Some Rare Diamonds of Rafi Saab - 4
This article is written by Mr. B.Venkatadri
Rafi Sings For Kishore. We will continue the topic of Rafi Saab’s duets with other male singers in the subsequent parts. But, today, let us take up another theme! The one thing that puts die-hard Kishore Kumar fans instantly on the defensive is the fact that MDs had made Rafi Saab sing at least 6 songs for Kishore Kumar’s acting! This is quite a remarkable occurrence considering that Kishore too was an accomplished singer!
Rafi Saab had lent his voice to Kishore for the following songs:
1.1956- Film:Bhagam Bhagh—MD: O.P.Nayyar—Rafi & Asha—“Hamhe Koi Gham Hai,Tumhe Koi Gham Hai, Mohabbat Kar, Zara Nahin Dar”
2.1956-Film:Bhagam Bhagh—MD:O.P.Nayyar—Rafi & Asha—“Maseeha Ban Ke—Chale Ho Kahan Kar Ke Zee Beqarar”
3. 1958—Film: Raagini—MD:O.P.Nayyar—Rafi—“Man Mora Banwara, Nis Din Gaaye Meet Milan Ke”
4.1959—Film:Shararat—MD:Shankar Jaikishan—Rafi—“Ajab Hai Daastan Teri Yeh Zindagi” (Fast)
5. 1959–The same “Ajab Hai Dastaan Teri Yeh Zindagi” (Slow)
6. 1972—Film:Pyaar Deewana—MD:Lala Sattar—Rafi—“Apni Aadat Hai Sab Ko Salaam Karna”
Both the Rafi-Asha duets from Bhagam Bhagh (1956) mentioned above are very nice ones, especially the Song No. 1, “Hamhe Koi Gham Hai, Tumhe Koi Gham Hai”. In this duet, O.P.Nayyar makes good use of duet bits of Flute and Harmonium to very good effect!
“Hamhe Koi Gham Hai”—Bhagam Bhagh(1956)-Listen and enjoy!
Next, both the solos by OPN and SJ from Raagini(1958) and Shararat(1959) respectively are indeed very great ones!
But, let us choose today the Raagini solo, “Man Mora Banwara, Nis Din Gaaye Meet Milan Ke”, composed by OPN. This solo is a semi-classical composition penned by Jaan Nissar Akhthar. A great, divine rendition by Rafi Saab indeed!
Listen, enjoy and comment!
Mohd Rafi and Kishore Da
Finally, though I am no great fan of post-1970 songs, let us also discuss the Rafi solo for Film:Pyaar Deewana(1972), composed by Lala Sattar and also lipped by Kishore Kumar. This too is quite a nice composition.
However, one wonders why Rafi Saab was made to sing for Kishore Kumar even in 1972, by which time Kishore Kumar’s singing career had really looked up!
Please hear and enjoy the audio above, and video below!
Important tips for proper assessment and appreciation of the songs:
1.Complete the entire buffering and then only listen!
2. Listen to each complete song at least twice, to get a complete feel!
Shall be grateful for comments.
February 10th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
well i like reading this article but i want to say something!!!!!!!!!!! as u have written than rafi saheb have sung more than 6 songs for kishore da, very true as a matter of fact kishore da was very busy those days (acting & singing) that he didn’t got time to sing all the songs. well just leave this stuff and in my opinion it’s very bad to compare them both are gems of india.
thanx
January 28th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
When I was young,my “Ustad” was Yesudasji from whose state
I belongs to.His voice really made me mad.At that time I did not
know any other singer and I did not want to replace him.
Years passed.I could get a chance to hear a song of Rafi Saab
and that made me to change the entire taste of my music.Also
I found from some of the interviews of Yesudasji that Rafi Saab
is his “Manasik Guru”.Like that I have seen so many play back
singers that Rafi saab is their Idol.So I felt in play back singing
Rafi Saab is the “Ustadom ke Ustad”.
If I need to hear a Qawwali Rafi Saab’s is the best.So is patriotic
songs,Bajans,Classicals,melodies,high pitch songs,sad songs,childrens songs,duets,wedding songs etc.As far as open
air programme is concerned,I could not hear a singer singing
a song like “Oh duniyake Rakwaale” other than Rafi Saab.In a duet song if Rafi Saab
singing in the later stanzas,it gives me such a happiness that
i am waiting for a great thing to happen.
If I am happy on these above, why should I think for another
singer other than “Mohammed Rafi Saab” who is having a special
place in the hearts of millions of his fans across the world.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE RESPECT FOR ALL AS A GOOD HUMAN BEING AND ALWAYS RECOGNISED AND GRATEFUL TO OTHERS WORK WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION.
