic together. I’m posting three versions of a tune; the original in Bengali by Lata, and then in Hindi and Malayalam by Kishore and P. Susheela, respectively. I’ll let you judge for yourself.

    Lata:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhKfrs3PfKs&feature=related

    Kishore:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvBuUofsDt8

    P. Susheela:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxThhwbupPs
11. RAJESH K RANGA says:

    July 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    BEFORE SOMEONE GETS ME WRONG.. I WISH I AM WRONG..BENGALIS LOVE MUSIC WITHOUT DISCRIMINATON…HOWEVER A CLOSE OBSERVATION SUGGESTS THAT HANSJI MAY NOT BE TOTALLY WRONG, ..PL VISIT ANY POOJA PANDAL/FUNCTION AND LISTEN TO THE SONGS PLAYED THERE..
12. RAJESH K RANGA says:

    July 7, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    POST 116 HANSJI’ FORCES ME DO A RETROSPECTION..HE IS PERHAPS RIGHT..REALLY BENGALIS DO NOT KEEP RAFI’S CD OR CASSETTE..YOU WILL FIND KK,HEMANT KUMAR , LATA MANGESHKAR,SDBURMAN BUT NOT MOHAMMAD RAFI…IN DURGA POOJA FUNCTIONS YOU WILL HEAR SONGS OF ALL SINGERS BUT NOT RAFI..!
13. Nagesh Sidhanti says:

    July 6, 2012 at 10:58 am

    post 113,

    Dear Hans ji,

    Have to agree with you that music in its purest form, should be made and heard with no prejudices or ideological overtones, but salilda, going by whatever is written about him, seems to be an exception. atleast sometimes. for the listeners however, the resultant enjoyment quotient wouldn’t diminish. The way i look at it, is to try and listen to the music with the same values that we expect from others. That is with no prejudices or ideologies. just good music heard from a pure heart & soul.

    We can barely take Dr. Ashok Ranade’s name lightly. He was a master observer, an ethno-musicologist, author of many books on aesthetics of music besides serving as the first director of University of Music, Mumbai. My quoting from his book, was a perspective of Late Dr. Ranade, different from popular belief. How you wish to interpret is left to you Hansji and I respect that, as much as i respect my own.

    kind regards,
    Nagesh
14. lightmusiclover says:

    July 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm

    Binuji,
    I totally agree with your opinion that Salilda’s Malayalam output is greater compared to his Hindi outputs. I’ve always felt that his typical style went better with the Malayalm lyrics.
    As an example, please listen to the two versions of the same tune
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpl4BAp3Gbs
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aF14jnBJ3c
    The Malayalm version wins hands down.
    Here is another case.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2829szm0Os
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz_cLdUZYQA&feature=related
    Again it is advantage Malayalam.
15. Binu Nair says:

    July 5, 2012 at 5:11 pm

    contd from 120.

    btween : the year was 1975 and the emergency period was on.

    it was the first time i saw our evergreen hero dev anand saaheb. with a seventeen year old tina munim – hand in hand.

    nightingale was invited by salil da but refused. reportedly salil da banged the phone down on lata ‘s refusal to attend his silver jubilee celebrations.

    and about the music for amar …. its music is just hyped and the singing too poor. till date i have not understood what’s great about it. same with : ” musaffir hai yaaaron another hyped up song..

    whenever i heard this i thought these songs belonged to one and only mohd rafi.
16. Binu Nair says:

    July 5, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    i definitely love salil da for i knew him from some angles when i was a collegian in mumbai.
    then, i was a raw music lover (not improved upon it much even now). I had gone to salil da’s house on errands from my dad who was a great lover of salil da/talat/manna dey/geeta dutt and k l saigal.

    dad had orgnanised a silver jubilee of salil da for two days at india’s pride place at shanmukananda hall where all singers had come to sing for salil da except salil da favourite lata and rafi saaheb.

    the highlight of the programme was asha singing : aajaaare mai to kab se khadi…. beautifully. before the event on a sunday morning asha/dada manohari da (about 45 years) all had troooped in to the mehboob studios at 9.30 am sharp for the rehearsals. what a commitment from the team i must say.

    one of these days i hope i will be able to upload some pictures and memories of that great moment and event.

    but, the point i am writing is for only one reason.

    salil da gave some great music in hindi songs and they are some real jewels.

    but, what he gave for malayalam movies is better than the mountains of mackennas gold.

    the best song of malayalam is ‘not’ sung by a malayali.

    its sung by a bengali singer who is my favourite. manna da saaheb.

    tuned by salil da……….incredible and incomparable music for chemeen (Prawns) which won the Presidents gold medal.
17. P. Haldar says:

    July 5, 2012 at 2:30 am

    Hans ji,

    I might have over-reacted in my previous post, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I would request you once again not to make sweeping statements against any specific community, whatever your own beliefs are. Once in a while, we write things out of humour, but in your case, it is more serious. There’s nothing I can do to change your views, but because this site is devoted to Rafi saab, who was above such petty things, it’s best that we refrain from ethnic attacks.

    As regards Salil, our opinions are subjective and I have no problems if you don’t consider Salil a great MD. I love Salil’s music, but I also realise that to truly appreciate Salil, you also have to be aware of his output in Bengali. S. D. Burman’s Bangla songs are also great, but Dada is such a giant that he stands tall with his Hindi output alone. Salil also has a great following in the south, especially in Kerala.

    Your list of films from the 70s is notable for its exclusions. Foremost among them is the one whose music will remain amar — whether you consider class or popularity, most of the films you’ve listed won’t even have a fighting chance against it.

    For my fellow Rafians, I’m posting a favourite non-filmi song, written by Madhukar Rajasthani and composed by Vinod Chatterjee:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbxNcdrRud0

    Vinod Chatterjee, incidentally, had also composed a few Bengali songs for Rafi saab.
18. P. Haldar says:

    July 3, 2012 at 8:39 am

    post 116:

    You wrote, “neither do i agree that salil used rafi regularly till maya.” You don’t have to agree with me; it’s in the archives. Here are the films in which Rafi sang for Salil from 1953 till 1961 (Do Bigha Zameen to Maya):

    1953 Do Bigha Zameen
    1954 Biraj Bahu
    1956 Jaagte Raho
    1957 Zamana
    1958 Madhumati
    1960 Us ne kaha tha
    1961 Chhaya
    1961 Kabuliwala
    1961 Maya

    What I meant by “regular” was that Rafi and Salil used to work together during those years. Given that Salil didn’t compose for that many films during that period, one cannot say that Rafi was not present in Salil’s recording room. I qualified my statement by saying that Rafi was typically used as a second or third singer.

    You also wrote that “there were a lot of films in the same year with much better and popular music viz. aan milo sajna, bhai bhai, dharti, heer ranjha, himmat, ishq par zor nahin, khilona, mera naam joker, naya rasta, pagla kahin ka, pehchan, purab aur paschim, safar. there was also a film ‘my love’ by a lesser known md daan singh.”

    Himmat and pkk had better music than Anand? That must be the biggest joke of the day. One unreleased song by the nightingale is better than the combined output of some of the films you’ve mentioned. In case you haven’t heard it, I’m posting the original track in Bengali:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ-V8YvUqSM

    And there are two gems from Mukesh bhai and one from Manna da. Given your anti-Bengali bias, I’m not surprised that you mention Daan Singh in the same breath as Salil.

    You also wrote, “salil gave excellant music in several films, but to call him one of the greatest would mean lowering the bar considerably.” Probably you should go and ask the nightingale why she considers him as one of the very best. Hemant, Talat and Mukesh are no more, but you might want to check with Manna Dey and Yesudas. They definitely know more about music than you or me.

    What’s next? Khilona’s music is better than Madhumati’s?
19. Hans says:

    July 3, 2012 at 1:03 am

    contd..

    i have read binuji’s comment. if you reflect again, you will find that singer is the visible figure so far as music is concerned. singer is more known than mds just like actors are better known than directors, producers etc. how many people want to know who composed the song. just like rafi, songs sung by mukesh, lata or manna dey composed by salil are also known by the name of singer. when listening to ‘ae mere pyare watan’ everybody will say manna ne kya gaya hai.

    neither do i agree that salil used rafi regularly till maya. salil gave 7 songs to rafi in his first 7 films. then in his next 10 films he gave just 3 to him, 2 of them being the famous madhumati songs. as per my figures he gave rafi 23 songs out of which 6 came in 8 films after maya. he stopped giving him songs after 1966.

    you refer to the music of ‘anand’ which came in 1970. there were a lot of films in the same year with much better and popular music viz. aan milo sajna, bhai bhai, dharti, heer ranjha, himmat, ishq par zor nahin, khilona, mera naam joker, naya rasta, pagla kahin ka, pehchan, purab aur paschim, safar. there was also a film ‘my love’ by a lesser known md daan singh. there were two mukesh solos ‘zikra hota hai jab qayamat ka’ and ‘wo tere pyar ka gham’ which will beat the ‘anand’ songs hands down. also in the 70s barring ‘anand’ and ‘rajnigandha’ which had good music and ‘chhoti si baat’ and ‘mere apne’ which had ok music, salil hardly gave any memorable music. i can list more than dozen films from which not a single song is remembered by any music lover.

    salil gave excellant music in several films, but to call him one of the greatest would mean lowering the bar considerably and will be injustice to the really greatest mds.
20. Hans says:

    July 2, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    post 115

    haldar ji,

    you had not written that in exactly the same words, but to the same effect. i had read it a long time ago. you wrote in post 1014 in ‘true voice’ thread in 2008 in reply to binuji “your comment on bengalis is well taken, but i have to admit that they are not what they used to be. when we were growing up, people used to talk about songs like “hari om” and “madhuban mein radhika” in hushed tones.” this i interpret as what i have written.

    i know there are thousands of true rafians like you in bengal (out of the crores of bengalis), but it is also a fact that most of the bengalis dont leave any stone unturned to undermine rafi. of the kk fans the most spiteful comments against rafi come from bengalis. i have known more than a dozen bengalis from very close and i havent found anybody having rafi cassettes or cds at home. about 20 years ago one of my bengali friends borrowed video cassette of ‘phir wohi dil laya hoon’ from my collection and the principle reason was the film had many lovely rafi songs. i said why dont you keep some rafi cassettes if you like him. his reply was ‘yaar ghar men jab bengali friend aate hain to tarah tarah ke sawal karte hain, isse bachne ke liye main cassette nahin rakhta.’

    hindi films have got so much from bengalis – certainly more than any other region – but it is also a fact that bengali mds have ignored rafi and most of the adverse stories from record rooms emanate from them.

    contd..
21. P. Haldar says:

    June 30, 2012 at 3:03 am

    post 113:

    Hans ji,

    I don’t think I ever said that it was taboo to take the name of Rafi in my teens. In the worst phase of his career, I and my fellow Rafians would take his name a thousand times. It is also a gross over-generalisation to say that Bengali MD’s did not like Rafi.

    As regards Salil and Rafi, read Binu ji’s post carefully and you’ll get the answer. Salil used Rafi regularly from his first film till Maya, though most often as the second or third singer. His ultimate singer was Lata, both in Bengali and Hindi. In Bengali, his main male singer was Hemanta, and in Hindi, his favourite singers were Mukesh, Talat and Manna.

    Salil was part of the leftist IPTA group, along with a host of other famous personalities, including Shombhu Mitra, Ritwick Ghatak, K. A. Abbas, Guru Dutt, Sahir and Majrooh. But, as you’ve rightly pointed out, his leftist ideology had nothing to do with his not using Rafi. Sandeep Nadkarni, who used to be a violinist in Salil’s orchestra, had pointed out the real reason.

    Despite everything he did or did not do, I consider Salil to be one of our greatest composers. He was a total all-rounder — writer (in Bengali), lyricist (in Bengali), musician (could play multiple instruments) and composer. He was also involved in both the Calcutta Youth Choir and the Bombay Youth Choir. The only thing he probably had more than his talent was his ego. If he had kept his temper under check, he could have gone much farther in Hindi film music. Listen to the music of Anand and tell me how many composers could match such high quality music in the 70s.

    P. Haldar
22. Binu Nair says:

    June 29, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    salil da told a friend journalist and a mohd rafi lover : ” that if i give a song to rafi, it becomes a rafi trademark song, not of salil choudhary “.

    said salil da : see both the songs of madhumati one on dilip kumar and the other on johny walker….. rafi ne kya gaaaya was the public comment..

    this was the fear lurking in the mind and the ego factor and the lady singer factor kept ‘very few’ composers a bit away from rafi saaheb.
23. Hans says:

    June 29, 2012 at 2:15 am

    post 112, sidhantiji,

    you are supporting or promoting a strange logic that salil chaudhary did not use rafi because of his leftist ideologies. i dont understand how you can identify music as being leftist or rightist. his task was to give music to whatever songs were given to him and he was not a lyricist. his huge preference and siding with lata, who is without doubt the most capitalist minded singer, would bely his claims of being a leftist. if he was a true leftist, then his natural favourite would have been rafi. and if salil thought that his leftist ideas would be lost in rafi’s voice, then he was the biggest fool, because everybody knows, the heights to which rafi took ‘pyasa’ and he always gave a special meaning to songs by sahir, who is declared leftist lyricist.

    now to the facts given by you to prove he ignored rafi because of his ideologies. listen to’zindagi khwab hai’ again. there is nothing leftist in that song. but another song ‘ki main jhoot boliya’ is there in the same film, which is based on leftist ideology and that was sung by rafi and balbir. the song ‘ajab tori duniya’ if that was leftist was sung by rafi and chorus. so get the facts right before making such claims. there is another song like ‘ajab tori duniya’ sung by rafi in film chhaya ‘ya kahde hum insan nahi, ya maan le tu bhagwan nahi’. in this film chhaya all romantic songs were sung by talat. i wonder why salil who was ignoring rafi due to his ideology gave such a song to rafi. there are two more songs by rafi in film ‘netaji subhashchandra bose’ based on revolutionary-cum-nationalistic ideas.

    this ranade to me is some blind apologist of salil. it is a well known fact that bengali mds did not like rafi, where is the need to hide this fact. mr. haldar has written somewhere in this site that in his teens it was taboo to take the name of rafi.
24. Nagesh Sidhanti says:

    June 22, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    Post 106, Santhana Krishnan ji,

    The other day we wondered why a composer like Salil Choudhary didn’t use Rafi sab’s voice much. I think I have some insights to it. (I quote from Mr. Ashok Ranade’s book on Hindi Film Songs, in which he writes about Salilda’s style of music plus his preference of singers).

    Salilda’s music more often than not had an ‘extra musical’ air to it. Some of his staunch leftist ideologies spilled over into his music, whether it was a message as in ‘zindagi khwab hai’ or a mild protest disguised as bhajan in ‘ ajab teri duniya’ but when it came to johnny walker’s ‘jangal main mor nacha’, he went to Rafi sab or in Maya for ‘ koi sone ke dil wala’, which demonstrates that he agreed to his versatility. Perhaps salilda might have felt that his ‘non musical’ objectives would be lost in the melody of the golden voice, so it might just have been a conscious decision, that had nothing much to do with his bengali origins. Perhaps it’s safer to say he was ruled by his ideologies while making music.

