Mohammed Rafi

Rafi grew up in a village near Amritsar in Punjab. His talent was noticed early, and he was trained in classical music.

Where did he grow up?

• He was born on 24 December 1924 in Kotla Sultan Singh, near Amritsar.
• His parents were Hajji Ali Mohammed and Allah Rakhi.
• A fakir, or wandering holy man, used to sing for alms in his lane. The boy followed the tunes from a distance.
• His home was orthodox. Music and singing were frowned upon there.
• At the age of nine, he moved to Lahore to work in the family business.

How was his talent found?

• Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo once went for a haircut. A young helper there was singing Waris Shah’s Heer.
• Mattoo liked the voice and invited the boy to audition at Radio Lahore. He passed easily.
• Mattoo then trained him in classical music.
• In 1937, Rafi sang at an exhibition in Lahore. The singer K.L. Saigal was in the audience.
• Saigal predicted that Rafi would one day become a great singer.
• Music director Shyam Sunder later brought him into films. His first film song was for the Punjabi film Gul Baloch.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Kotla Sultan Singh boy, Lahore haircut, Gul Baloch start”. The village, the lucky break and the first film go together.

Rafi moved to Bombay in the 1940s. His first Hindi film song was a chorus line. His duet in Jugnu made him a star.

What was his first Hindi film song?

• Actor-producer Nazeer paid Rafi Rs 100 and a train ticket from Lahore to Bombay.
• Rafi sang in the chorus of Hindustan Ke Hum Hain, from Pehle Aap (1944). Naushad composed it.
• Naushad had the chorus wear heavy military shoes to give a marching beat.
• Some people say his first Hindi film song was in Gaon Ki Gori (1945) instead.
• Naushad gave him his first solo in Anmol Ghadi (1946).

What made him a star?

• The duet Yahan badla wafa ka with Noor Jehan, in Jugnu (1947), made him a new star.
• After Mahatma Gandhi was killed in 1948, he sang the tribute Suno suno ae duniya walo.
• Suhani raat dhal chuki, from Dulari (1949), was a big hit.
• Through the 1950s he built his place at the top.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Pehle Aap = first chorus, Anmol Ghadi = first solo, Jugnu = star”. Three films mark three steps.

Rafi could sing almost any kind of song. He could also change his voice to suit the actor on screen.

What kinds of songs did he sing?

• He sang classical pieces, patriotic songs and sad songs.
• He sang romantic songs, qawwalis, ghazals and bhajans.
• A qawwali is a devotional song sung in a group. A ghazal is a poem set to music. A bhajan is a Hindu devotional song.
• Between 1950 and 1970, he was the most sought-after singer in the Hindi film industry.

How did he match each actor?

• He could mould his voice to the actor’s style. This is called screen adaptability.
• Naushad switched to Rafi as the voice of Dilip Kumar in Deedar (1951).
• Mehboob Khan told Dilip Kumar, “This is your voice.”
• Rafi sang the most songs for Shammi Kapoor. The count is 180.
• He also sang for Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.

Which composers did he work with most?

• He sang 369 songs for Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the most for any composer.
• Shankar-Jaikishan came next with 367 songs. Chitragupt had 261.
• He sang around 203 songs for O.P. Nayyar.
• He sang in Baiju Bawra (1952) and Pyaasa (1957). Those films showed his range.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Rafi = many moods, many heroes”. Shammi Kapoor got 180 songs and Laxmikant-Pyarelal 369.

Rafi won many honours and also had a famous quarrel with Lata Mangeshkar. He died on 31 July 1980.

What honours did he win?

• He won six Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer, and one National Film Award.
• The National Award came for Kya Hua Tera Wada, in 1977.
• The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri.
• Sources differ on the year of the Padma Shri, so exams rarely hinge on it.
• India Post issued a stamp on him in 2016. It was part of the Legendary Singers of India series. Each stamp was of 500 paise.

What was the quarrel with Lata Mangeshkar?

• The two fell out over royalty on songs. Royalty is a share of the money a song earns.
• Lata wanted singers to get royalty. Rafi felt a singer should not ask once the fee was paid.
• The two stopped singing duets together for some years. Sources give different spans.
• During this time Lata sang with Mahendra Kapoor, and Rafi sang with Suman Kalyanpur.

How did his life end?

• He died on 31 July 1980 after a heart attack.
• He had recorded a song for Laxmikant-Pyarelal for the film Aas Paas around then.
• More than 10,000 people are reported to have attended his funeral.

What is the memory hook?

Think “six Filmfare, one National, one quarrel”. The awards and the Lata royalty row are the main points.

Which traps repeat?

• Rafi was a playback singer, not a composer.
• He was born in 1924 and died in 1980.
• His first Hindi film song is usually given as the chorus in Pehle Aap (1944), composed by Naushad.
• The duet with Noor Jehan in Jugnu (1947) made him a star.
• Six Filmfare Awards came for Best Male Playback Singer. The National Award came for Kya Hua Tera Wada.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1924 to 1980, Pehle Aap, Jugnu, six Filmfare”. Four marks cover most questions.