BIMAN BARUAH
SIVASAGAR, ASSAM
January 25th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Kishorefan and Vikas Sharma; Nice to see you guys speaking cool wisdom here (unlike many of the so-called Kishore fans who abuses the other mastroes as if they were criminals or something)
January 25th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
dear fans,
we should not compare two great singers,mohd rafi is the gift of God to bollywood.
I think KK had best songs with LP.I think Lp gave songs in 1970’s to mohd rafi when other singer mostly was not able to sing that songs(as I think)P from LP when be asked do u make songs as singers the answer was yes we make songs the way singer should be able to sing it but when the singer is Mohd rafi,Lata and asha jest we make the song because they will able to sing it any way we made it…
Kk is great be great i am a Mohd rafi fan and Lata ji.
as I think if KK used Mohd rafi for playback as did by shammi kapoor today KK was know better actor than a singer(as I think)
January 24th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Aseer Saab,
The song no.s 2, 4, 5, 6 ,7 and 8 (6 songs) in your list are definitely the ones wherein Rafi Saab lent his voice for KK. Similarly, song no.s 3 and 9 also appear to be true, though a bit uncertain still. Song no.s 10 and 11 seem unlikely.
Incidentally, a couple of corrections. Song no. 4 is not a Rafi solo but is a Rafi-Asha duet. Similarly, song no. 7 is also a Rafi-Lata duet and not a Rafi solo. It starts with Lushka Lushka Lushka….
All the same, many thanks for the new inputs.
Venkat
January 24th, 2008 at 2:47 am
Rafi sahab sang over 20 songs for kk i have a list of 11 of them. i am posting it
1. Chori chori ana na khidki tale tum
Singers:Rafi-Asha
Film:Miss Mala (1954)
MD: Chitragupt
(This song appears twice in the film, once on some other actor
and
Vaijayantimala. At the end of the film mukhada of this song is filmed
on Kishore-vaijayantimala)
2. Hume Koi Ghum Hai
Singers:Rafi-Asha
Film: Bhagam Bhag (1956)
MD: OP
(Rafi’s voice is used for both Kishore Kumar & Bhagwan)
3. Dil Diya daulat Ko
Singers:S D Batish-Rafi
Film: Bhagam Bhag (1956)
MD: OP
4. Maseeha Ban Ke Beemaron ka- Chale Ho Kaha karake Ji Bekrar
Singers:S D Batish-Rafi
Film: Bhagam Bhag (1956)
MD: OP
5. Man Mora Bawara
Singer:Rafi
Film: Ragini (1958)
MD: OP
6. Ajab Hai dasta teri Ae Zindagi (Part I and Part II)
Singer:Rafi
Film: Shararat (1959)
MD: SJ
7. Tu Mera copyright
Singer:Rafi
Film: Shararat (1959)
MD: SJ
8. Apni adat hai sabko salam karana
Singer: Rafi
Film: Pyar Diwana(1972)
MD: Lala-Sattar
9. Main iss masoom chehre ko
Singers: Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur
Film: Baghi Shehzada(1964)
MD: Bipin
10. Bin paise har khel hai jhootha
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Rafi, Asha, Lata
Film: Paisa hi Paisa(1956)
MD: Anil Biswas
11. Aye wadiye kashmir
Singer: Rafi
Film: Ladka Ladki(1966)
MD: Madan Mohan
regards
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I am a Great Rafisaab fan and I will always see Rafisaab as the best singer the industry has ever had. For me k.k was not as talented in singing as rafisaab was, however, k.k had his own talents and therefore should be credited for that and not always being compared to rafisaab. rafisaab will always be the greatest singer in hindi playback singing! so, all fans out there just follow your heart and respect and appreciate the one that you love.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
typo:,,,
the 4th line from below should read ” they both were great competitors”
and not “contributors” (rafi and kishore)
thanks,
binu nair.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:31 am
iam posting song from ragini please watch kishoreda singing rafisaabs song(man mora banwara kishore da insisted rafisaab should sing this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoIfiXmOzHI
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 am
Back to this VERY INTERESTING topic. The first Rafi song on Kishore I saw was Apni Adat. Amazed at how well Rafi suited Kishore Kumar! Being so familiar with Kishore’s voice - I thought it’d look out of place to put another voice on his face. Amazing! That has to be among my favorite sights in HF. Rafi’s versatility had no limits - whether it came to suiting actors or songs. As cliche as this is - it is proven again and again every single time. He perfectly adapted his rendition for the actor in mind. Rafi Sahab is being playful and comic just like Kishore for “Hame Koi Gham Hai” ; “O Meri Maina” ; “Apni Adat”. Yes, I had waited years to see that picturization and thanks to mohanflora sahab at hf - I did. These videos / songs were not easy to find so I thank venkat ji for bring attention to them. They are indeed rare diamonds that should not go lost.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
ref #8 - yes binu ji - you can be respectful & fond of someone AND also be able to **respectfully** raise an objection as kishore did about lp giving rafi the best songs. it is no secret that lp’s favorite was rafi. consider that for 23 long years kishore struggled to make it big in the cruelly competitive & whimsical hf industry and finally he does. at the same time - rafi sahab (who worked his way up too) - is revered by the greatest mds that ever lived. so after all that, surely you can’t blame kishore for being watchful of his career and tunes given to him. i doubt kishore was asking for too much - there were probably just a fraction of tunes that he really liked and wanted to sing himself. doesn’t this ALWAYS happen among singers (and often times it isn’t as clean as it was with kishore). put yourself in the other singer’s perspective and not always that of a rafian!