    Adaab Rafi
    Nagesh Sidhanti
25. andrea correa says:

    June 22, 2012 at 8:18 am

    sardar malik said harsh words about rafi but his son is a great rafi bakht ( anu Malik).

    well. anil biswas said some ‘thrash’ about rafi and people went to manhandle him . then, he disowned his statement said i never did say it.

    his daugher is a great rafi fan.

    kishore kumar and his son are the biggest ‘rafi bakhts’ of our times .

    and, if rdb had a kid he too would have said : rafi saaheb ka jawab nahin. sadly, there were no offsprings from this great music director. so sad that rdb went away a broken man.
26. Ali says:

    June 21, 2012 at 10:15 pm

    Anil biswas ji was top music director in 1940′s if am not wrong, Anil ji liked Talat ji voice but he used mohd rafi for few films also 1958 when it said about mohd rafi that any song going be sing by mohd rafi it going to be hit. What is the problem if some music directors don’t like mohd rafi but what about music directors and actors they said we are because of mohd rafi? Shammi ji was a top actor, manna day top singer, opn to music director and many more they feel that mohd rafi is the best, I don’t know about music but when top singers of today asked to sing mohd rafi they said no because not easy as Shaan and kumar Sanu said….
27. sanjkita Rama says:

    June 21, 2012 at 9:18 am

    107, never heard about Sardar Malik say such a stupid thing, if he did, he must be a moron. Others in this category include Anil Biswas and Salil Chaudhry both over -rated by haters of Rafi and both wiped out once Rafi came on the scene.
    Rafi is not only the greatest singer ever but also a great noble person who never said bad to anyone.
28. Nagesh Sidhanti says:

    June 16, 2012 at 10:32 pm

    Post No. 106, Santhanakrishnanji,

    If any composer hadn’t considered Rafi sab for ‘non musical’ reasons, I humbly feel it’s entirely the composer’s loss. Rafi sab, was a singer for all seasons and all reasons whose middle name is ‘versatility’.

    Personally I’d be shocked if any of those names you have mentioned diluted their work ethics, but if they have then certainly at their own cost!!

    Adaab Rafi
    Nagesh Sidhanti
29. andrea correa says:

    June 16, 2012 at 8:43 am

    Post 106….

    I will add one more name to your list of composers a while later before saying that composer ‘who’ tried to show their mettle without rafi saaheb exited from the musical scene without a single tear flowing.

    sardar malik was one struggling compoer who said that mohd rafi is no singer at all. a rafi fan told sarder : ” you will be washed away . and that happened.”

    sardar malik’s son is a great rafi lover and claims that rafis last song was recorded by him. it could be the second last song.

    even rdb had to go knocking to rafi doors when he started losing steam – late seventies.
30. Santhanakrishnan says:

    June 14, 2012 at 11:50 pm

    RD got his acclaim for Teesri Manzil and again by proxy for Aradhana (which he supposed to have composed many of the hits with Kishore), and then Hare Ram hare Krishna – which made RD, Kishore and Asha a successful triplet, Rafi not finding space unless it was a very difficult song (classical base or wide range, songs that required to be sung out of phase with the taal).

    But MDs from Bengal ( am I grouping them?) Anil Biswas, Salil Choudhary and RD Burman had their reservations about using Rafi – for which different unauthenticated stories exist – Anil Biswas said, Rafi is not my kind of singer – Salil Choudhary sided with lata during the Rafi-Lata spat and did not use Rafi much, RD once mentioned that Rafi can not be made to change the tune once one version was given to him. Both the reasons, attributed to Anil Biswas and RD Burman are not meritorious, as Rafi has given memorable songs to many lesser known MDs (first timers) and brought lot of colour to songs just by the variations and nuances that he was able to bring (listen to original sound track versions songs from Kajal and Aaj aur kal.).
    Many of the stories will remain stories as there is no one to clarify – but why should we worry about – all are human beings and are entitled to their opinions and disagreements – they all gave memorable gems which we can hear again and again!
31. salimk says:

    May 31, 2012 at 4:45 am

    104 posts for a RD Burman article , who says Rafians dont like RD Burman.
32. andrea correa says:

    May 29, 2012 at 9:15 am

    mohd rafi fans are used to soft and melodious music. when they hear “loud and non-melodious music” from the other singer, one will blame the composer first and then the singer.

    songs – which could be essayed by rafi saaaheb was given to the other singer by rd burman – in many cases. the said composer improvised the song and later gave it to his favourite singer in pyar ka mausam.

    there are many instances of mohd rafi statements shared with his close friends – doing the rounds even today. and therefore, every aspect of rafi saaheb is dissected and discussed in various forums.

    during the late seventies some people tried to show that rafi is nothing just because two songs became famous . a rajesh khanna wave was turned in to a kishore wave which was ‘artificially’ made a tide by interested people which included two female singers too.

    its a fact that singers felt they could never out shine mohd rafi – so they used their clout on composers to give songs to singers other than mohd rafi. these are facts doing the rounds even today emanating from musicians, close rafi fans and friends.

    rafi fans are never fanatics. they should never ‘be’. they are rafi lovers. the meaning of rafi is mulayam, – soft.

    their are rightful claimants for the ‘tag’ of fanaticism and they are not mohd rafi fans i believe.

    i think rafi fans are just articulating the injustices done to rafi saaheb by the cruel music industry i n various discussions .

    rafi saaheb survived in the industry – by sheer hard work, talents, honesty and a do good attitude to everyone. he had a saintly disposition which transformed in to his songs. the love of the masses for mohd rafi will never cease.

    neither the debates.
33. andrea correa says:

    May 29, 2012 at 9:03 am

    mohd rafi fans are used to soft and melodious music. when they hear “loud and non-melodious music” from the singer, they will blame the composer first and then the singer.
    songs which rightfully belonged to rafi saaaheb was given to the other singer by rd burman – in many cases. the said composer improvised the song and later gave it to his favourite singer in pyar ka mausam.

    there are many instances of mohd rafi statements shared with his close friends – doing the rounds even today. every aspect of rafi saaheb is dissected and discussed.

    during the late seventies some people tried to show that rafi is nothing just because two songs became famous . a rajesh khanna wave was turned in to a kishore wave which was made in to a tide by interested people which included two female singers too.

    rafi fans are never fanatics. they should never ‘be’. they are rafi lovers. the meaning of rafi is mulayam, – soft.

    i think rafi fans are just articulating the injustices done to rafi saaheb by the cruel music industry.

    rafi saaheb survived in the industry – by his hard work, talents, honesty and a do good attitude. he had a saintly disposition which transformed in to his songs. and the love of the masses for mohd rafi will never cease.

    neither the debates.
34. Nagesh Sidhanti says:

    May 28, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    Adaab Rafi doston,

    Owing to professional commitments, for a long space of time, I wasn’t amongst the very informative articles that are published here, such as this one. Thank you Zaheen Danishji. You seem to be very well informed here.

    This forum has some of the gentlest souls, that I have discovered, more closely, during the interactive sessions, subsequent to a couple of song reviews that I presented couple of years ago. Those members here with their positive, musically passionate views make perfect ambassadors for ‘brand Rafi’.

    That said, I wish to record my disappointment after reading some of the responses on this thread concerning RDB-Rafi sab works. Initially, I thought I should ignore & move on, but then it’d have been indifferent of the Rafi fan in me. Therefore I go ahead and present my two paise opinions. Choti muh badi baat….

    1. Composer-Singer relationship in it’s purest form is comparable to Guru-Shishy Bhaandhavy & whatever little I know of Rafi sab, is ample enough to believe that he was a thorough professional who practiced the rules both written & un-written including treating a composer the way he or she should be.

    2. If RDB has used Kishore more than Rafi sab, we have no business to grudge that. He must have had his own reasons or compulsions to act in a particular way at that particular time. The least, we should, is to respect his decisions & look at the ‘glass-half-full’ ethic, the super songs listed by Zaheenji & celebrate what is left behind. RDB has given some unforgettable compositions to Hindi cinema. Besides RDB-Rafi, who can forget the collective brilliance of RDB & Gulzar? Or RDB-Lata combo & his musical body of works with Asha & Kishore? No one made orchestral arrangements & improvisations the way he did. His musicians, even to this day have rock stars status & Pancham is the big reason for that.

    3. Rafi sab to me was a human being with divine abilities rather than a divine being in human form. Some of the posts suggest that he was ‘exploited’. To me nothing is more absurd than to assume Rafi sab was that innocent. He was extremely intelligent going by the smooth relationships he enjoyed with dozens of composers & fellow artists (save the spat with Lataji, which was more specific to industry position). The royalty issues are matters of heavy debate even to this day. Aren’t they? Besides, both Lataji & Rafi sab patched up, but some of us still carry the cudgels on behalf of Rafisab which is ‘anti Rafi’ in its spirit. He himself wouldn’t have liked to see that. There’s an air of un-touchablity towards Lata or Kishore admirers that should be first renounced, if this forum has to stand out for high respectability.

    4. If Burmans had special affinity to a fellow Bengali, what’s unusual about the same? Let’s not forget, composers have producers as their boss. It’s a common knowledge that certain producers interfere with creativity in the name of trend. Javed Akhtar sab argued exactly that in Parliament last week. He cited an instance when he lost a project, for refusing to change a phrase in a particular poetry. Composers too like all of us, have bills to pay & wages to cover, so they do absorb some professional hazards & in the process may compromise here or there. Also sometimes, as intuitive professionals, you just hit-off with each other & go on to work together happily for a long period. It’s natural to have affinity to someone who is nearer to your own nature.

    So, let’s stop judging the legends from what they should’ve been according to ‘our ego’. It’s akin to disputing the river for not flowing to our liking.

    Let us remain fans & not fanatics. Let’s encourage differences in musical opinions & learn to rejoice it. After all a true Rafi fan is passionate, musically alert, knowledgeable & non-judgemental. Doesn’t it read like a partial list of Rafi sab’s own virtues??

    Tunefully yours,
    Nagesh Sidhanti
35. ANEES says:

    May 26, 2012 at 11:21 am

    The discussion on RD and rock and roll in hindi film music in this thread got me wondering – which was the earliest rock-and-roll influenced songs in hindi movies?

    was it n datta’s beta dar mat – bhai bahen – 1950

    or lal lal gaal from Mr X, 1957,

    eena meena deeka – c ramachandra, ’57 –

    baar baar dekho makes me feet tap each time – that was in ’62. that was ravi?

    RD with aao twist karen, in 1965 and aaja aaja in 1966

    read somewhere that SJ got inspired by aaja aaja to follow up with “aaj kal tere mere pyar” in ’68 but i wonder if that is true since they had already done jaan pehchaan ho – gumnaam, in ’66

    I’d plump for Lal lal gaal or Eena meena deeka . What is interesting is that by the time those films were released Rock and Roll had moved on from those beats. Must not have been able to get contemporary rock and roll that quickly in India. See the difference between those older type beats employed in Eena Meena Deeka.
36. Binu Nair says:

    May 25, 2012 at 9:42 am

    Shradanjali to Laxmikant on his 14th death anniversary.

    the family has put and advert in times on india on page 10 today 25th may and remembered the composer.

    “Though you may reside in a silent abode, your enchanting smile and melodious music will continue to ‘live’ in the minds and hearts of people – forever”.

    Tumse oh haseena kabi mohabbat na karni thi, sung by mohd rafi and suman kalyanpur is a typical L and P composition made for jumping jack jeetu bhai for farz.

    i do not know whether the composers made the singers play cross bat or not – but the song lingers on for the masti mood it creates.

    a lovable and different song which we took in the mohd rafi concert recently.
37. P. Haldar says:

    May 25, 2012 at 8:43 am

    I don’t know why I’m using cricket lingo so often. Maybe it’s because my team has gone to the finals! Anyway, I was talking about cross bat, so let me expand upon that idea. These are just my thoughts and some of you may consider them to be stupid. That’s fine with me.

    Let’s talk test cricket because 20-20 is a different game altogether. Which singer reminds of you copybook batting? It’s Lata for me; just like Gavaskar, she will play copybook cricket, leaving us awestruck with her beautiful drives through cover and mid-on. And, like Gavaskar, she will give very few chances.

    Now who reminds you of cross bat? Most probably, Mukesh. But Rafi could play both copybook and cross bat, and could be as ruthless as Viv Richards.

    Growing up in Calcutta, far from his parents, this emotionally disturbed young boy would make odd sounds like Lahilla… Hoo. Haah… It may have been music to his own ears, but it was noise to others. Thank God that his dad was not around; otherwise, he would have boxed his son’s ears. Years later, the same boy would ask him, “Rafisaab, aap hamarey liye yeh gaana gayenge?” and Rafi would oblige. The song in question is a fast-paced, over-pitched delivery that no mainstream singer would dare touch, unless he or she had a huge insurance on his or her voice. Purists would frown upon the song, but it looked so good on Jumping Jack Jeetu. What an opening stroke! Lahilla… followed by yaaara yaarah… yaha yahya… aaaah…. ooooh ooooh. Cross batting at its finest! As the adage goes, when you know the rules of the game, you can break them.

    To be continued…
38. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

    May 24, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Haldar ji (Post 96):

    For rock & roll genre of songs, my opinion is that Manna Dey’s name too deserved a mention. He may have sung lesser songs (in terms of numbers) in this category but whenever he did (Aao twist karen…. for example), he has proved his mettle. It is matter of opinion, but I would put him ahead of Pancham.

    -J.K. Bhagchandani
39. P. Haldar says:

    May 23, 2012 at 9:00 am

    Anees saab,

    Please don’t go overboard in your praise of Pancham. This is the first time in my life I am hearing that Pancham composed “aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai”, and I’ve been following Hindi film music for over 40 years. There are several anecdotes on this song, including the one narrated by Dev Anand. RD is nowhere in the picture. What the Pancham crowd is trying to spread now is that Pancham had composed “Gata rahe mera dil”.

    During his tenure from 1947 to 1975, Dada never flopped. My friends here tell me that Pancham had 29 consecutive flops. What happened to his creative genius when facing a liliput like Boppi da?
40. P. Haldar says:

    May 23, 2012 at 8:47 am

    post 85:

    Dear Walijah saab,

    Excellent post. You should try to expand and develop it into a full-length article. If you’ve read some of my earlier posts that finally saw the light of day, I have attributed rock ‘n roll music in Hindi films to N. Datta, C. Ramchandra, O. P. Nayyar and SJ. They were the pioneers and others followed suit.

    There is no doubt that RD took rock ‘n roll to a new level in Teesri Manzil. And without any bias, I will tell you it’d have not been possible without Rafi’s vocals. A year before that, SJ had composed “Jaan pehchan ho” for Gumnam. A year after Teesri Manzil — maybe in response to that — he composed the mega hit “Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche” for Brahmachari. To match “Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera” is an almost impossible act — in fact, RD himself couldn’t match it — but one has to marvel at how beautifully SJ responded. My only wish is that he had used Asha instead of Suman. If Rafi is the king of rock, she is the queen and Kishore is the prince. And if I have to pick a fourth singer in this genre, it is Pancham.

    In the same year Brahmachari was released, SJ composed the Rafi-Asha duet “Chhoti si mulaqat pyar ban gayi”. And then they used the same pair in Ramesh Sippy’s debut film Andaz: “Dil use do jo jaan de de”. I consider Rafi and Asha to be the most explosive pair; they can easily do the vocal pyrotechnics that are so critical in rock ‘n roll. Kishore’s voice has the same kind of mischief as the other two, but he cannot cross-bat that well. When Sehwag square cuts for a six, Sachin watches from the other end and in the very next over, he reproduces that shot. Rafi and Asha rock like no one else.

    The smart operator that he was, Pancham was aware of Kishore’s limitations when it came to playing cross-bat. After Teesri Manzil, he reserved most of the songs of this genre to himself. Consider “piya tu ab to aaja”; the only singer he could have used other than himself was Rafi.

