Mohd. Rafi

Music Home >> Music Genres >> Undetermined Music



< < < < < > > > > > More Info on Mohd. Rafi Similar Undetermined Music Search Artistopia

Biography

Mohammad Rafi ( , Hindi : ??????? ???; December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980), was a popular India n playback singer . He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer|National Film Award and 6 Filmfare Awards . In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India .

Rafi sang 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980. His singing career spanned about 35 years, and he is noted for his ability to sing songs of different moods and varities: his songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwali s to ghazals and bhajans . He is best known for romantic and duet songs, which he playback sings with the technique to mould the voice according to characters of the actor on the screen.

Rafi is primarily noted for his songs in Hindi-Urdu , over which he had a strong command. He also sang in other Indian languages including Konkani language|Konkani , Bhojpuri , Oriya language|Oriya , Punjabi language|Punjabi , Bengali language|Bengali , Marathi language|Marathi , Sindhi language|Sindhi , Kannada , Gujarati language|Gujarati , Telugu language|Telugu , Maghi, Maithili language|Maithili and Assamese language|Assamese . He also recorded a few songs in foreign languages such as English language|English , Persian language|Persian , Spanish language|Spanish and Dutch language|Dutch .

Early years and background

Mohammed Rafi was the second youngest of six sons. His father, Hajji Ali Mohammad and family lived in Kotla Sultan Singh , a village near Amritsar in Punjab (British India) . Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, began singing by imitating the chants of a fakir in his village. Rafi's father moved to Lahore in the 1920s where he ran a men's salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate Lahore.His elder brother, Mohammad Deen, had a friend, Abdul Hameed, (future brother-in-law), who spotted the talent in Rafi in Lahore and encouraged him to sing. Abdul Hameed later convinced the family elders to let Rafi move to Mumbai. He accompanied to Mumbai in 1944.

Rafi learnt Indian Classical Music|classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan , Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan , Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.
His first public performance came at the age of 13, when he sang in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal . In 1941, Rafi, under Shyam Sunder, made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet "Soniye nee, Heeriye nee" with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi language|Punjabi film Gul Baloch (the film was released in 1944). In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio Lahore station to sing for them.
He made his professional debut in the Shyam Sunder-directed 1941 Punjabi film Gul Baloch and the earliest debut in Mumbai film was Gaon Ki Gori in 1945.

In Mumbai

In 1944, Rafi moved to Mumbai (then Bombay). He and his future brother-in-law rented a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. During this time, poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to film producers including Abdur Rashid Kardar , Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer. Shyam Sunder was in Mumbai and provided the opportunity to Rafi to sing a duet with GM Durrani, ‘Aji dil ho qaabu mein to dildar ki aisi taisi…’, for Gaon Ki Gori, which became Rafi’s first recorded song in a Hindi film. Other songs followed. http://www.rafisongs.org/2007/07/21/78616/the-king-of-melody-mohammed-rafi/index.html Rafi also had brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he sang Tera Jalwa as a part of the chorus.

In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi had overnight created the song ‘Suno suno ae duniyawalon, Bapuji ki amar kahani…’. He was invited by the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru , to sing at the latter's house. In 1948, Rafi received a silver medal from Nehru on the Indian Independence Day. In 1949, Rafi was given solo songs by music directors such as Naushad, ( Chandni Raat , Dillagi and Dulari ) Shyam Sunder ( Bazaar ) and Husnalal Bhagatram ( Meena Bazaar ).

Rafi's first song with Naushad was "Hindustan ke hum hain" with Shyam Kumar, Alauddin and others, from A. R. Kardar's Pehle Aap (1944). Around the same time, Rafi recorded another song for the 1945 film Gaon ki Gori , "Aji dil ho kaaboo mein". He considered this song his first Hindi language song.

Rafi also appeared in two movies. In 1945, Rafi appeared on the screen for the song "Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha" in the film Laila Majnu . He sang a number of songs for Naushad as part of the chorus, including "Mere sapnon ki rani, Roohi Roohi" with K. L. Saigal from the film Shahjahan (1946). Rafi sang "Tera Khilona Toota Balak" from Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and a duet with Noor Jehan in the 1947 film Jugnu , "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka". Following the Partition of India , Rafi decided to stay in India and had his family flown to Mumbai. Whereas Noor Jahan migrated to Pakistan and made a pair with playback singer Ahmed Rushdi .

Rafi was highly influence by the singers of that time like K. L Saigal, Talat Mehmood and, most notably, by G. M. Durrani - on whose style he based his singing. He sung with his idol in some of the songs such as " Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai (Hum Sab Chor Hain, 1956) http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=j_8DGgVBV8g and " Khabar Kisi ko Nahiin, woh kidhar Dekhte (Beqasoor, 1950), http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=IScyIsMTygM etc.

