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Naushad Remembers Rafi Sahab

Naushad Sahab’s interview telecast on Zee Cinema in August, 1999. Contributed by Mr. Kamal Mustafa on 9th November 2001.

Partial interview of Naushad Sahab telecast on Zee Cinema last year (unfortunately, I couldn’t record it full. I have tried to translate it from Hindi/Urdu, but obviously the charm is lost).

Naushad remembers Rafi SahabDuring the interview, we really know how great Naushad Sahab is and how respectfully refers to the great singers like K.L.Saigal, Noorjahan, Shamshad Begum, Tun Tun, Rafi Sahab etc. though he is the one who brought some of them to light and made them. I am not sure, he must have definitely referred to Lataji during this interview, as she sang some really great songs under his baton.

INTERVIEW :

During this interview Naushad Sahab explains about the unique and original way to make reverb echo when only RCA machine was available. He tells how he made four prints for a particular “Ra Ra Ra Ho…” and recorded one with 75%, second with 50% etc. and keeping a distance of 1 ft., 2 ft., 3 ft. and they were able to make echo. Also he tells about the background music of Aan, when they took it for prints to London, how they were surprised to know that such thing was done in India, using unique techniques.

INTERVIEWER :

You have worked with so many singers, many of whom were made by you, were given first chance by you. Who were the singers, with whom you really enjoyed and you got creative satisfaction working with them.

NAUSHAD ALI :

I have always tried that new singers should be given a chance. There is this girl who came from Delhi and she was in problem, you call her by the name of Uma Devi (Tun Tun). She came and met me and said she wants to sing. So I gave her a chance..

TUN TUN :

He was so awe-inspiring, I used to rever and like him so much, forget singing, I just wanted to see how Naushad Sahab looked and when I saw him, I became his and he became mine.

Song : AFSANA LIKH RAHI HU….

NAUSHAD ALI :

There was a boy Shyam Kumar, who used to bring chairs, tea etc. in the studio. He also had interest in singing. So evening I used to sit with him for rehearsals and train him. Like this, I gave him a chance to sing and he gave nice playback in film DILLAGI (Tu Mera Chand Main Teri Chandni)…

ABOUT MOHD. RAFI :

When Mohammed Rafi Sahab came here, first he came to me with a letter from my father from Lucknow. That time we were making a film “PAHLE AAP” under Kardar Productions. So I asked him to sing something for me and he sang, he was a very frail man for whom I had once said :

EK DIN EK NAUJAWAN GAYAK MUJHE AAYA NAZAR…

JISNE RAUSHAN KAR DIYE SANGEET KE SHAAMO SAHAR…

Rafi was a multi-dimensional singer, he could sing Comedy, Thumri, Dadra, emotional, he used to change tones for Johny Walker.

I used the range of his voice in BAIJU BAORA, when people came to know that his voice can reach such heights.

MOHD AZIZ :

The music of BAIJU BAORA is such, that I feel it will remain immortal for centuries to come. Rafi Sahab became very popular after singing this song.

SONG : O DUNIYA KE RAKHWALE…

NAUSHAD ALI :

Noorjahan also sang for me in Anmol Ghadi. It was nice to work with her, because her voice, and also Shamshad Begum’s voice had great transparency (Interviewer : ek allhadpan) so it was nice working with all of them.

INTERVIEWER :

You have made maximum use of the voice of Shamshad Begum.

NAUSHAD ALI :

Yes, it is true, it is their favour (KARAMFARMAI) that these great singers may not have got any respect by singing my songs, but I definitely got great respect due to their singing of my songs.

SONG : O GAADI WALE GAADI DHEERE HANKH RE….

NAUSHAD ALI :

I would say that when I met Kundan Lal Saigalji, his condition that time was very bad, he used to fall while saying his dialogues. Dr. Latif was his physician, who used to give him injections. But still I consider it my luck that Kundan Lal Saigal, who was the biggest and most famous singer and I believe till date nobody is born like him such was the beauty of his voice. I did SHAHJAHAN with him and the song was “Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya”. During the recording of this song, he used to drink KAALI PAACH (liquor) and loose his senses, like this so many days passed but nothing came out. So I requested him to record the song without KAALI PAACH.

KUNDAN LAL SAIGAL :

“Nahi Nahi Besoora Ho Jayega”

NAUSHAD ALI :

So I told him you just try it, if you don’t like, we will remove it from the film. So he sang that song without KAALI PAACH and we did the recording in first take.