    Pancham was not only a brilliant musician, but he was also a master strategist. He used every trick in the book to keep Rafi out, but the irony is that whenever Rafi got the chance, he produced a hit for Pancham.

    To be continued…
41. PARESH DUBEY says:

    May 23, 2012 at 2:09 am

    Thank u very much for detailed article from mr.H.A.K-Walijah.Enjoyed writting
    but many rock and role songs are NOT mentioned,I m sorry to say that I can mention here some songs only bcoz I m far away from my home where my collection of songs and books are lying.C.ramchandras´song frm ROOTHA NA KARO sung by RAFISAAB and asha,Aapka chehra mashaallah.N.dutta also gave some unforgottable rock n roll songs sung by rafisaab,like laal laalgaal
    …frm MR.X.beta dar mat dar mat..from bhai bahen.OP nayyer in humsab chor hain gave duet of RAFISAAB and Kishore,humko hanste dekh zamana jalta hai…..etc.etc.
42. Man Mouji says:

    May 22, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    Dear Walijah Sahab,

    Your post 85 has beatifully drawn a sketch on rock n roll songs of 50′s.

    Thanks a lot for such a nice essay.

    Best regards

    Man Mouji
43. Sudhir Kumar says:

    May 22, 2012 at 5:29 am

    RD Burman paid rich tributes to Rafi sahab an interview with Ameen Sayani on ?Geetmala…(unfortunately i cant locate the upload now)
    where he credits Rafi sahab with taking this song……….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTeRWTod9Hs&feature=relmfu….. to an entirely different level…so much so that RD couldnt believe it was his owncomposition. What a mesmerising rendition by the greatest Rafi sahab
44. sunil kumar says:

    May 21, 2012 at 10:26 pm

    I would still rate Pancham da as a great M.D despite his ignoring rafi saheb many times. that thing will always play at the back of my mind . Kishore da needed pancham to shine I don’t know what would have h append had pancham not given those songs to kishore kumar. He would have remained in the oblivion. Rafi saheb was a self shining star never needed any one else’s light .
    Look at those who went away from him . lata had a spat with him it proved to be lata’s loss. Look at O P Nayyar the moment he left Rafi he was finished.
    Anyway with Pancham giving a lease of life to kishore. Kishore shined for a while nut every great man had to face ups and downs in life. Even Bhagwan Rama had to take 14 yrs exile. These things make great people more motivated and Rafi saheb came back and what a come back it was even Pancham had to come back to him. We salute you and can l never forget you sir. Rafi saheb ka ek chota sa bhakt .
45. RAJA says:

    May 21, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    The duet ” Nagma Hamara Gaayega ye jahan” in the vocals of Rafi Saab and Lata Ji, one of heavenly songs composed by RDB.
46. Man Mouji says:

    May 21, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    I don’t think that there are many of Panchamda’s self-vocalized tunes, but however some of them became popular.

    o Tum Kya Jano from Hum kisise kum nahi (1977)
    o dilbar diljaani from Hum Hain Lajawab (1984)
    o Samundar Mein Nahaake Aur Bhi – Pukaar – 1983
    o Golmaal Hai Bhai Sab Golmaal Hai – Golmaal – 1979 -
    o Jaan-e-Jigar Duniya Mein Tu – Pukaar – 1983
    o Aa dekhen zara, kis main kitna hai dum – Rocky 1980
    o Yamma, yamma – Shaan 1980

    With one of from Romance (1983). I guess he’s better known for singing faster tracks, but this song shows that he could shine in even more serious fare. Yeh Zindagi Kuch Bhi Sahi

    A good one from The Train (1970), a duet with Asha where the trademark gravelly voice is born!
    O Meri Jaan Maine Kaha

    Here is another song by Pancham and Asha
    “Sapna Mera Tooth Gaya” I personally feel this song was one of the most beautiful song sung by the talented couple. Both are literally at their best here…….really nice song…..

    Can anyone make sure the song Ajuba Ajuba from Hifazat ……

    Also one of last RD’s Duets with Lata – Kya Bura Hai Kya Bhala
    from Libaas

    Kisne dekha hai from Heeralal Pannalal

    Na to ab main raha nikamma from Gunehgaar
    both pancham-asha duet I think

    And the evergreen Mehbooba Mehbooba from Sholay for which he received his sole Filmfare Award nomination for playback singing.

    Here is “ Nachoon Mein, Gaao Tum” Movie: Jurmana, Duet: Pancham/Asha

    And those two songs each from Carvan ” Piya tu ab to aaja” and “Duniya main”… from Apna Desh.
47. Ahamed Kutty says:

    May 21, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    it is pathetic that a legend like kk does not have
    platform like this to discuss about him as the
    platform for him supposd to be is just like a
    ‘sahara dessert’
48. ANEES says:

    May 21, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    First when I heard RDB’s melodies in 1971 movie ‘Amar Prem’. Its song ‘Raina Beeti Jayeye’ by Lata Mangeshkar still haunts me. The change of melody in the song, though difficult to render, sounds so easy when listened to. Kishore Kumar songs were tailor made for his voice suiting actor Rajesh Khanna like ‘Chingari Koi Bharkey’, ‘Yeh Kaya Hua’ and ‘Kutch To Log Kahein Gey’. It is rumoured that there was a lobby to oust Muhammad Rafi who had remained the undeclared king of Indian cinema since long and wonderful tunes were made for Kishore Kumar instead, first in the movie ‘Aradhna’. Ironically both father SD Burman and son RD Burman had given excellent melodies to Muhammad Rafi earlier, for example in SD Burman’s ‘Pyasa’ and ‘Guide’ and by RD Burman in ‘Teesri Manzil’. The movie “Teesri Manzil” had marked a major milestone in RD Burman’s career and Muhammad Rafi’s songs pictured on Shammi Kapoor were a major reason in launching RD Burman’s career. Initially Rahul Dev Burman composed in his father’s style and composed songs for his father also like the one for the movie ‘Guide’ in Lata’s voice, ‘Aaj Phir Jeeney Ki Tamana Hei’ (although the credit went to his father), disclosed actor, filmmaker and RD’s senior colleague, Shammi Kapoor in his interview for the video ‘Pancham Unmixed’ He further said that the movie ‘Teesri Manzil’ was RD’s first big movie and the success of the songs was partly due to Rafi’s voice. When RD sang the tune of ‘Diwana Tujh Sa Nahin’ in front of him, Shammi completed the second line as taken from probably a Bengali song. RD ran away from Shammi’s office saying that he would not compose for him as he was a devil (Shammi Kapoor). ‘RD was totally devastated’ disclosed Sheilender Singh, singer and friend. ‘I would either have gone for Shankar Jaikishen or OP Nayyar but for the recommendations of some friends’ Shammi added. ‘Then I heard him at Nasir Hussain’s place for the first time. He sat down with his percussion man Marooti. He went on to sing ‘Sona Re Sona’ and ‘Aja Aja Mein Hun Pyar Tera’, ‘O Haseena Zulfon Wali’ and so on. He was brilliant.’ elaborated Shammi of his first interaction with RD Burman.

    Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma observed that many of SD’s songs were composed by RD and Shammi added that RD did so especially when SD was unwell. These songs were brilliant and matched up with his father’s standards of music like ‘Kora Kaghaz Tha Mun Mera’ in the movie ‘Aradhna’ pictured on Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tegore. Later RD introduced his own style like making yodelling type voices (and making rhythmic sounds with his breath; in some of his songs and meanwhile gave wonderful music for the movies ‘Geeta Aur Seeta’, ‘Hum Kisi Sei Kum Nahin’ and ‘Yaadon Ki Baraat’. Asha Bhonsle, RD’s second wife stated that sometimes RD’s father made the Asthai and sometimes Antara and vice versa. RD used to do some of his work as well and feel that assisting his father was a matter of pride for him. In order to get out of his father’s trudge, this is how RD found a way out and introduced his own style. At that time however, it was at least difficult for me to absorb the ‘Hoo Ha’ thing.

    RD’s professional career took off in 1958 when he began assisting his father on films such as ‘Solva Saal’ (1958) in which he played mouth organ in Hement Kumar’s song ‘Hei Apna Dil To Awara’, ‘Chalti Ka Naaam Gaari’ (1958) and ‘Kaaghaz Kei Phool’ (1957) with famous song ‘Daikhi Zamaney Ki Yaari’, ‘Bandani’ (1963), ‘Teen Deviyaan’ (1965), ‘Guide’ (1965), ‘Jewel Thief’ (1967) and ‘Talash’ (1969). His first film as music director was Guru Dutt’s film ‘Raaz’ (1959) in which he had used the voices of Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhonsle. This Guru Dutt-Waheeda Rehman film was unfortunately shelved in the middle of the project.
49. RAJA says:

    May 21, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    How about “Bol Baby Bol Rock n Roll” a dance song from action movie Meri Jung (1985) picturised on Jaaved Jaffri, one of the finest compositons by LP and super vocals by Kishore Kumar.
50. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    Some of my earlier comments have appeared now; please read post 50 and some of my later posts.
51. H.A.K. Walijah says:

    May 20, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    Dear Haldar Saab,

    I refer to your posts 52, 61, 75 and 80 which were mainly related with Rock N Roll. I am honored indeed to write something on Rock N Roll songs of HFM.

    In 1940s and 50s, Bollywood music drew mainly from folk music of India as well as from Hindustani classical music. Moreover, western music also began to be used in Bollywood music. C. Ramchandra was one of the music directors who used western music extensively in his music.

    O P Nayyar, who began ruling the roost in Bollywood music in 1950s, was known mainly for his Punjabi folk music based compositions. But here in this song from “Bhaagambhag”, he used western music. and it sounds so nice to listen to.

    Song-Ye hai zamaana tera (Bhaagam bhaag) (1956) Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri, MD-O P Nayyar. This song is sung by Rafi and Kishore. It must be one of the earliest cases of Rafi and Kishore Kumar singing a song together. This tune is apparently a lift from a western tune( Mambo Italiano by Dean Martin).

    In the second half of 1950s, Hindi movies saw the influence of rock and roll music. The music of these songs was influenced by Rock and roll in the western countries. The most influential of all these songs was obviously “Eena Meena Deeka” from “Asha” (1957). This song influenced lots and lots of imitators.

    Here is another song from “Mausi” (1958) song-Ae bambu bam bolo, which is clearly inspired by “Eena Meena Deeka” kind of westen music based song. This song is sung by Asha Bhonsle.

    Here there is another song -Tumse nazar mili dil ko khabar mili (Jaagir) (1959) Singer-Geeta Dutt, Lyrics-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, MD-Madan Mohan. This song is a lively western music based song which is sung by Geeta Dutt. The opening music of the song is reminiscent of other similar songs of those days, viz “Mera Naam chin Chin Choo” etc. The music sounds O P Nayyarish, but in reality the music is composed by Madan Mohan. Those were the days when it was not uncommon for a few Madan Mohan compositions to sound like the music of other composers, and this song is an example. In fact, in think that all these western music songs of those days were inspired from rock and roll music of western countries.

    Here is this song that must be the rarest of rare. Song-Lo aaye jhoom ke pilpili (Pilpili Saaheb) (1954). The song is sung by Rafi and Meena Mangeshkar. Rafi is a prolific singer, but Meena Mangeshkar sang very few songs and this must be one of the very rare duets that Meena Mangeshkar sang with Rafi.

    The lyrics of this song are quite funny. They are written by Hasrat Jaipuri, and he must have enjoyed writing this song, consisting of nonsensical rhyming words viz “pilpili, Silbili” etc. This movie “Pilpili Saheb” (1954) had actors like Agha, Shyama, Sundar, Pran, Mehmood, Lailta Kumari, Kuldeep etc. From these names, one can guess that the movie was a B grade light hearted movie. The movie has been forgotten, along with its songs, but what a song it is! Just listen to it. If you are like me, you will be spell bound! Music is composed by Sardul Kwatra, and the music, which is clearly influenced by rock and roll, really rocks. The music is awesome, as is the singing, and indeed are the lyrics.

    One normally associates Hemant Kumar’s voice and music with soft romantic/sentimental songs. But that does not mean that he could not sing /compose other kind of songs.

    Here is an untypical Hemant Kumar composition. This is a duet from “Police” (1958). This song is sung by Hemant Kumar and Geeta Dutt. It is picturised on Pradeep Kumar and Madhubala. The Hinglish song is written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The western rock and roll kind of music, that was quite popular in Hindi movies those days, is composed by Hemant Kumar. Here is this fast and racy song from “Police” (1958). Song-O o o o baby (Police) (1958) Singers-Hemant Kumar,Geeta Dutt,Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri,MD-Hemant Kumar.

    Though most Hindi movie songs draw their inspirations from indigenous sources (classical music, folk music etc) there are songs that are inspired from western music. In late 1950s, rock and roll music had caught up in Hindi movies in a big way and there were quite a few such songs in Hindi movies those days. Music directors like C Ramchandra, to mention a few, were composing quite a few rock and roll kind of songs those days.

    Here is one such song from “O Tera Kyaa Kehna” (1959). Rafi and Manna Dey are the singers of this song. Shore Niyazi is the lyricist. Kalyanji is the music director. song-Haay boot polish haay haay re boot polish (O Tera Kya Kehna) 1959.

    A year before to “Teesri Manzil” came “Gumnaam” which is of course full of great songs; possibly the best known in India—but there is. “Jaan Pehchaan Ho”, and it is possibly one of the most mesmerizing songs ever performed onscreen anywhere. It is famously featured in the 2003 Hollywood film “Ghost World” as a backdrop to the opening credits.

    The music is written by Shankar Jaikishan, it is sung inimitably by Rafi Saab and picturized on choreographer Herman Benjamin. Ironically, Herman did not actually choreograph THIS—that spectacular job was done by Surya Kumar (also known as Robert Master), and it was Surya who fortuitously picked Herman to do the lip-synching as the “singer.” Herman’s considerable charisma is just perfect for this— Of course the central focus in this song is the beautiful and talented Laxmi Chhaya. the song leaves me breathlessly speechless.

    Song-Ham kaalaa tum white (Ek Sholaa) (1958) Singers-Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri,MD-Madan Mohan. This is one song that must be as rare a song as they come. Listen to this song and try to judge the people involved in the creation of the song. It is easy to notice that the song is picturised on Dhumal and Tuntun. One can also notice that the song is sung by Rafi and Geeta Dutt.

    As for the music, the music is rock and roll and the dance in western with Goan touch. I thought that the first song with Goan influence was in “Bobby” (1973), but I can see that this song and this music director beat Laxmikant Pyarelal by 15 years in making use of Goan folk dance and music.

    Among the major contributors in the development of bollywood movie music, C Ramchandra’s name will always figure very prominently. The kind of music that he came up with is simply mind boggling. On the one hand he composed songs based on classical music as well as Indian folk music, and on the other hand he also composed songs based on western music. Many of his songs be the based on Indian music or western music, have gone on to become iconic songs.

    song-Main hoon ek khalaasi (Sargam) (1950) Singers-C Ramchandra, Lata, Lyrics-P L Santoshi, MD- C Ramchandra. It is a western music based song that was created by C Ramchandra. This song “main hoon ek khalaasi” is a wonderful rock and roll number that sounds so nice, fresh and timeless even today, after the passage of 60 years.

    The song is sung by C Ramchandra himself and it is picturised on raj Kapoor, It is nice to see a young and slim Raj Kapoor letting his hair down in this song. P L santoshi is the lyricist of this light hearted song. As mentioned earlier, C Ramchandra has composed many iconic songs. This song is right up there with his other iconic songs.
52. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

    May 20, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    Finally my post has come out. Presently it is appearing at Sl. No. 65, but you can not be sure about the post no. as after clearing of ‘under moseration’ posts, the Sl. Nos. get changed. Anyway… as after that many posts have appeared without going under moderation, the post might get missed. I would like to draw attention of esteemed readers to that post.

