Roshan’s everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi
By: Souvik Chatterji. Master of Law from Warwick university, UK, Master of Law from Case WEstern REserve University, USA.
Roshan galvanised the Indian horizon of film music with his excellent experiments on melody. He had created mujras, qawallis, ghazals, classical compositions which match the exact requirement of the theme of the films wherever he had worked.
The earlier films like Bawre Nain was created at a time when recording was not modernised to that extent. Even then his songs in the 50s like “bade armano se rakha hai balam” were hits. In the 60s Roshan utilized the Golden voice of Indian cinema, Mohammad Rafi in the most melodious manner that was possible. In the film Barsaat ki Raat,1960, the song “zindagi bhar nahin bhulenge woh barsaat ki raat” mesmerised the music lovers with the melody of the sarengi that was used so well. Rafi’s voice floated like cirus clouds in the air and Bharatbhusan’s performance in the film was well acclaimed by the Indian audience. The same film had a qawalli “yeh isq isq hai, isq isq” which was started by Manna Dey and completed by Rafi. The grammer of Qawalli was fully existant in the song.
Roshan with Mohd Rafi, Raj Kapoor and Mukesh
Besides Roshan created songs with a very serene dimension in the film Aarti, 1963, picturised on pradeepkumar.Most of the songs were on Raag Pahari. Rafi created an intoxicating appeal with the songs “Ab kya misal doon mai tumhare shabab ki” and “aapne yaad dilaya tha to mujhe yaad aya”. Meena kumari’s performance was matched with the background score in the song “baharon ki manzil rahi.”
In the film Tajmahal,1963, the andaz of Pradeepkumar almost replicated the style of living of emperor Shahjahan that existed during the mughal period. The songs of Rafi namely “Jo wada kiya ho nibhana parega” and “payon chulene do phulon ko inayat hogi” had matched the badshahi andaz of the historical period.The lyrics were written by shari Ludhiyanvi. Besides other everlasting creations of Roshan include Shahir Ludhianvi, “laga chunri me daag chupayun kase” sung by Manna Dey in the film “Dil hi to hai” picturised on Raj Kapoor, and “Kya baat hai tujhme teri tasver me nahin” sung by Mohammad Rafi.
In the film Chitralekha,1965, picturised on Pradeep Kumar, Roshan motivated Rafi to sing a legendary bhajan titled “man re to kahena dhir dhare, woh nir mohi moh na jane jinka moh kare”. It was a blank verse with very little musical instruments being used. Rafi’s performance was amazing. In the film Bheegi Raat, 1965, Rafi made people spell bound with the songs “jane woh kaun hai kya naam hai in ankhoka,” and “dil jo na keh saka, wohi raze dil”. Pradeep kumar’s screen presence was outstanding as Roshan’s orchestration and the sensational performance of Rafi.
Noted poet and music director Salil Chowdhury in his interview with Asha bhosle had said he admired Roshan the most because of his use of melody through the instruments used in the songs including sarengi, tabla, sexaphone, guitar and noted instruments. Asha Bhosle said that Rafi, Lata and others have worshipped Roshan like sage. The song in the film Bahubegum, titled “niklethe kahan jane ke liye pahunchethe kahan maloom nahi”, almost told the story of Meenakumari who left home for not marrying pradeep kumar and ended up in a kotha.It was a mujra and the orchestration was outstanding by every means. The same film had one of the most immortal performance of Lata titled “Duniya kare sawal to hum kya jawab de.” Rafi was outstanding with his final performance “hum intezer karenge tera qawamat tak, khuda karen ki qawamat ho aur tu aye.” Viewers became speechless in the cinemahall with this song.
Besides Roshan’s performance in the Film Mamta, 1967 is worth mentioning. Mamta was the hindi version of the Bengali film “Uttar Phalguni”, which depicted the story of a tawaif who was victim of circumstances and shed blood to make her daughter a Barrister who ultimately pleads in the High Court of Calcutta in an alleged murder case of her mother. The performance of Suchitra Sen, the most versatile Actress of Bengali Cinema cannot be described in words. But the big challenge was matching the quality music composed by Robin chatterji in bengali film where the majority of the songs were sung by classical singer Sandhya Mukherjee. Roshan created the same class of music in the film. The popular songs included “Rahe na rahen hum” sung by Lata and “in baharon me akela na phiro, rah me kaighata rok nale” sung by Rafi. But the type of Hindustani classical songs that used to be sung in the Class of singers called baijees in the late 18th century was displayed by Roshan.Roshan died in 1969 with his last film “anokhi raat.” It is big loss for the Film industry because if any composer had utilized the Royal style of Rafi’s singing it was Roshan himself. Rafi’s archive should contain the works of Roshan so that future generations can learn the grammer of Hindustani classical used under different moods.