ref #12: yes venkat ji you are correct on both accounts. just the clarify - the second letter is NOT an m as it is for someone else.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
kk always knew dat he was nanha munna bachha in comparison to rafi sahab.. kk surely wud b feeling proud after all these renditions of rafi sahab
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Kishore Fan,
Your line about ‘90% of posts’ makes me think that you and I frequently meet elsewhere! Does your name/ID there start with an ‘M’, by any chance?
Let this pass, if you do not wish to reply!
Venkat
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
mausouki ko jis shakz parr naaz hai
jannat se aayi hui wo haseen awaaz hai.
sukoon miltha hai dil ko teri awaaz se
mid jaathe hain saare gham tere muskaan se
aap ki awaaz mein hain wo sehr
wallah zehr se bhi meta hain is ka asar
aap ke beghair adhoori thi ,shahane mousiki
aap ki awaaz ne kardiya is khale ko puri
jis kaan mein padi teri awaaz
us dil ko kar diya pak baaz
tu shaheen hai, basera hai, muasiki ki duniya mein
na tha , na hai koyi humsaya, is maidan mein
tuje rab ne nawaza tha is khaas fun se
bus tu ghatha tha har geet ko pure mann se
zamaana guzar jayega sadiyaan bheent jaayengi
na kabhi mid jayenge teri awaaz ke ghun is jahan se
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Well said post 6
Infact there are many songs both the legends could have sung but some are most suited for rafi sahab where it has classic touch or for that matter nafrat ki duniya kind of song.
anyone we appreciate ur comments
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:01 am
ref #2 - hussein sheik - why can’t rafi & kishore fans get along? with self discipline in being clear about what is subjectively personal and what is absolute - they should be able too! for example, if a kishore fan doesn’t care for classical songs (sort of like me) - he should just say that another singer being better suited for classical fans is irrelevant to this particular fan as he cares only for pop songs etc. given how great & accomplished both artists were - there is never a reason to put down one’s ability to raise the other (and luckily that has not happened here).
ref # 5 vikas sharma: the rare diamonds series is about RARE songs - rafi - kishore duets were often very high profile & famous so they are not as rare. in any case - i want to talk more about that subject later.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Post:No.6..
Dear kishore fan: this website is doing fine work and many
fans and sigers of kishore kumar saaab do visit here….
they have praised this website many a times.
herein, i would not contest few things as i know very well that
rafi saab and kishore kumar shared a great friendship and many
times KK would call rafi for recordings, due to this.
but, both were great contributors and KK would often complain to
L & P that : “good songs u always give to him”, meaning rafi.
it would be nice to know ur name : kishore fan….
binu nair…. the rafi foundation…
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 am
Yes, I agree, Kishorefan, that actually only the two solos from Shararat (Ajab Hai Dastaan) and Raagini (Man Mora Banwra) did really need Rafi Saab to sing for Kishore.
Thanks for your post.
Venkat
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:03 am
Always enjoy reading 90% your posts & articles, Venkatji. Thank you. This article is part of the 90% and please keep up the series
Hopefully Rafi fans will admit that many compositions did not make use (hence did not require) the **FULL** ability of maestro Mohammed Rafi Sahab. Extreme example “Nothing Is Impossible”. Legends like Rafi & Kishore should not have been asked to sing that. “Man Mawra Banwara” and “Ajab Hai Dasatan” required Rafi Sahab’s unique abilities - so I can understand if MDs used Rafi for Kishore on that song. However, the remaining songs of Rafi on Kishore - did not require the FULL abilities of Rafi Sahab and THEREFORE would have done just as well if rendered by Kishore. Of course Rafians will prefer a Rafi rendition because his voice is closest to their hearts but that is subjective and to one’s personal choices and a Kishore or Mukesh fan would feel similarly. This subjectivity is only lost out of reasonable range when you’re talking about a song like “Mera Naina Sawan Bhadon” (I love Kishore - but this was for Rafi & only Rafi) or something like “Tere Mere Sapne”.