    -J.K. Bhagchandani
53. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

    May 20, 2012 at 11:30 am

    Haldar ji,

    Even my comment posted last night (about 14 hours back) is blocked. It appears to be under moderation. I would like all friends to read that post, if and when it comes out. After that post 13 comments have appeared here but my post continues to be ‘under moderation’. This selective ‘blocking’ or ‘keeping under moderation’ is becoming inconsistent nowadays on this site. I am not sure what fate this post is destined to meet.

    -J.K. Bhagchandani
54. sunil kumar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 11:27 am

    Sir, I have been reading comments of all our distinguished members . I am a rafi fan , Bhakt wahtever u may like tp call me. But I used to like R D burman in my Younger days a great fan of his music also during 70′s. But I too have a feeling that R D Burman on whose shoulders he rose to fame and started his career, But after “Aradhana” became a hit started using kishore more and even for those heroes for whom Rafi has been the established singer. That way there is no denying the fact . For example for Dharmendra , Jeetendra Rafi saheb has always given he playback and many-2 hit songs I don’t need to list them here all of you know. But for DO Chor, Phandebaaz , Parichay , khusboo all movies he used kishore. whereas to the credit of Laxmikant pyarelal they contd. to use Rafi saheb for Dhramendra and jitendra . Dharamveer , Asha, Apnapan etc. Even for his last song Rafisaheb was to sing for Dharamendra in AAs PAs for laxmikant pyarelal.
55. Man Mouji says:

    May 20, 2012 at 11:22 am

    post 65 – Santoshi ji

    I think you did not read post # 19, if you read that one you would not have written your not so civilized comment on this website and about the writer. I suggest you to read that comment before you say something.
56. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 11:14 am

    The music director to introduce Rock ‘n roll to Hindi film music is N. Datta, way back in 1957. The song is “Laal laal gaal” and the film is Mr. X. The other md’s who used rock ‘n roll music are C. Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan and O. P. Nayyar. The main three singers were Rafi, Asha and Kishore. One of the most popular rock ‘n roll numbers is Ravi’s “Baar baar dekho, hazaar baar dekho” from China Town. The song that has become very popular in the West is SJ’s “Jaan Pehchan Ho” from Gumnaam, which was released one year before Teesri Manzil. The song was played last year in a Heineken TV commercial last year during football games in the US and elsewhere. There’s no question that Teesri Manzil broke new ground — it created a kind of sound rarely heard before.
57. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 10:54 am

    The Bengali music director that Mirza Baig saab has referred to in his post is Shyamal Mitra, who had come to rehearse Rafi saab for Puja songs on that fateful day. The man who had hummed his first words in Punjabi sang his last words in Bengali. I had seen him perform live only five months before, in front of a crowd of 12,000. In that concert, he had sung several Bengali Puja songs from the previous two years. The last song was “Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera”. I also remember him singing a new RD composition, which had not been released till then.
58. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 10:37 am

    I’ve figured it out; if I mention someone’s name, my comment is being blocked. Let’s try Monica darling and see if it gets through.
59. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 10:36 am

    The moderator must be using an intelligent filter to block comments; some of them are going through while others aren’t. I think this one will.
60. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 10:34 am

    Pancham was definitely not the first music director to use rock ‘n’ roll. dada’s assistant, n. dutta, introduced rock ‘n’ roll way back in 1957, in a film called mr. x. the song “lal lal gaal” was sung beautifully by rafi. many music directors, most notably c. ramchandra, o. p. nayyar and sj used rock ‘n’ roll very effectively. one of the most popular rock ‘n’ rolls was composed by our dear composer, the late ravi saab: “baar baar dekho”. but the song that has taken the western world by storm and is now being played in heineken ads on tv is the one composed by sj, “jaan pehchan ho”, for gumnam, which was released one year before teesri manzil. no one can scale the heights that sj did in rock ‘n’ roll; even in classical songs, i rate them among the top three. that’s how good they were! in my opinion, the top three singers in rock ‘n’ roll are rafi, asha and kishore.
61. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 10:30 am

    I’m posting this again:

    all the three md’s — ka, lp and rd — were immensely talented. when they came in, the field was defined by giants like naushad, sj and sd. at that level of the game, when you are competing with such giants, you cannot succeed unless you have lots of talent. so each of this junior md’s was talented in his own way. if you look at their output in the 60s, you’ll find ka with a slight edge, followed by lp and rd. but if you had asked me to put my money on one these md’s around 1969, i’d have put it on lp. remember that they were mostly working for b-grade films prior to that, but their quality was really top-notch. ka was following sj’s style and, to a lesser extent, rd was doing the same though he always had the dada touch. but it was lp who came up with a tune that was totally burmanesque — “hui sham unka khayal aa gaya”. what a song! and, then in 1969, they came up with another gem: “jo unki tamanna hai barbad ho ja”.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_gduystnu

    if i have to list the top 5 rafi solos from the 70s, i’d definitely include khayyam’s “kahin ek masoom nazuk si ladki ” from 1977. listen to the song carefully and you’ll find khayyam had modelled the tune on lp’s masterful creation. this is the ultimate compliment from khayyam. the common factor, of course, is rafi.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18olz4hb150

    as the new decade began, rafi is in full bloom in ka’s geet.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkev3buyp08

    rafi is still on top, post-aradhana. actually his output in 1970 is absolutely top-class. but ka scores two major hits with sachcha jhutha and safar. then comes rd’s twin blasts in the form of amar prem and kati patang. the two bluff masters start running away faster from rafi than rd; but they don’t get the blame because they are not bengalis. lp start fighting with their backs to the wall. and sd, never to give up, sometimes sounds like his son, sometimes like ka and sometimes like lp. rd has elevated his game much higher and the heat is on.

    to be continued…
62. P. Haldar says:

    May 20, 2012 at 10:28 am

    Dear Mirza Baig Saab:

    Thank you for your kind words. Really glad to see a rafifan like you back on this forum after such a long time. I consider every Rafi lover my friend, so even if they say a thing or two against Bengalis, it doesn’t bother me. Unlike you, most of these people have not spent any time in Bengal, so they don’t what kind of following Rafi saab has in Bengal. I have attended so many concerts of his; if only they had seen the fervour of his Bengali fans!

    By the way, the moderator has started blocking my comments, so you may not see this comment of mine.

    Regards,
    P. Haldar
63. andrea correa says:

    May 20, 2012 at 9:58 am

    amar rafi saaheb was loved by the world……….

    he is the bharat ka ratan……

    salil choudhary and c. ramchandra – under the spell of a lady singer did not use rafi much earlier and they realised their folly much later when the lady dumped them tooooo.

    rdb’s torrid personal life is known to all to make a mention here.

    the govt should now declare the legendary singer as bharat ka ratan and create a national musical site to honour music legends of our country.

    if the govt cant do it, the rafi lovers will do it.

    many politicians and diabolical people will put claims for the bharat ratna if rafi saabs name is ‘even’ considered……………charan singh wanted a ratna, chandrasekhar wanted it and also maya vati – wanted for her party president kanshi ram. morarji desai wanted it and 2 morrow our Narendra modi and karnatakas yedura appa suporters will ask for it.

    actually, the punjab govt must take the lead and institute the mohd rafi award to begin with.

    bengalis, keralites, gujrathis, punjabis and communities in remote villages of tamil nadu where hindi language is unknown and unheard – love rafi saaheb.

    bengalees and gujrathis ‘are’ emotional people and they love rafi saaaheb a little more.

    rdb, salil and others – do not matter much as far as rafi is concerned.
64. SANTOSH says:

    May 20, 2012 at 7:55 am

    With all due respects, this article is trying to put dust into our eyes.First of all the article revolves around rd rather than the relationships, situations etc that caused rd to go for rafi saab , even though he did not want it.The writer is oblivious to the fact that it is due to Nasir Hussain the producer of 90% of films in which rd choose rafi saab,So let us forget that it was rd’s interest to go for rafi saab.It was due to Nasir Hussain Saab.So Mr,.Writer pl dont mislead us
65. Jae-Bee says:

    May 20, 2012 at 7:32 am

    In my personal opinion, I don’t think it was the bengali cartel against rafi sahab, but a chain of events for his absence for a couple of years.
    1) Rajesh khanna becoming a superstar after aradhna and thinking it was because of kk singing the songs the movie became a hit. – I think it was rk who made kk.
    2) Rafi sahab on tours, moving to England and avoiding singing after haj. thus being available for many md’s. Let’s face it time is money, so md ka could not wait and gave the song of upkar to mahendraji and the rest is history.
    3) Raj Kapoor instisting on fresh voice for rishi in Bobby. Until after laila majnu rafi sahab became the voice of rishi.
    4) Untimely deaths of md’s jaikishen, sdn and mm
    Going back to my opening sentence, if it was true than sdb and rdb would have avoided rafi. salil chowdhry would have never used him. and above all hemantda and great singer himself would not have used rafi sahab specially for biswajeet after giving play back for him in his first two movies. Also, dadamooni who sand his own songs, after listening to rafi sahab okayed for him to playback. I have also seen a photos of rafi-ashok-kishore together and nothing but good vibes comes out of these pictures.
66. salim k says:

    May 20, 2012 at 5:13 am

    The essay was about Rafi Sahab and Pancham but it is going now in all directions. Please guys and gals…take a deep breadth and listen to Rafi Sahab songs.

    We cannot change the past but learn from it and for sure now the onus is on the Indian government to acknowledhe the fact that rafi sahab is a more than a Bharat Ratan so declaring him as a BharatRatan is the right thing to do not that it matters as we all know that if there was ever a bharat ratan it would be Rafi sahab.

    Post 53 and 54……hard and bold comments but when did truth ever taste sweet.
67. salim k says:

    May 20, 2012 at 5:12 am

    The essay was about Rafi Sahab and Pancham but it is going now in all directions. Please guys and gals…take a deep breadth and listen to Rafi Sahab songs.

    We cannot change the past but learn from it and for sure now the onus is on the Indian government to acknowledhe the fact that rafi sahab is a more than a Bharat Ratan so declaring him as a BharatRatan is the right thing to do not that it matters as we all know that if there was ever a bharat ratan it would be Rafi sahab.

    Post 53 and 54……hard and bold comments but when did sweet ever taste sweet.
68. snehal desai says:

    May 20, 2012 at 1:38 am

    Mirza ji, relax

    Please read carefully, I said clearly that i am not generalising and we have no issues with bengalis or anyone. We were discussing here the facts and even bengalis would accept that with grace.
69. Mirza Irfan Baig says:

    May 20, 2012 at 12:35 am

    Mr. Desai (post 54) and Ms. Correa (post 57),

    We all love Mohd. Rafi and have the opinion that he was the best playback singer our country has ever produced. Most of us also think that he did not get what he deserved and was discriminated by some in the filmdom. We feel hurt and express our feelings when we observe this. But let us be a little careful. In our enthusiasm let us not hurt someone else’s feelings.

    It is true that some of those who discriminated against our beloved singer were Bengalis. However, it is also true that those who love him and have high regards for him also happen to be Bengalis. Had it not been true then why do you think that so many music directors from Bengal would have asked Rafi Sahab to sing their composition? Examples are Nazrul Geeti, bhajans, and film songs. As a matter of fact during the last year of his life he had a music director form Bengal come to Bombay to record some songs in his voice.

    What I want to convey is that there were many Bengalis who absolutely adored Mohammad Rafi. I will swear to it – during the late 60’s and early 70’s I spent five years at Kharagpur and many of my Bengali friends were diehard Rafi fans.

    At this forum there are several Bengali admirers of Rafi Sahab. Mr. P. Haldar’s devotion to Rafi Sahab is second to none. When we post our comments please refrain from using the language that may be deemed offensive to any group of people. They may not have meant it in their above mentioned posts but it sounded as if they were judging an entire community based on the crime of a few.

    On behalf of the entire Rafi fans, I would like to offer my apologies to our Bengali brethren if they felt hurt by the above posts.
70. P. Haldar says:

    May 19, 2012 at 10:20 pm

    All the three md’s — ka, lp and rd — were immensely talented. When they came in, the field was defined by giants like Naushad, SJ and SD. At that level of the game, when you are competing with such giants, you cannot succeed unless you have lots of talent. So each of this junior md’s was talented in his own way. If you look at their output in the 60s, you’ll find KA with a slight edge, followed by LP and RD. But if you had asked me to put my money on one these md’s around 1969, I’d have put it on LP. Remember that they were mostly working for B-grade films prior to that, but their quality was really top-notch. KA was following SJ’s style and, to a lesser extent, RD was doing the same though he always had the Dada touch. But it was LP who came up with a tune that was totally Burmanesque — “hui sham unka khayal aa gaya”. What a song! And, then in 1969, they came up with another gem: “jo unki tamanna hai barbad ho ja”.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_gdUysTnU

    If I have to list the top 5 Rafi solos from the 70s, I’d definitely include Khayyam’s “kahin ek masoom nazuk si ladki ” from 1977. Listen to the song carefully and you’ll find Khayyam had modelled the tune on LP’s masterful creation. This is the ultimate compliment from Khayyam. The common factor, of course, is Rafi.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18OLz4HB150

    As the new decade began, Rafi is in full bloom in KA’s Geet.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkEV3BUYP08

    Rafi is still on top, post-Aradhana. Actually his output in 1970 is absolutely top-class. But KA scores two major hits with Sachcha Jhutha and Safar. Then comes RD’s twin blasts in the form of Amar Prem and Kati Patang. The two bluff masters start running away faster from Rafi than RD; but they don’t get the blame because they are not Bengalis. LP start fighting with their backs to the wall. And SD, never to give up, sometimes sounds like his son, sometimes like KA and sometimes like LP. RD has elevated his game much higher and the heat is on.

    To be continued…
71. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

    May 19, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    I humbly request all friends not to make it a ‘Bengali vs. non-Bengali’ discussion even though there might be some element of truth in it. But that happens with almost all communities. Certain amount of this aspect is OK. I call it ‘positive regionalism’. It enables the local culture and heritage to grow. The wonderful Rabindra Sageet, richness of Carnatic music, Gujarat’s Dandia, Punjab’s fun and frolic filled bhangra are some of the shining examples of this positive regionalism.

    Who can forget S.D. Burman’s songs sung by Rafi saab? The fact is that Rafi saab excelled in all possible shades of music under the music directors of different kinds and of various regions. That is a fact that underlines his genius.

    R.D. Burman may be one of the reasons for Rafi’s partial eclipse during early 70s, but he was not the sole reason. It is my assessment that more than that Rajesh Khanna had a bigger clout and his insistence (and perhaps tantrums) for Kishore Kumar ensured that Rafi was sidelined. I read it somewhere that while Rajesh Khanna had no personal grudge against Rafi saab, it is just that he wanted to prove a point to Rajinder Kumars, Shammi Kapoors, Dharmendras etc. by being different. Once he attained that super stardom and had his way, then it was kind of ‘bhed chaal’ by others. One often misses out example of the movie ‘Thodi si Bewafai’ which had music by Khayyam. He is a proven Rafian. But even he had to go for Kishore for the songs of this movie. I am sure song like ‘Hazar raahen mud ke dekhi…’ would have sounded heavenly in Rafi’s voice.

