Mohammed Rafi

Mohammed Rafi was an extremely popular, Padmashri award winner Indian playback singer who ruled the 1950s to 1970s era in Bollywood. He was born in a village Kotla Sultan Singh, long before Indian attained independence. He was the youngest among six siblings and as a child he started singing chants of a fakir in his village. Later, in Lahore Rafi learnt Hindustani classical music from maestros like Ustab Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan and Firoze Nizami. After rigorous training for few years Rafi gave his first performance at the age of 13 at a concert featuring K. L. Saigal.

This legendary singer made his debut in playback singing under Shyam Sunder with a duet with Zeenat Begam in a Punjabi film Gul Baloch in 1942. In 1944 Rafi moved to Mumbai and started meeting different music directors for work. Initially he got chance as a part of chorus with Naushad. Slowly he started gaining prominence and recorded songs with Naushad and Shyam Sunder. Around 1945, he got married to his cousin Bashira, nicknamed ‘Majhi’ in his village.

Rafi’s association with Naushad helped him become the number one singer in Bollywood. Songs of 1952 film Baiju Bawra became rage among music lovers. In the late 1950s and 60s Rafi was the hot favorite singers of all top composers like O. P. Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan and S. D. Burman. Burman patronized Rafi as the voice of Dev Anand. O. P. Nayyar employed Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs.

Rafi got his first Filmfare Award for the title song of 1960 film Chaudhvin Ka Chand, composed by Ravi. He got his first National Award for the song Babul Ki Duaen Leti Ja from the 1968 film Neel Kamal, also composed by Ravi. In the 1970s Rafi kept a low profile, and the era saw the rise of another legend Kishore Kumar. Rafi made his come back in the 1970s and swept away the Filmfare and National award for the song ‘Kya hua tera wada’ from the 1977 movie Hum Kisi Se Kum Naheen. On Thursday, July, 31, 1980 Mohammed Rafi died following a massive heart attack, leaving millions of his fans drowned in tears. His funeral procession was one of the largest that city of Mumbai had ever witnessed.