Coming to my point, MDs like SJ were too too biased in favor of Rafi for a song like “O Mere Maina” by having the maestro sing the 3rd stanza. It wasn’t needed - Kishore could have definitely sang that part himself. The same for “Hame Koi Gham Hai” and “Apni Adat” (latter was a simple song to sing). Clearly the MDs had a blind eye for Kishore Kumar during that time which is unfortunate. Rafi fans should not use songs like “O Meri Maina” or “Apni Adat” to suggest Kishore couldn’t render them and so they needed Rafi. It was more about MDs underestimating Kishore Kumar than about musical ability. Or in one case it was KK showing up late and OPN punishing him by having Rafi.
Binu Nair is a good man - I genuinely appreciate his hard work on the Rafi foundation and his enthusiasm for Rafi Sahab. But Rafi fans - please don’t hold it against Kishore for being a Rafi fan. Many times if KK referred a song to Rafi Sahab - it was more about of love, respect, and humility with regards to his co-singers than him not being able to sing the song himself. He could have successfully rendered those songs himself and during his peak wave - good bad or whatever (subjective to fan’s choices) - they would have been huge hits. If anyone (I say this in general terms - no specific target or instance - this is a GREAT web page) were to take advantage of Kishore’s love & respect for Rafi - it would deeply upset Rafi Sahab himself.
Venkatji - please continue with your articles. As a Kishore fan I have NO complaints or anything - just a healthy discussion of legends. I only posted this to express a few of my thoughts that you reminded me of. Thanks.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:36 pm
i m a die hard rafi sahib fan but i m a great kishore da fan also and i would have rather appreciated an article discussing the great chemistry between rafi sahib and kishore da in great unimaginable songs that they have sung together.MY HEART REALLY STARTS TO BEAT WHEN I IMAGINE BOTH THE LEGENDS STANDING TOGETHER AND SINGING IN FRONT OF THE MIKE IT IS A FEELING THAT CAN BEST BE DEFINED LIKE THE SONG BY RAFI SAHIB AND LATA JI “DO SITARO KA ZAMEEN PAAR HAI MILAN AAJ KI RAAT”
THE PLACES WHERE RAFI SAHIB AND KISHORE DA SANG TOGETHER ARE THE PLACES OF WORSHIP FOR THE MUSIC LOVERS LIKE ME OH WHAT A GREAT AND MINDBLOWING COMPOSITIONS THEY HAVE SUNG TOGETHER LIKE
1. MERE DILDAR KA BAAKPAAN ALLAH-ALLAH
2 . BANE CHAHE DUSHMAN ZAMANA HAMARA
3. EK RAASTA DO RAHI EK CHOR EK SEPAHI
4. MILE JO KADI KADI
5. HUM TUMHE APNE HE RAANG MAIN RAANG DALENGE EK HE PAAL MAIN
6.AMAR-AKBAR -ANTHONY
AND HUNDRED OF OTHER MINDBLOWING SONGS
OH WHAT A GREAT CHEMISTRY THE TWO PHENOMENONS OF INDIAN FILM PLAYBACK SINGING RAFI SAHIB AND KISHORE DA SHARED WITH EACH OTHER.
I REALLY SALUTE TO BOTH OF THEM COZ THEY ARE THE GREATEST ARTISTS THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN AND WE ALL INDIANS ARE PROUD TO HAVE BOTH THE LEGENDS SERVING THERE MOTHERLAND SO WONDERFULLY
LONG LIVE THE MEMORIES AND VOICES OF RAFI SAHIB AND KISHORE DA
January 21st, 2008 at 10:04 pm
ref post 3:
arshad bhai is right. the film must have been made in the 60s and released later in 1972. Kishore da might have been going through a series of flops and asking Rafi saab to sing for him was natural. Anyway, he was always the no. 1 rafian.
I want to share with you a clip from Bhagambhag where Rafi saab and Kishore da sang together under op’s baton. Please read the comments of the viewers; very interesting. How I wish Rafi saab appeared on screen with his chhota bhai on screen just for this song!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:28 pm
the film Pyar Deewana though released in 1972 must have got its release delayed. The setting in the song and the faces of the lead pair confirn that the song must have been picturised in the mid 60’s.Furthermore the MD is a lessor known Lala Sattar.Rafisaab must have agreed to sing the song for a token fee.
The song itself is nice and catchy and definitely of the mid 60’s.
ARSHAD HUSSAIN
January 21st, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Interesting article, songs mentioned are so nice. I am sure KK fans are not happy with this article, but fact is fact. Rafi Saheb, a true Bharat ka Ratna.
melodiousrafi@yahoo.com
January 21st, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Dear Mr Venkatadiji,
1.-What a nice topic and collection you chose and presented…just superb..my compliments..Rafi saahab was just great..MDs have tried all sorts of experiments through Rafi Sahab..& Rafi Sahab did full justice.
2.-A song from SHARARAT was extremely emotional in the film and
touched the hearts of the audience while watching the movie in a theatre.
3.-Enjoyed your all the articles.
Regards;
SHRIRANG NAWATHE