    Let us also not forget certain royalty-struck singer(s) who took the full advantage of the situation. Can anyone with right senses conceive that at certain point of time uttering Rafi saab’s name was a taboo in recording studios- those recording studios which only a couple of years back were blessed with Rafi saab’s voice, whose (leave aside people present there), even walls and doors (dar-o-deewar) would have felt proud to witness Rafi saab live to shape some of the finest melodies by the his divine voice. In a recent interview Asha Bhonsle while fondly remembering the golden era of film music and recalling the singers of that time, started with Lata, then Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Geeta Dutt, Talat etc.. then as an after-thought added Rafi. For any right thinking person Rafi’s name should have been uttered first.

    So it will not be proper to blame R.D. Burman alone (or any Bengali lobby, if at all one existed) for that early 70s partial eclipse of Rafi saab. Neither Khayyam nor Rajesh Khanna nor those royalty-struck singer(s) are Bengalis.

    On the other hand all genuine music lovers feel that avoiding Rafi proved to be the reason for R.D.B’s downfall. Perhaps ditto for Rajesh Khanna. This only strengthens the belief that Rafi saab’s voice alone was the sure guarantee for long term success for actors.

    I personally know many Bengalis who have soft corner for Kishore Kumar but when specifically asked about the best singer in their opinion, they will at once reply ‘Rofi’. There may be misguided ‘some’ who would think that Kishore scored over Rafi. Let us keep those out of this.

    Lastly this forum too has many illustrious Rafi-fans (like P. Haldar, Souvik Chatterji, Priya Sanyal etc.) who are Bengalis, who have enriched this august forum with their lovely comments.

    Hope my post is taken in the right spirits.

    -J.K. Bhagchandani
72. Man Mouji says:

    May 19, 2012 at 11:21 am

    If compare the music composed by RDB during 70′s and that of 80′s finds a lot differene in quality wise, which can not be matched to his genius musical compositions of 70′s.

    By 90′s he was completely lost the touch but of few excepttions.
73. Ahamed Kutty says:

    May 19, 2012 at 10:39 am

    refer post 53 dear jkb ji,
    istead of giving an award in the name of rdb this filmfare
    personnel should have helped rdb financially in his struggling
    period.
74. andrea correa says:

    May 19, 2012 at 9:54 am

    some one has said about had rafi been a bengali…………

    v. true. then mohd rafi would have been bigger than rabindra nath tagore for this world.

    he would have got the bharat ratna award in the seventies before lata mangeshkar did.

    there would ‘not’ have been a singer called kishore kumar…..

    the whole of north, west and south composers would have taken his service s along with the bengalee music composers…….

    but, rafi was a ‘one man army” who had very strong and broad shoulders. even today he is being remembered every single day and people go to his santacruz resting place in large numbers on July 31st and pay homage.

    after 32 years or 50 years how many peopole will remember a man mohan singh or sachin tendulkar……
75. P. Haldar says:

    May 19, 2012 at 9:13 am

    Mr. Zaheen, you wrote that rd was “the first music director who added a pinch of rock ‘n’ roll to lilting hindi tunes.”

    calling rd the first music director to use rock ‘n’ roll is not right. dada’s assistant, n. dutta, introduced rock ‘n’ roll way back in 1957, in a film called mr. x. the song “lal lal gaal” was sung beautifully by rafi. many music directors, most notably c. ramchandra, o. p. nayyar and sj used rock ‘n’ roll very effectively. one of the most popular rock ‘n’ rolls was composed by our dear composer, the late ravi saab: “baar baar dekho”. but the song that has taken the western world by storm and is now being played in heineken ads on tv is the one composed by sj, “jaan pehchan ho” for gumnam, which was released one year before teesri manzil. no one can scale the heights that sj did in rock ‘n’ roll; even in classical songs, i rate them among the top three. that’s how good they were! in my opinion, the top three singers in rock ‘n’ roll are rafi, asha and kishore (in that order).
76. P. Haldar says:

    May 19, 2012 at 9:09 am

    post 53:

    Bhagchandani ji,

    I am in complete agreement with you.

    Regards,
    P. Haldar
77. Ali says:

    May 19, 2012 at 8:20 am

    If they made a film on rd the first name as singer be mohd rafi and last name be mohd rafi because when rd got his first film he asked mohd rafi to sing for him and his last song with mohd rafi he sang it by himself.
    If we speak about top music directors if am not wrong in 1940′s Anil baswas ji1950′s Nausand ji in 1960 there was many but I think sj was at top and in 1970′s lp..
    Today when we speak about old music our mind go to 1950″s to 1970″s not in to1980″s that call god gift to mohd rafi who will never be replace.
    When they said to music director ram laxman that you are using lata ji voice to make your songs hit and his answer was no I used many singers and names many but when mohd rafi name came he said I feel proud that mohd rafi sang under my music…
    Best singer for Naushad ,Ravi, opn, sj, madan mohan, sd and many more was mohd rafi…..
78. snehal desai says:

    May 19, 2012 at 2:41 am

    Post 53, excellent observations well done. There was a planned and diligent effort to sideline Rafi in 70′s but it did not work. The gang mentality prevailed in the 70′s and Rafi was never a part of any faction or group, he was a one man force.

    If this faction had backed even me, i would have become a so called legend. If Mohammed Rafi was called Ganguly or a Burman, it would not happen. The Bengalis (no generalisation whatsoever) believe singing and music is their right. See around how zero talented singers like Sanu, Anhijeet and others are overrated because they are bengalis. Rafi was looked down by Salil Chaudhry because he was not a Bengali and the media does not give Rafi his due because he is not a Bengali.
79. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

    May 18, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    Haldar ji,

    It was apt of you to take a dig at R.D. Burman’s fans (Post 51). I would say ‘ditto’ for Kishore fans.

    You pointed out one curious thing (about the movie you mentioned- which was made as a tribute to R.D. Burman and had no song of Rafi saab). This is one thing I too had noticed. Consider one more important happening. Filmfare gives one award in its annual ritual to an upcoming music director, and that award is named as ‘R.D. Burman award’. This implies that R.D. Burman is considered on higher pedestal than Naushad, O.P. Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan, S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Roshan etc. I find it utterly laughable. No prize for guessing who ‘sponsors’ such awards.

    When R.D. Burman composed ‘Mere naina saawan bhadon…’ (Mehbooba), Kishore Kumar told him that he would not be able to sing such a complicated composition. R.D.B. insisted for him and gave him 3 days to practice and come back, otherwise he would give the song to Rafi saab. Kishore came back after 3 days and sang reasonably well. The bottom line is that in the back of his mind R.D. Burman knew that such difficult song was only Rafi saab’s cup of tea. Internally he had Rafi saab’s (imagined) rendering as ‘benchmark’ for that song. It was just that ‘he wanted’ Kishore to sing that. I am sure in the process minor modification/ dilution of the composition must have been done to accommodate Kishore’e range. Had R.D.Burman’s commitment been more on musical merits than to an individual, his overall portfolio would have been far more impressive. Had this song been given to Rafi saab, he would have taken it to an absolutely different level.

    I for one am a great admirer of R.D. Burman’s talent. But unfortunately he did not do justice to his own capabilities.

    -J.K. Bhagchandani
80. Zaheendanish says:

    May 18, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    Haldar Saab,

    Rafi Sahab pioneered a new trend of globe- trotting for performance of his live shows, besides performing in Indian cities including the one at Calcutta in February 1980. It is said that no less than 25 times did he give such performances on the stages around the world. As Pyarelal (of the Laxmi-Pyare duo) informs us, Rafi Sahaab was the first singer to go on foreign tours regularly every year – first with his small orchestra and later with a bigger group. In fact this trend began in 1968 when he performed live at Mauritius and where he also sang in the Creole language which is spoken in the areas of the Carribeans, north and east coast of South American, western Africa and the Indian Ocean. According to one report, Rafi Sahaab went to Trinidad at the height of his popularity in 1966. He had a great audience. There in the Request Segment he was so kind and unassuming that he said “If it were even one line he would sing for the person requesting the song.” The audience remembers him not only as the extraordinary singers but also as “Truly a great man.”
81. Ali Rashid says:

    May 18, 2012 at 11:37 am

    Haldar-ji,

    With regards to pancham-rafi, when all is said and done, rafi sang many of pancham’s best compositions, and was an integral part of his musical wheel (whether pancham fans or rafians want to accept it or not).

    the pancham-kishore combo was excellent, however they only went up to a point. furthermore, as salim-ji pointed out, pancham’s favourite bengali tune was “modhumash jaye”, which he gave to rafi.

    with regards to “tum bin jaun kahan”, here is the sad piano-based version sung by rafi:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMzTCoCt6NQ
82. P. Haldar says:

    May 18, 2012 at 9:25 am

    post 37:

    Mr. Zaheen, you wrote: “as noted above, by the late sixties and early seventies rafi sahaab began his globe-trotting and live performances right upto 1980.”

    This statement is factually incorrect. Rafi saab has been globe-trotting since much before that; by 1977, he had made his 29th world tour. Look at his output in the 1960s and you’ll find that his globe-trotting, if anything, had a positive effect on his popularity. Many songs like “Chaudhvin ka chand” became popular even before the film had been released. If you care to do some research, you’ll find Rafi saab and Geeta di in concert in London around 1961.

    The standard procedure for any producer to do was to give Zaheer bhai a call and Rafi saab would accommodate him as best as he could. Take, for instance, what he did for LP, who needed five songs recorded the very day Rafi saab was leaving for an overseas tour. He went to the recording studio and delivered five songs with a live orchestra, just hours before he left the shores. That is Rafi saab for you!
83. P. Haldar says:

    May 18, 2012 at 9:00 am

    More than Pancham, I find the behavior of his fans amusing. Some of them find Rafi’s voice tired; others too thin! One of them made a film on Pancham’s life called “Jhankar Beats”. Guess how many Rafi songs were there in that film? Yes, you guessed it right: Sunya, Zilch, Nada. Our friends here keep talking about his breakthrough in Teesri Manzil, but his fans ignore that fact. Any casual listener would have known that the top 3 songs in HKKN were Chand Mera Dil, Kya Huwa Tera Wada and Hai agar dushman (you can select them in any order you like), but his fans don’t think so; they’d play songs like Bachna aye haseeno and Mil gaya round the clock.
84. P. Haldar says:

    May 18, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Mr. Zaheen Danish,

    You wrote: “The man who added his unique dash of pep and verve into Hindi film music starting with the 60s. The first music director who added a pinch of Rock ‘n’ Roll to lilting Hindi tunes. ”

    Calling RD the first music director to use Rock ‘n’ Roll is not right. Dada’s assistant, N. Dutta, introduced Rock ‘n’ Roll way back in 1957, in a film called Mr. X. The song “Lal Lal Gaal” was sung beautifully by Rafi. Many music directors, most notably C. Ramchandra, O. P. Nayyar and SJ used rock ‘n’ roll very effectively. One of the most popular rock ‘n’ rolls was composed by our dear composer, the late Ravi saab: “Baar baar dekho”. But the song that has taken the western world by storm and is now being played in Heineken ads on TV is the one composed by SJ, “Jaan pehchan ho” for Gumnam, which was released one year before Teesri Manzil. No one can scale the heights that SJ did in Rock ‘n’ Roll or Jazz; even in classical songs, I rate them among the top three. That’s how good they were! In my opinion, the top three singers in rock ‘n’ roll are Rafi, Asha and Kishore (in that order).
85. andrea correa says:

    May 18, 2012 at 8:20 am

    Kishore had limitations in many songs and he had a “bit” enough heart . he used to say to composers : yeh geet aap ke singer ko do..meaning rafi.

    if rdb was not cornered by the two woman of his life – he would have played a longer and better musical innings. why he left out asha bhosle in 1942 a love story – is indeed a big mystery which has not been told by rdb supporters.

    rdb had two marriages -and both did’t work according to tributes and one wonders if asha’s statements these days are for loyalty or for r o y a l t y….

    neverthless, rdb produced some great music with lata, rafi, bhupinder, kishore and some with asha bhosle.
86. P. Haldar says:

    May 18, 2012 at 3:52 am

    Mr. Zaheen Danish,

    From you writing, it appears that you are much younger than me. Please do not take anything I write personally. I do not intend to be harsh on anyone but at the same time, I do not want anyone to propagate inaccurate statements, or views that are not commonly held.

    Writing about a relationship of an individual with Rafi is a tricky affair for anyone, but especially for those who did not experience the Rafi phenomenon first hand. People like me sometimes make statements but we are from that era and we try our best to ground our theories in facts, not in what some joker at Filmfare or Stardust writes or in what Mrs. Hope propagates. In short, we do not let the Pancham-obsessed media influence our views.

    I will give a point-by-point response to some of your comments, but before I do that, I’d request you and everyone else never to put Rafi and RD on the same pedestal. We consider Rafi to be the greatest phenomenon to have graced the subcontinent, the man who not only gave voice to a new nation but showed the goodness inherent in every human being. A man whom Saigal blessed, whom Raichand Boral admired, whom K. C. Dey adored. A man whom Manna Dey called an institution and graciously acknowledged as having towered above all of them. A man whose songs are heard every second all over the world.

    And yet, in the RD-infatuated media and FM channels of our country — promoted by Asha and other lackeys — there appears to be only four superstars in the music world: Pancham, Kishore, Lata and Asha (employees of Bengal Nagpur Railways). The worst song from HKKN, “Bachna aye haseeno”, which nobody cared to listen during our time, has become a rage on FM channels. Is that what someone would call a good song?

    Now let me get into the specifics. In your title, you wrote that Rafi Sahab and Pancham is a combination that was adored by all alike, classes to masses. Honestly, Pancham is not even in my top 8 MD list for Rafi. When Rafians consider class, they usually think of MD’s like Naushad, Madan Mohan, S. D. Burman and Roshan. Naushad and S. D. Burman also catered to the masses, but if you want a prime example of class+mass, there’s nothing better than Shankar & Jaikishan. How come no one talks about them, despite the fact that they ruled the music industry for over 20 years? What is Pancham’s contriubtion to Rafiana compared to SJ? Except for a Tumne Mujhe Dekha here and a Ni Sultana there, he has given most of his prize compositions to Kishore, and we are supposed to promote him on this site? As of today, Rafi’s “Likhe jo khat tujhe” on youtube has over 5 million hits. Jai Shankar, Jai Kishan!

    RD didn’t do any favours to Rafi by letting him sing in Teesri Manzil. One negative word from Rafi and Nasir Hussain would have dropped Pancham like a hot brick. And it was Jai’s magnanimity that he encouraged Nasir to use Pancham in Teesri Manzil. There’s not a single singer in the country — male or female, north or south — who would be able to reach 70% of Rafi’s level in that song, even after 100 tries. An accomplished musician like Pancham would have known that but we know what he did — promoted Kishore at all costs and tried his best to keep Rafi out of the recording room. The man became too big for his own boots. A four-pronged attack from the BNR employees, along with four employees of the Punjab Railways (Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, B. R. Chopra and Yash Chopra), couldn’t prevent Rafi from regaining the top spot in the late 70s. The momentum was on his side and with LP finding their pitri-saman Rafi at the top, it would have taken at most a year or two for Rafi to dominate the scene once again. At the rate at which he was signing new songs, RD was forced to frequent Rafi villa during that period. Otherwise, he would have been dumped by producers like Ramesh Sippy, just as he was dumped earlier by Manmohan Desai.

    (To be continued… )
87. salim k says:

    May 18, 2012 at 3:17 am

    Post 40

    Raja ji can you please explain on what factors is kk version better than Rafi Sahabs. I am sorry to say no fan of Rafi Sahab or anyone that has some sense of hearing and music will say such a thing.