SONG : JAB DIL HI TOOT GAYA….

INTERVIEWER :

You have worked with so many great people, any interesting thing you can recollect.

NAUSHAD SAHAB :

Yes, one incident I would definitely like to tell you. The first movie with Mehboob Sahab was “ANMOL GHADI”…. We were doing rehearsal for “JAWA HAIN MOHABBAT” with Noorjahan. After completion, Mehboob Sahab came and said let me see what you have done. After hearing he gave a few suggestions, to remove a particular piece of music from here and add this there and such suggestions he gave me, which I didn’t like.

During shooting, I reached the studio to inform that the recording was done, when he said you wait here, we are just picturising your song itself. Faridoon Irani was the cameraman. Mehboob Sahab was giving direction, suddenly I thought of a mischief. I said let me see through the camera, how it looks. When I saw, I gave some suggestions to move a particular picture out of the frame and this and that such things. Mehboob Sahab caught me from neck and said, you come out and said “MIYA JAO… JAO… PETI BAJAO… YE KAAM TUMHARA NAHI HAIN…” so I said “YAHI MAIN AAP SE SUNNA CHAHTA THA KI YE KAAM AAP KA HAIN…. WO KAAM MERA HAIN”

Naushad Sahab also talks about his love for poetry.

HASSAN KAMAL :

To satisfy Naushad Sahab is very difficult. Every Lyricist that writes for him knows that for whom he is writing, as the man not only knows the music, but also poetry and the language (Urdu) and he cannot be easily satisfied. But therein is the training for the Lyricist as well. I am really saying that I learned how to write a good song from Naushad Sahab.

In the end, Naushad Sahab gives a message to the new comers that you all are very talented and we have no doubt about that. We couldn’t do even one picture in a year and you people are doing so many films at a time. So if you all are so capable, why don’t you turn to OUR culture, OUR songs and OUR music.

NAUSHAD :

“AAP MANGIYE TO SAHI. AAP HAZRAAT MANGE..… AAP KI AMANAT HAMARE DIMAAGO MEIN MEHFOOZ HAIN… HUM IMAANDARI SE WAPAS KARNE KE LIYE TAYYAR HAIN..”

AWAAZ TO UTHAIYE…

DIL MEIN SOYE HUWE NAGMO KO JAGANA HAIN AGAR…

MERI AWAAZ MEIN AWAAZ MILATE CHALIYE…

THOKARE KHAIYE… PATTHAR BHI HATATE CHALIYE…

AANE WALO KE LIYE RAAH BANATE CHALIYE…

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7 Blog Comments to “Naushad Remembers Rafi Sahab”

  1. noha says:

    rafi saab , or infact any other singer can never even think of singing kl saigals songs.. no body comes close to saigal interms of voice and singing ability.

  2. Saed Javed Rahman says:

    Rafi Saheb unquestionably is the “Singer of the Millineum.There is no parallel of Mohd Rafi Saheb.

  3. J.K. Bhagchandani says:

    Post 4:

    Raj Kumar Santosho ji,

    What a superb write-up! Simply great. I request the moderator of this site to remove this post from here and convert the write-up into a regular article for this sacred site at current location. Or please reproduce the post as regular article without removing from here. The post deserves to be read by all Rafi fans and at its present location will definitely be missed by many.

    -J.K. Bhagchandani

  4. Rafi Sahab – The owner of that sweet, velvety and flexible voice, needs no introduction. This was the very voice that redefined the course of playback singing of Indian Film Music. He broke new grounds, sang songs of all genres, be it soft romantic odes, melancholic outbursts, bhakti filled bhajans, eloquently worded ghazals, classical numbers, soothing lullabies and all. Each song had a stamp of quality – Quality Approved by the Institution of Rafi Sahab. His voice cascaded like the fresh air of salubrious environs over a parched and sweaty piece of dry land. Even 30 years since his abrupt departure from this mortal world, he still holds sway over the mind and heart of music lovers. Be it the common man or the erudite connoisseur, his was the voice that satiated the musical hunger in equal measures. Anunsurpassed feat indeed! It is not as if he had scripted it. It just happened as if it was naturally destined to happen. No doubts or questions about that.