Souvik Chatterji - the author along with his wife, Rumi Chatterji
Other articles by Mr. Souvik Chatterji
November 16th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
While reflecting some of the legendary duet songs of Rafi and Lata composed by Roshan I had forgot to mention “baar baar tohe kya samjhayun payal ki jhankar” from the Film “Aarti” picturised on Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari. It had a very uncommon taal and had a different implication if compared with the other songs of the same film including “ab kya misaal doon”, “aapne yaad dilaya”, “kabhi to milegi”, etc.
Souvik Chatterji.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Souvik Ji,
“Zindagi Bhar Nahi Bhoolegi Woh” is in two versions, one a solo by Rafi Saab and the other a Rafi-Lata duet. There is no Lata solo of that.
Rafi Saab had surpasses Lata in his solo, without doubt. But, even in the duet, Rafi Saab comes in after the first two Antaras by Lata with the words, “Roothne Wali,—-Mayoos Na Ho” and steals the thunder.
Venkat
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Roshan asked Rafi and lata to sing the same song in different andaz one if Zindagi Bhar Nagi Bhulenge woh barsaat ki raat from film barsaat ki raat, 1960, the other being dil jo na keh saka from film Bheegi Raat, 1965. in both the cases Rafi’s presentation even supeseded lata’s performance, may be due to the echo effect or may be due to the style of picurisation. Indeed Rafi made listeners spellbound in these songs.
Souvik Chatterji.
September 16th, 2007 at 8:13 am
ref post 31
pradeep kumar jee,
nice to hear from you regarding the use of musical instruments & also the excellent songs. I feel the harmonium was played at the lower octave of the scale & that too continously to creat a reverberating effect of the song. you have noted most of the songs of roshan jee are with echoe effect.
similarly ravi jee has used tabla ( neele gagan ke taley ) very close to the microphone to creat a perfect punch to the songs. some of the songs of ravi ji you can observe this .
September 15th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Ref Posts 29 & 30:
Thanks Mr. Haldar for including additional songs.
Getting back to “Baar Baar Tohe” (duet by Mohd Rafi & Lata from “Aarthi”) - if you have a crystal clear copy of this song (perhaps from an original soundtrack, digitized version), one can hear a harmonium (with a bass sound) playing in the background throughout the song. The harmonium seems to be at a distance quite far from any mike. The question to ponder and ask is, “did Roshan Saab himself play the harmonium at this song recording” ?
September 13th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
ref post 29:
Great job, Mr. Pradeep Kumar. To the list of songs you’ve provided, I’d also add “Karvaan guzar gaya” from Nayi Umar ki Nayi Fasal. What lyrics! But it was not by Sahir.
By the way, does anyone remember a book written by Sahir after Rafi saab passed away? I distinctly remember having seen a thin paperback book with Rafi saab’s picture on the cover and Sahir’s name as the author at the Kanpur railway station sometime in 1981. It was in Hindi/Urdu and I should have bought a copy. Wonder what the great poet wrote about our favourite singer.
September 13th, 2007 at 1:44 am
Continuing with another great series of the best hindi film composers and their association with Mohd Rafi, readers may want to see for themselves some of the video clips of movies mentioned throughout this article by Mr. Chatterji and the followup comments from various individuals.
These songs are all available on www.youtube.com:
1. Aarthi – Ab Kya Misaal Do (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnztDLQixP8
Listen to Mohd Rafi humming before the start of the song. This is not available on the HMV released version of the song. Beautifully picturised on Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari.
2. Aarthi – Aap Ne Yaad (Mohd Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SI77ZYxd7E
A classic Rafi-Lata duet following their trademark songs of Barsaat Ki Raat and Taj Mahal
3. Aarthi – Baar Baar Tohe (Mohd Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxCmCnz0-JI
One of the most beautiful duets sung by Rafi & Lata and possibly one that can be part of their collection of top songs. Also in my opinion, one of the best picturised duets in hindi films. Meena Kumari looks absolutely stunning and you can see the love and feelings expressed by Pradeep Kumar for her through his effortless acting. These two made a great pair. Every song composed for this film by Majrooh-Roshan team is a classic.
4. Aarthi – Kabhi Toh Milegi (Lata Mangeshkar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igOsYEq7tdw&mode=related&search=
Another great Roshan-Lata classic
5. Bheegi Raat – Dil Jo Na Keh Saka (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwvyWMY8UZE
6. Zindagi Bhar Nahin – Barsaat Ki Raat (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frfxRBTS1so
There is no need to write much. Just listen and get transported out of earth.
7. Maine Shayad Tumhe – Barsaat Ki Raat (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZO9-iNL13Q&mode=related&search=
Rafi Saab’s greatness and his majestic grasp of any given song provided to him by a composer is clearly evident with this classic song. One of the best hindi songs ever made. Kudos to Sahir, Roshan and Mohd Rafi.