    First, both these versions are different, the orchestra is different and so are the situation. One is flowing with the heart of a lover, that Rafi sahab sang for Shashi and other a love for his family, KK singing for Bharat Bhushan.

    From a playback perspective when Shashi sings the songs it feels it is he who is singing, that is called voice modulation which no singer has to date (except Rafi sahab), do you understand voice modulation.? The other song, KK’s voice does not suit Bharat Bhushan.

    Also Kishore recorded the song only after Rafi Sahab recorded his and the tune was changed to accomodate the range of kishore that was far lesser than that of Rafi sahab.

    have a nive day.
88. Hussein Sheikh says:

    May 18, 2012 at 3:06 am

    Rafi Saheb’s version of Tum bin jaoon kahan… was more melodious than the version of KK… If you listen to KKs version properly, you will notice KK sang it as if he was weeping…
89. Ali says:

    May 17, 2012 at 11:32 pm

    If I am not wrong Rashed gave us list of around 130 films list for who rd gave music and ask to gave only find only 10 hit songs from these films but there was no answer….any one got the list?
90. mehboob says:

    May 17, 2012 at 10:32 pm

    post 40 Raja,
    You need your ears cleaning if you think that kk version is better than rafi’s.
91. Ahamed Kutty says:

    May 17, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    refer comment 40
    this had been written by one mr.fazal ahamed who is
    a fan of kk.it is these peoples dream that rafians will
    admit kk’s version is far better than rafi saab’s version.
    as i mentioned in my comment 36 that even hearing the
    starting humming of kk itself we will stop that song.
92. Man Mouji says:

    May 17, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Kutty Sahab and Mr. Raja

    in 1969 Pancham came up with a tune that rocked the world…Rafi’s super romantic singing won all hearts….and is still winning as it’s been played around the globe…Tum Bin Jaun Kahan– it’s a pleasure to listen to it over and over and over. Rafi Sahab’s powerful and soul touching singing brought Pancham-da’s tune to life.
93. Ali says:

    May 17, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    Mohd rafi was a God gift ,rd , Rajesh khanna and mr bachchan when ever they got mohd rafi voice the song was hit that is history , rd back to mohd rafi in film shaan, …….
94. Ahamed Kutty says:

    May 17, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    dear premkumarji,
    please reply for the comment 40 also.
95. Poorna says:

    May 17, 2012 at 4:24 pm

    Anyone who is keen to know more about RDB, his music, his association with KK, his relationship with Asha bhonsle (Ashaji had totally neglected the man in the last few years before his death), his lonliness, his inability to come to terms with the Bappi lahiri and noisy eighties, ditching by some of his favourite producers and many more happennings in his life, i request you to read the book imentioned in my post (post 1) above. Thoroughly researched and with lot of depth, this should be read by all music lovers. Unfortunately, i also found that twenty pages were missing from new book around page number 260. be careful to check this when you buy.
96. RAJA says:

    May 17, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    One story I have read is that when SD Burman took ill after composing the two Rafi duets of Aradhana, RD Burman took charge, and while Rafi was away on a tour abroad, instead of waiting for his return, he got his favourite buddy Kishore Kumar record the solos. As if to answer this charge, RD Burman got both Kishore Kumar and Rafi sing the same solo in a film – Tum bin jaoon kahan in Pyar Ka Mausam, and even an inveterate Rafi fan would have to admit Kishore Kumar’s version is far superior. Later, RD Burman used the two in conjunction to sing the title song in Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973), Kishore Kumar singing for one brother and Rafi for another. By this time there was no doubt who was the leader and who the follower. RD Burman-Kishore Kumar became a byword for the musical style of the seventies.
97. Prem Kumar says:

    May 17, 2012 at 4:07 pm

    Dear Ahamed Kutty Ji,

    It is not nice to ignite the Rafi-Kishore fued on this thread, as there was no such comparison been done for the song tum bin……. your negative comment is unwanted here, even the reference of salame ishq song too, please keep your comments topic related that would be much better and knowledgeable.

    I being an ardent Rafi fan do not like to demean Kishore Da who equally share the respect among the music lovers.

    This is just for your information.

    With Musical Regards

    Prem Kumar
98. Man Mouji says:

    May 17, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    It is commonly noted that Manmohan Desai the phenomenon bollywood director who was very much helped Rafi Sahab to regain his glory during 70’s (in movies like Dharam Veer, Chacha Bhatija, Parvarish etc.) but still I wonder how come Manmohan Desai did not have even a single song in his movie Aa gale lag ja though music was composed by RDB.

    The second example Mela was released in 1971, although it had two duets songs of Rafi – Lata namely Rut hai Milan ki and Gori ke haat main” I wonder why RDB did not use Kishore for this movie.

    Even in Manoranjan which was produced by Shammi Kapoor, a staunch loyalist of Rafi Saab, we find no Rafi Saab for even a single song which is surprising.
99. Zaheendanish says:

    May 17, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Before talking about the relationship between Pancham and Kishore Da, one has to know the flashback prior to 1969 and the scenario thereafter.

    The 1960′s were not kind to Kishore Kumar. Most of the movies he starred in flopped at the box office, his marriage to his first wife ended in divorce and his songs were just not getting the airplay they had been when he first broke into the business. While he had the odd hit in ‘Padosan’ & ‘Jewel Thief’, for the most part it seemed that Bollywood had grown tired of Kishore and his career seemed over. He remarried in 1960 to the luminous Madhubala but the marriage was doomed from the start. Madhubala passed away in 1969 while in Kishore’s arms – Yet that year would prove a watershed year in Kishore’s life both personally and professionally.

    Kishore Da was ready to pack up in 1965 and return to his native Khandwa after the “Padosan” (released 1968) song, kehna hai kehna hai. R.D. Burman who had always nurtured a soft corner for him advised him not to do so. With Teesri Manzil in 1966 RDB became a name to reckon with. But even he had to wait till 1971 for giving his favorite a restart. S.D. Burman had already started recording the songs for ‘Aradhana’ and used Rafi’s voice for the first two but became very ill shortly thereafter and had to be hospitalized. The responsibility for finishing the soundtrack fell on his son, Rahul Dev Burman; he had always been enamored with Kishore’s voice. The younger Burman broke tradition and recorded the remainder of the songs with Kishore, convinced that Kishoreda would be able to hit the nuances of the songs. ‘Aradhana’ became a blockbuster hit and that one movie changed the entire landscape of Bollywood for years to come. Further Rajesh Khanna became the biggest movie star of the day and no one, not Raj Kapoor before him or Amitabh Bachchan after, could match the way he owned the silver screen for the next five years. This was one among the many other factors that gave an immense boost to the sagging career of Kishore Kumar. Kishore fared even better, after the success of ‘Aradhana’ he became the most sought after singer in Bollywood until he passed away.

    Kishore Kumar was simply unstoppable after the blockbuster success of ‘Aradhana’ – every music producer wanted him for their songs and each leading man of the day wanted to be associated with his voice. Indeed, the Rajesh/Kishore pairing became legendary in Bollywood and soon more leading men became associated with his voice – Shashi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Dharmendra (just to name a few) and audiences simply could not get enough.

    As noted above, by the late Sixties and early Seventies Rafi Sahaab began his globe-trotting and live performances right upto 1980.

    A very important fact that has also to be taken into consideration is that the Bombay Film Industry was and is still notorious for borrowing huge sums of money from loan sharks who charge exorbitant rate of interests. (It’s only now that the Corporates have stepped in). Therefore, when Rafi Saab had shifted to London or was not available for recording, the producers could not wait forever and therefore music directors had to take whoever was available. Kishore Kumar fitted the bill very nicely what with the rise of R.D. Burman and the phenomena Rajesh Khanna whose golden jubilee hits of Aradhna and Do Raaste in 1969 worked wonders for Kishore Kumar. Then there were so many releases of Dev Anand (who, again, had always preferred Kishore Kumar) starrers right from Mahal (1970) to Des Pardes (1978) and even later movies including Lootmaar (1980). However, once Rafi Sahab got over his “reluctance” and tried making himself available, the restoration process had begun with the needed fillip of Madan Mohan.
100. Ahamed Kutty says:

     May 17, 2012 at 11:35 am

     it is foolishness to compare the rafi saab version of ‘tum bin
     jaoon kahaam’ with the version of kk.the smooth sound of
     rafi saab is outstanding.in the kk version the starting humming
     itself give us irritation.it is the same way kk is singing in the
     song ‘salaami ishque meri jaa’ with lataji in ‘muqaddar ka
     sikander’.sorry for the negetive comment.
101. P. Haldar says:

     May 17, 2012 at 10:40 am

     Several years ago, I had posted a negative comment on Pancham for the way he treated Rafi in “tum bin jaoon kahan”. In reaction to that comment, one of our friends wrote an article on the RD-Kishore vs. RD-Rafi combo which gathered over 2000 comments. Suffice it to say that there was a lot of acrimony and heated debate that consumed the energies of the visitors of this site. I sincerely hope that this post does not generate that kind of negative attention.

     Rafians are an emotive lot. You’d rarely find a fan of any other singer who is more diehard than a Rafian. Do not mistake the Rafians’ love for LP, MM, Ravi or Chitragupta as misguided. By the same token, their dislike for Pancham — not of his music — is not unfounded. I am not sure which age group Mr. Zaheen belongs to, but it’s difficult to discuss the RD-Rafi relationship in its entirety unless you’ve lived through those times. I have. And I concede that those were some of the most painful years of my life. Musicians like the late Mr. Sandeep Nadkarni have confirmed our worst fears about Pancham.

     It is possible to be a fan of both Rafi and Pancham, but it is important that we separate the facts from fiction. Someone who says that Pancham didn’t have a bias against Rafi clearly doesn’t have the facts straight. This is the same person who stole the songs his dad had composed for Rafi and gave them over to Kishore. And after the incredible way Rafi delivered Ni Sultan Re for Sashi, gave all the songs of “Aa Gale Lag Ja” to Kishore. I was so happy that Manmohan Desai dumped him. A man of conviction, just like Nasir Hussain, Madan Mohan, Shammi Kapoor, Ravi, Laxmikant and Rajendra Kumar. May their souls rest in peace.

     Citing a few films from 1971 and 1972 doesn’t prove anything. The twin blasts came in the form of Amar Prem and Kati Patang, and after that the rising Pancham didn’t spare a thought for the singer who brought him into the big league. All those “Chura liyas” and “Kya huwas” happened because of Nasir Hussain, not because of Pancham. In the late 70s, Pancham was forced to use Rafi not out affection, but out of necessity.

     I love Pancham’s music but as a diehard Rafian, I don’t appreciate how he treated Rafi. I have pointed out many times before that Kishore and Pancham were made for one another. In my opinion, no one has used Kishore better than Pancham, not even his dad. And much as it difficult for me to concede, he is the only music director in film music whose output with Kishore I rate better than that with Rafi (not only quantity-wise but also quality-wise). There’s no point in speculating what could have happened if Pancham had done this, done that, etc. etc. Kishore did some outstanding work with Pancham, and as music lovers, we should acknowledge that.
102. P. Haldar says:

     May 17, 2012 at 9:37 am

     bada natkhat hai re pancham bhaiya
     ka kare meera maaiya…
103. snehal desai says:

     May 17, 2012 at 8:59 am

     post 31

     Asha Bhonsle was the key reason of downfall of RD. She treated RD’s mother very badly and even drove her out of the house.

     Amit kumar – well if was not a son of Kishore Kumar would not be allowed to sing chorus.

     RD Burman is very over-rated and his so called good songs are plagerised. I am happy Rafi did not sing many songs for him.

     Kishore was forced on us by RD Burman – thats the bottom line just like Kumar Sanu was forced on us by Nadeem Sharavan.

     Rafi is a shinning star and RD was lucky that his ear jarring music was blessed by Rafi’s voice.
104. andrea correa says:

     May 17, 2012 at 7:19 am

     it was surprising that the wife of rdb – asha bhosle did not sing any songs in the musical 1942 a love story. neither did amit kumar.

     any clues – friends…..
105. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

     May 16, 2012 at 10:05 pm

     Dear Friends,

     I can understand the sentiments of some Rafians who feel that Pancham was the major reason behind Rafi saab’s partial eclipse during early 1970s. But looking dispassionately, I think that more that Pancham it was Rajesh Khanna who had tremendous clout and he always insisted on Kishore’s voice for all his songs.. and film Industry is what it is.. it was kind of ‘bhed chaal’. Let us not forget the negative role of some fellow singer(s) whose went out of their way in promoting Kishore Kumar is discussed time and again. It may be because of jealousy factor…because almost always Rafi saab would outsing them qualitatively in duets and ‘do pehlu’ songs. Singing with Kishore would establish them superior to him which was not the case in case of Rafi saab.

     All said and done, R.D. Burman was a simple soul, he simply practiced loyalty for his buddy K.K. though it must be admitted that in the process he under-used his immense talent leading to his own downfall.

     Post 10 of Mr. Prem Kumar is bit curious. He considers RDB’s output in years 1970 to 1975 as his best (conveniently forgetting earlier period when he gave Teesri Manzil, Pyar Ka Mausam, The Train, Baharon Ke sapne etc.). During pre-Kishore period his output was varied and innovative. In Kishore’s time in the initial 4-5 years he almost ‘fully’ utilized him. After that it restricted his creativity. That would not have been the case had he maintained a balance between Rafi and Kishore.

     I fully concur with the posts of Man Mouji and Binu Nair.

     -J.K. Bhagchandani
106. RAJA says:

     May 16, 2012 at 6:28 pm

     The mid 1980′s were a very hard time for R.D. Burman, both personally as well as professionally. The general perception was that he had lost his touch. The songs that he did, generally failed to make a major impact on the public. Where R.D. Burman had made a career from Western “inspired” songs, he found that he was repeatedly being outdone by Bappi Lahiri’s Western “inspired” disco. But his career limped into the 1990′s with very lackluster commercial success. There were a few exceptions to the public’s rejection of his music, most notably “1942: A Love Story”. In the audio-visual (AV) presented at the function, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra made a revelation. Chopra said that when he signed Pancham for his “1942: A Love Story” in 1993, the music company he had first approached refused to buy the music rights of the film unless he replaced him with a new generation music director. “But Mr. Chopra stuck to his stand and the results are there for all to see,”
107. Ahamed Kutty says:

     May 16, 2012 at 4:51 pm

     dear zahinsaab,
     excellent write up.the association of panchamda with kk
     than rafi saab is the main cause of his bad story of his
     last days since the limitations of kk as a singer affected
     him a lot.as i mentioned in my previous comments once
     md anu malik had seen rdb who was desperately asking
     for a work.this will be a ‘black mark of hfm’ for ever.
108. Man Mouji says:

     May 16, 2012 at 3:25 pm

     My all-time favourite RD Burman song is Tumne mujhe dekha, ho kar meherbaan from Teesri Manzil. I am romantically, musically and creatively attached to the tune even today. This is also my favourite Mohd. Rafi song. I must mention that Panchamda was a superb orchestra conductor too.

     RD Burman was so much in tune with his time that he could compose Piya tu ab tu aaja from Caravan to Chingari jo bhadke from Amar Prem with equal ease. His range varied from the catchy Aaja aaja main hun pya tera from Teesri Manzil, to the soulful thumri Hame tumse pyar kitna, ye hum nahin jaante by Parveen Sultana in Kudrat and the melodious Tere bina zindagi se koi, shikwa to nahin from Aandhi. He could do so because he was classically trained and at the same time, he kept abreast with modern musical trends all over the world.
109. A. Almas says:

     May 16, 2012 at 2:50 pm

     RDB was part of the politics which went on during that era against Rafi saab….
     It is good that Nasir Hussain and Man Mohan Desai the loyalists of Rafi Saab had given fitting reply and bring back Rafi Saab to mainstream platform, since then there was no looking back.
110. Zaheendanish says:

     May 16, 2012 at 11:22 am

     Dear Friends and Rafians,

     I wrote yesterday quite a lenghty post to reveal my perspective on Rafi Sahab and RDB, but to my surprise the post went into moderation since yesterday, please wait until the post is free from moderation.