    How does one describe Rafi Sahab and his virtuosity? Divine, Inspiring or Heart captivating? Words fail to encapsulate his persona within the confines of a few pages or the oratorical lexicon of an orator.

    His was an aura that encompassed the world with his passionate singing power. Add to that his divine and endearing smile. A complete man indeed!

    Born on the 24th of the December, 1924 in the village called Kotla Sultan Singh, Rafi Sahab’s childhood was in no way different from other children from the village. A life without care, most of which was spent in playing with his friends in the green fields around his village. Life was really good.

    Then his father decided to relocate to Lahore. Here, RafiSahab was greatly attracted by a fakir who would pass his house singing. Rafi Sahab would follow him and listen to him intently. The fakir would then sit under a tree with hisektara and sing merrily. It was here, that Rafi Sahab’s interest in music was kindled. He started imitating the fakir’s song and soon became quite adept at it. Very soon he became well known in his friends circle as a melodious singer. Here, he had a short stint of training under Waheed Ali Khan Sahab. He further honed his skills under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab. Rafi Sahab was also attending & singing at mehfils and got fame as a melodious and soulful singer.

    Around the same period, music director Sham Sundar heard Rafi Sahab singing at a function. He offered him a chance to sing a duet in a Punjabi film “Gul Baloch” in the year 1942. In 1943, Sham Sundar again gave a chance to Rafi Sahab to sing a chorus backed song in “Gaon ki Gori” with G.M. Durrani. The lines went something like, “Aji dil ho qabu main to dildar ki aisi taise”. This became his first Hindi song in films.

    It was in the year 1945; Rafi Sahab took the momentous decision to move to Bombay. Bombay, the ultimate city of dreams, where millions throng every day, with a dream in their eyes and a desire to net the proverbial pot of gold.Accompanied by his elder brother Hameed bhai, Rafi Sahab embarked on a journey beset with uncertainty and apprehension of the unknown.

    Once in Bombay, they took up residence in a small room at Bhendi Bazar. Hameed Bhai, who played a major role inpromoting Rafi Sahab’s initial career, had procured a recommendation letter from Naushad sahab’s father. The composer heard him and immediately offered him three songs. Of course, none of them was a solo. Undeterred, Rafi Sahab struggled on and waited for that much wanted breakthrough.

    He got his first break in 1946 under the baton of Feroze Nizami. The song was a duet “Yahan badla wafa ka bewafaee ke siva kya hai” with Noorjehan. The song was a great hit and it opened the gates for Rafi Sahab. In Safar, Rafi Sahab sang a beauty under C. Ramchandra “Kehke bhi na aaye tum”. This was Rafi Sahab’s first solo hit. Then he had another hit in Anmol Ghadi “Tera khilona toota” under Naushad.

    In the interim period before stardom struck two songs stood out. Both of them were composed by the gifted composer duo of Husanlal Bhagatram. The first one was that stunner of a song “Is dil ke tukde hazaar hue” from Pyar ki jeet.. The song was a super hit. The second song came under tragic circumstances. In 1948, the country had to endure the trauma off Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The entire nation plunged in a pall of gloom. Tears just wound not stop streaming down the cheeks of a weeping nation. Husanlal Bhagatram gave vent to their feelings with “Suno suno aye duniyo walo bapu ki amar kahani”. Rafi Sahab’s expressive voice depicted the anguish and despair of the distraught people. An entire nation sang in sync with this all time classic. Then Ghulam Haider crafted “watan ki raah main watan ke naujawan shaheed ho”. It embodied the patriotic fervor that had gripped the country at that time. This Rafi hit became a national rage and is till today the most revered as the mother of all patriotic songs.

    Once he achieved the initial breakthrough, Rafi Sahab knew he was within striking distance. But he never lost his focus. He relentlessly pursued his riyaaz with great passion and dedication. These twin qualities stood him in good stead throughout his career and established him as a complete singer. A singer for any season! His discipline and hard work impressed one and all. Add to that, his humble and pious nature! We had a winner at hand!

  5. ali says:

    rafi sahab was a great man

  6. Owais Akram says:

    Grear interview of a great great great man, I can say only one thing for Naushad Sahab that kind of music director will not come again…. I love his music so much that I cant resist my emotions for him … Nashad and Mohammad Rafi … I pray for there souls and may God give them piece…..

  7. Bonifacius says:

    Great article. I am just sad I dont know how to reply properly, though, since I want to show my appreciation like many other.

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