8. Zindagi Bhar Nahin – Barsaat Ki Raat (Mohd Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZO9-iNL13Q&mode=related&search=
Extremely well sung by both Rafi and Lata. Listen to the saxophone, flute and some other instruments that Roshan introduced at the beginning of this song. The melodies that he could create by mixing sax, xylophone, flute, sarod, sitar, mandolin, shehnai at the beginning, interlude sections and concluding parts are just incredible.
8. Jo Vada Kiya Woh – Taj Mahal (Mohd Rafi & Lata Mangheskar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_65Sc2SuckU
A classic Rafi, Lata, Sahir, Roshan song. Anyone who has followed hindi film songs know this gem as one of the greatest duets of the singing pair.
9. Jo Baat Tujhmein Hai – Taj Mahal (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZY8iPh2ndQ&mode=related&search=
Another fantastic Rafi song written by Sahir and composed by Roshan.
10. In Baharon Mein Akele – Mamta (Mohd Rafi & Asha Bhonsle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro8qo1VNY48
Picturised on Dharmendra and Suchitra Sen
11. Mile Na Phool – Anokhi Raat (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btbpXTuQ-vY
The last song that Rafi Saab recorded for MD Roshan. What a tragic loss for the hindi film industry when Roshan was rising to the top. Roshan was one MD who came to the hindi film music scene in the late 1940’s and worked very hard to establish his mark and then went on to create some of the best songs in films with Mohd Rafi, Lata, Suman Kalyanpur, Asha Bhonsle, Mukesh, Manna Dey and other legendary singers.
12. Chha Gaye Badal Neel Gagan Par – Chitralekha (Mohd Rafi & Asha Bhonsle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOywS7X8dHM&mode=related&search=
Another mesmerizing duet composed by Roshan. Picturised again on Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari, very daringly for the year that it was released – 1964.
13. Man Re Tu Kahe – Chitralekha (Mohd Rafi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvW7LbUidao
The best recorded hindi film song according to many in the industry. Some attribute that this is the best song ever made anywhere in India. The best lyrics, the best composition, the best interlude music and the finest singing one can ever hear ever anywhere. We, the music lovers who have heard this song in our life span are extremely privileged. What a team they made – Sahir, Roshan and Mohd Rafi Saab.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
DEAR MR. SOUVIK
THANKS FOR THE ARTICLE ON MUSIC DIRECTOR ROSHAN WHO WAS ALSO GREATLY ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BELOVED RAFI SAHAB .
IF ONE OBSERVES ,MOST OF THE ROSHAN’S SONGS ARE RECORDED IN
” ECHO ” TYPE .e.g. :
1) DIL JO NA KEH SAKA … (FILM : BHEEGI RAAT , SINGER : RAFI / LATA );
2) AAYA HAI YAAD …. ( FILM: DEVAR , SINGER: MUKESH );
3) JO WADA KYA … ( FILM: TAJ MAHAL , SINGER: LATA & RAFI );
4) GHAM- HASTI SE …( FILM : WALLAH KYA BAAT HAI , SINGER : RAFI ) ;
5) IN BAHARON MEIN AKELE .. ( FILM : MAMTA , SINGER: RAFI & ASHA ) ;
6) BAHARON KI MANZIL RAHI… ( FILM: AARTI , SINGER: LATA );
7) RAHEN NA RAHEN HUM … ( FILM : MAMTA , SINGER : RAFI & SUMAN
KALYANPUR);
8) JANE WOH KAUN HAI… ( FILM: BHEEGI RAAT , SINGER: RAFI );
AND MANY MORE .
SECONDLY , I WOULD LIKE TO SAY : ROSHAN HAS SCORED MUSIC FOR
SHAMMI KAPOOR STARRER FILM TOO . THE FILM IS ” WALLAH KYA BAAT HAI ” WHICH HAS 2 MELODIOUS NUMBERS :
a) GHAM-E-HASTI SE BEGANA HOTA … ( SOLO)
b) NEELI ANKHONWALE… (DUET)
BOTH THESE SONGS ARE SUNG BY RAFI SAHAB .
REGARDS/A.T.M. SALIM
September 11th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
bhalo likhechho souvik da……………….darun laglo pore…………parle ekta article Madan mohan ji ke niye likho
I m in love with him
September 11th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Halder ji
I think the correct lyric is as follows
Allah aur Rasool ka farmaan ishq hai
Yaani Hadis ishq hai Quran ishq hai
Goutam aur Maseeh ka armaan ishq hai
Ye kaynaat jism hai aur jaan ishq hai
Ishq sarmad Ishq hi Mansoor hai
Ishq Musa Ishq Koh-e-toor hai
Khaak ko but aur but ko devta karta hai ishq
Inteha ye hai k bande ko khuda karta hai ishq
this stanza has extensive reference of islamic mythology………but yes of course, None else but Sahir sahab can write like this