     I hope moderator ji should take care of my post and release it ASAP.

     Thanks to you all.

     Zaheen Danish
111. andrea correa says:

     May 16, 2012 at 8:05 am

     mohd rafi lovers will always have reservations about rdb – cause he gave too many songs to kishore for heroes of the times on whom rafi voice would sit like the letter t in capitals.

     rdb used kishore for shashi kapoor, dharmendra, sanjeev kumar to name a few. most of the songs were spoiled. he further tried manna dey for a song on sanjeev kumar – a duet in seeta aur geeta. most of the songs are forgotten along with rdb ‘s wifes ashas numbers. its said rdb gave straight ‘flops’ for 25 movies and the industry moved ‘away’ from him.

     post 1975 there was ‘no’ sachin dev burman to guide the maestro. his wife stayed seperately .he became a loner lost in the beverages its said.

     its really tragic to see such an accomplished composer losing steam – so suddenly.

     on hindight we think rdb should have used rafi for more of his songs and also female singers like kalyanji anandji did in their days of glory.

     During the rdb wave its also alleged that the binaca geet mala was rigged. many announcers even today talk about how composers and music directors used to send ‘money covers’ to them for playing their songs on vivid bharati.

     but quality wise, rafi songs stand out having a longer, bigger and eternal shelf life.

     rdb failed to realise the value of rafi singing for him mainly due to his advisers and false pride. rdb paid for it.

     it pains the heart as its said that rdb was a great and nice individual by his colleagues.

     1942 was too late in the day. Kishores son amit kumar also did’nt sing for it. the songs went to the nasal singer.

     there is a small story to it – as well.
112. salim k says:

     May 16, 2012 at 4:47 am

     and a friend just called me and asked me to comment on “tum bin jaoon kahan”

     From a playback perspective I feel Rafi Sahab version is far superior as one feels Shashi is singing it. Bharat Bhushan and kishore, simply dont match.

     In terms of singing, I think both songs are nearly equal although, Rafi Sahab brings out the emotions out of a young lover more beautifully.

     Bottom line, both great songs.
113. salim k says:

     May 16, 2012 at 4:43 am

     Ihave to congratulate Zaheen bhai on his brave effort. I could not have written on this subject as i could have not gone beyond 3 incredible songs:

     1. Zamane ne mare jawaan kaise kaise
     2. Tum ne mujhe dekha hokar meherbaaan
     3. Ilahi to sun le hamari dua

     If Pancham had only given these 3 songs to us, i would have considered him a MD of quality.

     What transpired after that was simple, Pamcham was fond of Kishore as a friend and a singer.He made that choice and there were consequences of that choice.

     There is a difference between “good” and “everlasting”, quantity is not a measure of quality.

     So is Pancham overrated? The answer is Yes and no.

     Yes when people link him with those songs that hardly can give any true music lover a goose bump and No when you hear songs I mentioned above.
     Panchams best songs are with Rafi Sahab in my opinion. Kishore did justice to majority of his compositions but for purists, they look for excellence and I fall in that category and hence no singer gives me more goose bumps than the king himslef, Rai sahab.

     Zaheen bhai, well done and its not a criticism, the article needed some editing.
114. A. Almas says:

     May 15, 2012 at 9:31 pm

     My comment has just disappeared under hi-tech moderation of this site for more than 8 hours, moderator ji, are you listening to me?????
115. Lt Col Javed Sayyed(Veteran) says:

     May 15, 2012 at 9:07 pm

     Dear Mr Zaheen,
     nice article, though bordering more on rdb. rafians in their comments above (Ms Poorna, Ajay Poundarik, lightmusiclover have rightly brought out the facts of life-rdbs overtly preference of kk over rafi & using him only on insistence of the md/producer of film!!. but sdb was a little different-he gave rafi gems that only he could do justice even the entire songs were to be sung by kk!! Thats the major difference between the sdb & rdb.
     After rafis coming back to take his pole position in late 70s, rdb started realising what he had lost in music & had, around rafi sahabs demise- remarked that he should have worked more with rafi sahab!!! Melody had only one name-rafi. Rest are just songs sung by singers!!
     The sad version of tum bin jaon kahan is just superb. By every look & angle-rafis voice melts into the original voice of the younger hero-Shashi kapoor!!
     as for the two versions of this song-there is no place for debate. rafi sahab is rafi sahab!!!
116. lightmusiclover says:

     May 15, 2012 at 7:08 pm

     Dear Prem Kumarji,
     The two songs you mentioned- ‘fiza (or is it khiza) ke phool..’ and ‘mere mehboob qayamat..’- are my personal favourite LP-Kishore scores as well. I don’t understand why these two songs are not being talked about, even among the hard core Kishore fans, the way some of the RDB-Kishore scores are. Superb songs and superb singing. How deftly Kishore negotiates the ‘naseebs….’ and ‘pyars….’ at the beginning of the first song.
117. Zaheendanish says:

     May 15, 2012 at 1:04 pm

     Dear Friends,

     Thanks a lot for your pro and anti views commented on RDB when it comes to Rafi Saab combination. I appreciate all those rafians and music lovers in general that their viewpoint is correct for some extent when they expressed so. But I have my own perspective to present.

     All music lovers acknowledge the fact that Mohammad Rafi was the`Tansen’ of Indian film music in general and Hindi film music in particular. His rich deep voice with surprisingly elaborate range is unparalleled and has enthralled the music loving audience all over the world for more than three decades and continues to do so even today.

     In 1970 onwards, Rafi Sahaab was engrossed in religious duties such as performance of Haj whereafter he voluntarily cut down his recording sessions and even shifted to London. Naturally this fuelled the myth of his “decline”. Naushad Saab chastised Rafi Sahaab saying, `Is there any male singer today, who’s even a fraction as good as you are? You still have the ability to beat the daylights out of all of them’. At the peak of the Kishore wave in the seventies O.P. Nayyar was quoted as saying. ‘How I wish I had just one film in hand to settle all this nonsense, they’re talking about Rafi. Always remember one thing. That if there had been no Rafi, there would have been no Nayyar’. The Thespian Dilip Kumar has gone on record to say that Rafi Sahaab was not at all insecure during those days. Lata Mangeshkar herself recently stated that it was wrong to say that Kishore Kumar had overtaken Rafi Bhaiya who, according to her, was the greatest playback singer and a wonderful person.

     “Otherwise, too, the mammoth myth of Rafi Sahaab’s lean phase was amply exposed by a prestigious Indian weekly magazine named SCREEN in one of their publications: “The reduction in Rafi’s visit to the recording studios did not necessarily imply that Rafi was down. And ironically it was the high quantum of Rafi’s song in the pre-Aradhana phase that helped to fuel this myth. In actual fact it was during 1971-76 period that Rafi’s standing almost paralleled Mukesh’s. For Rafi had greater than ever percentage of hits…” The weekly goes on to emphatically state how Rafi Sahaab’s impact gave a permanent place in Bollywood musicals to even smaller composers during that period. ‘Rafi and down? Haven’t we heard that titans go down only in history!’

     I don’t know much about music but I think RD best film as music was teesri manzil where all songs went to mohd Rafi….RD last film with Mohd rafi was Shaan and he used mohd rafi more than any other singer…. I know many ‘may not agree’ with me, but I find on the male side, pancham gave great songs to both kishore and rafi. kishore has the amar prem, aandhi, khushboo etc. and rafi scores with teesri manzil, caravan, baharon ke sapne etc..

     I agree that pancham did favour kishore over others many a times, but I was not referring to the politics that took place. Regardless of if pancham played politics or not, his rafi output is wonderful. He gave rafi diverse compositions ranging from a “aye jaan-e-wafa” to a “rut hai milan ki” and so forth. As you also pointed out along similar lines, pancham needed rafi, and it was the greatest singer who gave success to pancham at various points throughout his career.

     Also noted that he ignored Rafi in the early to mid 70s. Agreed Rafi Saab could not sing many of those numbers during that period. But who was the loser? Definitely not Rafi Saab, who had showed his class in so many songs over a period of 30 years. It was only Pancham who lost out. Even some claim that pancham did give step-motherly treatment to rafi-saab at some points in their association. However having said that, rafi still has a strong presence in pancham’s output, which is the point i have been making all along. when we talk about the best of rdb, rafi’s name will pop up whether one likes it or not. rafi-saab was a singer who always made his presence felt no matter what the situation or circumstances, because he was a god-gifted talent. I agree, rafi would have done wonders to other pancham creations, but those who sang them, sang them well in the end.

     R.D.Burman never failed to recognize and use Rafi’s sonorous voice whenever he felt the situation in the film demanded till the latter’s untimely death in 1980. `Rekha O rekha’ and `Jeena to hai’ (Adhikar, 1971), ‘Jao jao tum bhi jao’(Dil Ka Raja, 1972), `Pyar Ka samay (Rampur Ka Lakshman, 1972), `Sason me kabhi’ (Parchaiyan, 1972), `Ek sa chehra subko’(Sanjog, 1972), `Ai jane wafa’ (Chalia, 1973), ` Yadon Ki Baraat’ and `Churaliya hai tumne’ (Yaadon Ki Baarat, 1973), `Kya huwa tera wada’, `Chand mera dil’ and `Ye ladka hai allah’ (Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, 1977), `Maine poocha chand se’ (Abdulla, 1980), `Botal se ik baat chali hai’(Ghar1978), `Yamma yamma’ (with R.D.), `Aate jaate huwe’ and `Janu meri jaan’ (Shaan, 1980), `Pal do pal ka sath hamara’ (The Burning Train, 1980), `Poocho na yaar kya huwa’(Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, 1981), `Kaun kisiko baandh saka’(Kaalia, 1981), and `Kya taqalluf hai wallah’(Jail Yatra, 1981).

     In 1966, Pancham’s super hit film Teesri Manzil was released which had six trend setting songs all sung by Rafi- `Aja aja mai hun pyar tera’, `O haseena zulfowali’, `O mere sonare’ and `Dekhiye sahibo’(all with Asha) and `Deewana mujhsa nahin’ and ` Tumne mujhe’ being solos. This was followed by Baharon ki Sapne in 1967 which had the solo `Zamane ne maare’ by Rafi and Abhilasha in 1968 which had `Wadiyan mera daman’(solo) and `Ek janib shamme mehfil’ (with Manna Dey). Pyar ka mausam and Waris released in 1969 too had songs in Rafi’s voice – `Nisultana re’(with Lata), `Chekush nazare’(solo) and `Tum bin’(solo as a competitor with Kishore’s solo of the same song) in Pyar ka Mausam and `Ek bechara pyar ka maara’(solo) and `Kabhi kabhi aisa bhi to’ (with Lata) in Waris. If R.D.Burman had favored Kishore Kumar as some people say he did as his father’s associate in Aradhana(1969), he would not have given these songs to Rafi in his own films released in the same year-1969.

     Looking at the remarkable cavalcade of scintillating numbers- solos, duets and qawwalis- given by Pancham to Rafi sahab as mentioned above, one cannot miss the vital connection between these two great personalities that produced songs expressing a plethora of human emotions such as- pathos, joy, romance and comedy’ in that melodious musical era! Although it is true that Pancham has given more songs to Kishore than Rafi, he never ignored Rafi and quality-wise, has given equally great or perhaps greater quality songs to Mohammad Rafi till his passing away in 1980.
118. A. Almas says:

     May 15, 2012 at 11:49 am

     As far as RDB is concerned, on reverse Rafi sahab gave him recognition to be established as a elite music director when Rdb was just struggling…Abhilasha, teesri manjil is an example only. It was Rafi sahab who again and again proved his master nature.

     The 1972 song, chura liya…is such a song u give to a singer like Rafi sahab, just a line that too in last, but even in just few lines in last, rafi sahab made his presence so strong that it became rafi sahab`s song.

     In second half of 70s, Rd burman had very bad times all major producer director turned their face away from him, even the one with whom he made aradhana, Rdb was in shock and very low in his own heart!

     Rafi sahab was once again emerging as a superpower of singing, with his songs like teri galiyon me, laila majnu…and sensational amar akbar anthony where, he surpassed even Amitabh -kishore rap, my name is anthony gonjavlis..with his three songs, tayabali, shirdi wale, parda hai parda etc..
119. Binu Nair says:

     May 15, 2012 at 7:41 am

     Post 1 : Poorna…..few more points.

     the song “tum bin jaaaoo kahan” was recorded first in rafi’s voice and then in Kishores. but, i doubt whether rdb had so much reach and say – regarding the characters singing songs as per his wishes in a nazir hussein movie.

     rdb had improvised the song and gave it to kishore. few music lovers – including me strongly believe that both kishore and mohd rafi has sung their versions – beautifully and its only the fans who take sides and say their favourite singer has sung it better and the other worse. it continues.

     during the rajesh khanna wave, mainly from 72 to 75 there was a drought of mohd rafi songs and fans (millions of them) were un happy to see the best playback singer not in the reckoning. this was due to many reasons like rafi taking the haj pilgrimage, not being available for the aradhana recordings on account of a foreign tour commitment and other matters.

     yesudas also had made his appearance during these times but, could not hold on in the industry for long due to his malayalam hindi and due to his preoccupations as numero uno singer of the south.

     Post 1977 mohd rafi songs were once againg on top of the charts aided by composers : usha khanna, madan mohan, l p, sonik omi and few others.
120. Raj says:

     May 14, 2012 at 10:07 pm

     Thanks for the article. the article correctly points out RD + Raffi saab gave us some memorable music. However RD could have have improved his overall range of songs had he worked with Raffi saab more. KK had limitations in what he could sing. KK was a good singer for light romantic songs, however the range and versatility offered by Raffis saab was incomparable and I believe RD lost out on that. There are many songs that Raffi saab would have done lot better justice than KK ever could do.
121. RAJA says:

     May 14, 2012 at 7:34 pm

     Hi Zaheen,

     Very nice of you to post this wonderful article on the combo of Rafi Sahab and Pancham (RDB). I read some of the rafians are not pleased with your side of RDB, perhaps RDB is your favourite MD, I guess so……….

     Anyway in my view, Rafi Saab has his share of such songs in pancham’s output which are excellent in its own weight (such as “zamane ne maare”, “pyar hai ik nishan qadmon ka” etc.). A friend of mine rightly pointed out a while back, that pancham’s lifetime best compositions are those such as “wadiyan mera daman”, “tumne mujhe dekha”, “tumhein dekha hai maine”, “ni sultana re” etc. where no other singer would have done justice to. Also remember that pancham himself referred to the rafi ghazal from chandan ka palna as his “prize composition”.

     Indeed, the team of nasir hussain, pancham, rafi-saab, and majrooh sultanpuri are one of the best associations to have graced cinema. It is a fact that pancham reserved his very best for nasir hussain, and along with rafi gave us amazing gems. From 1966 (teesri manzil) until 1981 (zamane ko dikhana hai), they set trends, and re-defined popular music, along with providing classy gems as well.

     I actually prefer the rafi sad version of “tum bin jaun kahan” to all other versions. It is an awesome piano-based composition, and shows the highs the rafi-rd team could reach.
122. RAJNISH says:

     May 14, 2012 at 6:28 pm

     asa danish sahab aapne rdb ke baare mein bahut kuch likha rdb was a gr8 md par bhai rafi sahab bahut upar hain rafisahab ko sahi maine kisine gawaya toh woh hai OP NAYYAR SAHAB baki sab ka apna apn zaika hai style par yahaan baat RAFI SAHAB KI HO RAHI
123. Prem Kumar says:

     May 14, 2012 at 2:18 pm

     Dear Zaheen Ji,

     I would like to congratulate you for posting this nice post about the legends Rafi Sahab and Pancham Da. Keep up the good work. Thanks a lot dude.

     To post # 3

     When you judge a singer or MD, you’ll have to judge him by his best output. RDB’s best output music in the 1970-75 period like : Kati Patang, The Train, Amar Prem, Buddha Mil Gaya, Caravan, HRHK, Apna Desh, Jawani Diwani, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Seeta aur Geeta, Aap ki Kasam, Yaadon ki Barat, Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Aandhi, Khushboo and Sholay. Show me any MD in that period that had that kind of output (both in terms of quality and popularity). Kishore and RD were made for one another, as was the case with Rafi and Naushad. They produced some of the most memorable songs in the 50’s & 60’s. RDB could have extended his horizons a lot more with Rafi and moreover whenever we listen to a Rafi song composed by RDB, it almost inevitably sounds good. But there is something for LP-lovers, The two best songs composed by LP for Kishore were in the sixties: Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi and Fiza ke phool. Did they make any dent on Rafi’s popularity?
124. Kabeer Aman says:

     May 14, 2012 at 1:41 pm

     Most of the Rafi Lovers do not hate RDB because he preferred KK but they are angry with him and the reason for this is that RDB used Rafisaab for his initial breaks You have given the list (RDB He was talented; no doubt about that and the songs were great too but then without Rafi would that had seem so easy) but we all know that preferring KK over Rafi was a loss for himself and later from 76 till Rafisaabs death. He used Rafi Saab. May be ’74 might have been an eye-opener for him when 80% of his songs were a flop show. One can easily handpick songs by the 2 (deewana mujhsa nahi,tumne mujhe dekha,wadiyan mera daaman,tum bin jau kaha,gulabi aankhein,chand mera dil,kya hua tera waada,maine pocha chand se) And anyone knows that quality wise they are much higher than those that KK have sung for RDB. What LP did from 71-75 was that although they used KK they also used Rafi Saab. Just to keep floated. Once they knew Rafi Saab was back they didn’t give second thoughts about who will sing for their films. This is the reason why Rafians prefer LP over RDB.
125. H.A.K. Walijah says:

     May 14, 2012 at 1:01 pm

     Dear Zaheen Saab,

     A very intelligent write-up same as your name. I congratulate you for giving us the nice article.

     Also I guess, as soon as I read, this would invitite a lot of people (having apathy towards RDB) to pour their sentiments or feelings, but overall a nice and informative piece of writing.

     Best of luck and regards

     H.A.K. Walijah
126. SalRafi says:

     May 14, 2012 at 12:48 pm

     Poorna has said it right and I agree with his/her comments completely. “rd burman was to large extent responsible for promoting kishore at the cost of Rafi Saab” and I think that Bengali groupism worked there hard. And the truth is RD initially was made his name mainly because of Rafi’s skills. Rafi Saab being a divine soul never got into any grouping or played any politics, his talent and human qualities were enough to stand against anything as he had proved.

     As Ajay Poundarik mentioned Rafi Saab was there even during KK’s peak to prove that he is the best. I am sure you don’t need me to name those songs. LP was very supportive of Rafi and there is a reason to it. Dosti tracks of LP, then an upcoming music director, were mainly composed with Rafi Saabs help.
     For all of you here it is unfair to compare the divine legend Rafi Saab to any other singers be it Kishore or Lata, simply because he is “Incomparable”.

     Nevertheless nice article Zaheen it is very informative and well written, keep up the good work.
127. Man Mouji says:

     May 14, 2012 at 12:09 pm

     Dear Mr. Ajay Poundarik, [ post # 3]

     As for as the article is concerned the writer, Mr. Zaheen Danish has given ample information about the legends, you need not, perhaps should not create uproar, what can be very much evident in your post. The writer is an ardent fan of Rafi Saab, I personally have been observing his posts for the last one year. Do not create an unhealthy atmosphere on this serene website writing unwanted comments. The topic is Rafi Sahab and Pancham combo for which the writer has done at his best giving best examples of the songs of Rafi Saab solos and duets. It is also evident that he may be a great fan of RDB too, that does not deviate from the topic he chosen.

     Here is my reply to your post which will give you more answers to your queries that you put further in your post.

     “Post Laila Majnu (1976), many music-directors sought out Rafi Sahaab. The old faithfuls, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, had continued with Rafi Sahaab all along and were amply rewarded for their trust. R.D. Burman came back to Rafi Sahaab in a big way with such movies as Balika Badhu, Chor Ho To Aisa, Hum Kisise Kam Nahin, Chandi Sona, Ghar, Devta, Shalimar, Phandebaaz, Kasme Vaade, Mukti, Naya Daur, Naukar, Abdullah, Shaan, Bulandi, Takkar, Phir Wohi Raat, Jal Mahal, The Burning Train, Heeralal Pannalal, Kaalia, Gehra Zakhm, Harjai, Jail Yatra, Daulat Ke Dushman, Ganga Meri Maa, Chameli Memsaab, Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai, Biwi O Biwi, Aan Aur Shaan, Jaane Jaan (Nikamma), Shiva ka Insaaf, and Faisla. Rafi Sahaab’s KYA HUA TERA WAADA from Hum Kisise Kam Nahin won him the Filmfare Award as well as his second National Award in 1977.

     “Thereafter there was no turning back and we have mentioned before all those nominations of Filmfare Awards that this extraordinary singer was cited for. In 1980 three of his songs were nominated for the said Award. These songs were easily the best of the lot. In 1980, the weekly Binaca Geet Mala programmes too reflected Rafi Sahaab’s increasing popularity. For example, in the programme dated May 28, 1980 we had ten songs of Rafi Sahaab compared to the two of Kishore Kumar out of the total sixteen songs. Rafi Sahaab was all set to revive the glory of the early Sixties. Rafi Sahaab gradually began over-taking Kishore Kumar and by 1980 he had clearly outstripped him in matters of sheer numbers and popularity. According to an interview given by Nitin Mukesh sometimes after the Legend Rafi Sahaab had passed away, music directors were pursuing Rafi Sahaab to such an extent that at least the singers like Nitin could have been out of job for a number of years. But it was the icy hand of death that snatched Rafi Sahaab away from our midst halting his triumphant march!”

     “Once Rafi Sahaab was persuaded by his own family members, he came back with a bang. From 1970-1976, Rafi’s output was less, but he sang many hit songs during this period. Some of his hit songs in early 1970s were with music directors like L-P, Madan Mohan, R. D. Burman and S. D. Burman. Some of Rafi’s popular songs from this period include Gulabi Aankhen from The Train; Jhilmil Sitaron ka from Jeevan Mrityu; Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil from Heer Ranjha (1970), Chura Liya Hain Tumne from Yaadon Ki Baarat, Yeh Jo Chilman Hai and Itna to Yaad Hai Mujhe from Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho from Hanste Zakhm; Aaj Mausam bada Beimaan hai from Loafer (1973). In 1974, he won the Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam (Hawas), composed by Usha Khanna.
128. Rajagopalan says:

     May 14, 2012 at 11:06 am

     RD had used the “glass and spoon” effect very nicely in the song”o haseena zulfonwali” from the film Teesri manzil.

     But somehow all die hard rafi fans would have definitely felt “jilted” with RD’s attitude towardas Rafi sahib in 70s when kishore rode the wave of success.I remember in one year Binaca geet mala sartaj geets compilation had Rafi singing one line”papp ko mummy se” from the film Andaz. I remembering weeping uncontrollably.

     rajagopalan-dubai
129. jyoti mohanty says:

     May 14, 2012 at 9:03 am

     Dear sir,thanks for the article .However, rdb,as everyone knows was never really fond of rafisaab, ;You may recall that, rdb, made it to the bigleague through the voice of rafisaab in Teesri manzil and a host of other films at the beginning of his carrier,but once he arrieved,he started promoting kishore at the expense of just everything.undoubtedly, he was versatile,innovative and proved to be a trendsetter;it helped kishore also to reach the top of his carrier.
     the reason why there is always a comparison between rafi-kishore is because of rdb and his trendsetting music of 70s!!rdb even went on record to openly admire kishore as a singer over rafi.the fact that,rafi’s partial eclipse as a top playback singer in the early 70s is because of this.But again as i put it,its a question of personal choice.Rafisaab was mainstay for almost all mds barring a couple .arrival and rule of rdb, really made a difference in the early 70s.talking of rafisaab’s association with rdb,well,it was always under compulsion that rdb was forced to use rafisaab.is it not!rdb’s sequence of selecting a singer is kk first.if anything left it was ought to be bhupinder,manna dey,shailendra singh or anyone else.But certainly not rafisaab!the reason that, rafisaab, sang 100 odd songs with him is mainly —majority of them to built his carrier in late 60s!!Remaining was under compulsion,no matter how big hits it were!
130. jayarajt says:

     May 14, 2012 at 8:34 am

     I agree with Ajay that the article gave much importance to RD than RAfi.I liked the trivia .I enjoyed the write up.
131. lightmusiclover says:

     May 14, 2012 at 8:13 am

     I would like to define the father-son duo’s relationship with Rafi in one word- ‘exploitation’. They made Rafi sing songs which only he could plus the left overs. When it came to songs that were designed to be popular, they preferred their favourite singer.
132. Khaja Aliuddin, MD says:

     May 14, 2012 at 4:37 am

     ASA, Janab Zaheen Danish Sahab,
     Bahut khoob, Congratulations for writing this comprehensive and interesting article.

     With regards to all rafi lovers,
     Dr. Khaja Aliuddin
133. Ajay Poundarik says:

     May 14, 2012 at 2:29 am

     I think writer Zaheen Danish is more emphasising on music director RD Burman than that of songs of Rafi with R D Burman. Already media has over-hyped RD Burman, we don’t want it here, at least in Mohammad Rafi’s web site. I don’t know how the moderator of this site allowed posting unwanted information.

     Secondly, R D Burman never gave a sing song to Rafi in the year 1972 and 1973 when RD was at it’s peak. WHY ?

     It was only music directors Laxmikant-Pyarelal who were maintaining no -1 position throughout seventies, regularly used Mohammd Rafi’s voice during the peak wave of Kishore Kumar. Songs of “Khilona”, “Uphaar”, “Mehaboob Ki Mehandi”, “Loafer”, “Humjoli” , “Dastaan”, “Suhana Safar” , “Pratigya”, “Dharmveer”, “Amar Akbar Anthony”, “Sargam”..and many more…In fact Laxmikant-Pyarelal were un-biased in terms of singer selection for the male voice and maintained balancing equation between Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar. Rafi/LP 368 songs, the highest number of the songs of Mohammad Rafi with any music director. KK/LP 399 songs, second highest number of songs of Kishore Kumar ( after RD/KK combo). This data shows how LP were truly unbiased and professional.

     “Do Raaste” 1969, All songs to Mohammad Rafi…( one beautiful melody to Kishore ‘mere naseeb main’)

     “Aan Milo Sajana” 1970.( Two songs to KK + rest to Rafi )

     “Haathi Mere Saathi” 1971,( All songs to KK but one melodious song to Rafi.’Nafarat Ki Duniya Ko’ )

     “Aap Aaye Bahar Aayi” 1971 ( Two songs each to KK and Rafi )

     “Mehaboob Ki Mehandi” ..1971 ( all songs to Rafi + one GEM of song to KK..’mere deewane pan ki’ )

     “Roop Tera Mastana” ( all songs to Rafi + beautiful duet to KK-Lata..’dil ki bate dil hi jane’)

     “Amar Akbar Anthoy” 1977 ( all songs to Rafi + one solo to KK ‘my name is Anthony Gonsalvis’)

     “Karz” 1980..( all songs to Kishore + one GEM of song to Rafi..’Dard-E-Dil’ )

     There are many of such examples of Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s use of Mohamamd Rafi in peak wave of Kishore Kumar..THIS WAS NOT DONE BY RD BURMAN..

     LP could date to tell producers and directors on taking Mohammad Rafi’s voice for Rajesh Khanna.

     Some of the best song of LP/Rafi combo came during the peak wave of RD-KK.

     It was Laxmikant-Pyarelal brought back the glory of Mohammad Rafi, through the songs of “Dharmveer” 1977 and “ Amar Akbar Anthony” 1977 and “Sargam” 1979..

     FINALLY::: R D Burman never gave break to Shabbir Kumar…Shabbir Kumar sang one song in the Chorus under Usha Khanna in “Tajurba”,,but went un-noticed. It was Laxmikant-Pyarelal gave Shabbir Kumar a break in Manmohan Desai’s ( a Mohammad Rafi fan ) “COOLIE”, the song was ‘Mubarq Ho Tum Sab Ko Haz Ka Mahina’ ….

     Enjoy Music…

     Ajay Poundarik ( Nigeria )
134. Man Mouji says:

     May 14, 2012 at 12:01 am

     Dear Zaheen Danish Sahab,

     I wish to congratulate you for writing this wonderful article, I am very happy that you did not left an ounce of information regarding Rafi Sahab and Pancham.

     I would like to say a lot about this combo Rafi Sahab and Pancham. But I will come back later. Meanwhile I am enjoying to the fullest extent this mazedaar article. Thanks once again…………..

     Best regards

     Man Mouji
135. Poorna says:

     May 13, 2012 at 9:07 pm

     There is no doubt that RD Burman is one of our great composers and a creative genius.

     However when it comes to Rafi saab, there is no doubt that RD Burman was to large extent responsible for promoting Kishore at the cost of Rafi saab. Though Rafi saab gave some of the best songs under RD like in Teesri Manzil, Caravan, Hum Kisese Kam Nahin etc, RD was more close to Kishore and hence promoted him. Also Rajesh Khanna phenomenon between 1970 -73 ensured that only Kishore sang for him under RD. The difference can be seen the way Laxmikant Pyarelal made Rafi RK’s voice whenever they got a chance to score for RK’s films – Aan Milo Sajna, Hathi Mera Sathi, Do Raste, Mehbooob Kie Mehndi.

     In fact, there is an interesting story of how RD made sure that the song “Tum bin jaoon kahan” in Pyar Ka MAusam sung by Kishore was forced on producers of the movie for repeats in the movie though Rafi had sung the same song so nicely. (I read this story in the excellent biography on RD by Anirudha Bhattacharya and Balaji Vittal). I quote from the book.

     “Mohammed Rafi might have been right to feel that history had dealt unfairly with him by chronicling the purported Rafi v/s Kishore duel as the highlight of the film. “Tum bin jaoon kahan” was used five times in the film. Initially all five instances was to be in Rafi’s voice till Pancham and his musicians coaxed Nasir Hussain into giving the all versions to be picturised on hero’s father Bharat Bhushan to Kishore kumar” (Page 80, above book)

     This clearly shows that RD used Rafi saab whenever he wanted and got best out him but never gave him the same opportunity like the way he gave to Kishore. Rafi saab being a gentlemen and humble to the core, never fought with RD for this injustice. That is the greatness of Rafi saab.

     As the above authors rightly say “Rafi’s presence in Pancham’s compositions was that an esteemed guest – infrequent but fondly remembered”.