Recording career

He associated with many music directors of his time, most notably Naushad . In the late 1950s and 1960s, Rafi worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar , Shankar Jaikishan and Sachin Dev Burman|S.D. Burman , although his renditions for the movie Taj Mahal (1963) composed by Roshan , grandfather of Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan , marked the pinnacle of his brilliant career.

; Association with Naushad

As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father.
Rafi’s first song for Naushad was "Hindustan ke hum hain" ("We belong to Hindustan") for the film Pehle Aap in 1944. The first song for the duo was the soundtrack of the movie Anmol Ghadi (1946). Before Rafi, Naushad’s favorite singer was Talat Mahmood . Once Naushad found Talat smoking during a recording. He was annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra .

Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema. Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952 film)|Baiju Bawra (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat Hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials. Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.

In the 1960 film Mughal-E-Azam , Mohammed Rafi sang the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad", composed by Naushad, with a chorus of 100 singers.

; Association with S D Burman
S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt . Rafi worked with Burman in movies like Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Tere Ghar ke Saamne (1962), Guide (film)|Guide (1965), Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana (1969), and Abhimaan (1973 film)|Abhimaan (1973). S. D. Burman was also another music director besides Naushad who used Rafi prolifically to sing for most of his songs.

; Association with Shankar-Jaikishan

Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was a partnership in the Hindi film industry. Under Shankar-Jaikishan, Rafi produced some of his songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar . Out of six Filmfare awards, Rafi won three for S-J songs, viz., "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko", "Baharon phool barsao", and "Dil ke jharokhe mein". The song "Yahoo& #33; Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe" was sung by Rafi, only to be matched a fast-paced orchestra and a composition by Shankar Jaikishan. S-J made Rafi give playback for Kishore Kumar in the film Shararat ("Ajab hai daastan teri yeh zindagi"). Rafi sang a total of 341 numbers (216 solo) for Shankar-Jaikishan. Among the films of this combination, are Basant Bahar , Professor , Junglee , Suraj , Brahmachari , An Evening in Paris , Dil Tera Deewana , Yakeen , Prince , Love in Tokyo , Beti Bete , Dil Ek Mandir , Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai , Gaban (1966 film)|Gaban and Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai .

; Association with Ravi

Rafi got his first Filmfare Best Male Playback Award|Filmfare Award for the title song of Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), composed by Ravi (music director)|Ravi . He got National Film Awards|National Award for the song "Babul Ki Duaen Leti Ja" from the film Neel Kamal (1968 film)|Neel Kamal (1968), also composed by Ravi. Rafi actually wept during the recording of this song. He, himself, admitted this in his interview to BBC in 1977.

Ravi and Rafi produced several other songs, in the films China Town (1962 film)|China Town (1962), Kaajal (1965), and Do Badan (1966).

; Association with Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan was another composer whose favorite singer was Rafi. Rafi's first solo with Madan Mohan in Ankhen (1950), "Hum ishq mein barbad hain barbad rahenge". They teamed up to produce many songs including "Teri Aankhon ke Siva", "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" and "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho".

; Association with O. P. Nayyar

Rafi and O. P. Nayyar created music in the 1950s and 1960s. O. P. Nayyar was once quoted as saying "If there had been no Mohd. Rafi, there would have been no O. P. Nayyar".
He and Rafi created many songs together including "Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan". He got Rafi to sing for singer-actor Kishore Kumar – "Man mora baawara" for the movie Raagini . Later, Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in movies such as Baaghi , Shehzaada and Shararat . O. P. Nayyar used Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs. The team created many songs in early 1950s and 1960s for movies such as Naya Daur (1957 film)|Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957 film)|Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). Rafi sang a total of 197 numbers (56 solo) for Nayyar.
The song "Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast" and the title song "Yun to humne lakh hansee dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" of the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha . They were followed by songs like "Taareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya" from Kashmir ki Kali .

Rafi and OP had a fallout during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata", as disclosed by OP during one of his interviews. In the interview, he says, "Throughout my career, I have been famous for my punctuality. Rafi had given me a time for recording a song from Saawan Ki Ghata. The musicians were all set. Rafi came late for that recording and said, “Sorry, I was stuck up in Shankar- Jaikishan’s recording.” I said, “You had given me the time by your choice. So I gather, you have time for Shankar- Jaikishan and not for O.P. Nayyar. Now onwards, O.P.Nayyar will not have time for Rafi.” I cancelled the recording in front of shell shocked musicians and told the accountant to charge the expenses for the cancelled session to my account!
After three years, Rafi came to my house crying like a baby. I also broke down. Both of us touched each other’s feet. I said, “Rafi, by coming here today you proved that you are much greater than O.P. You could overcome your ego. I could not!”
He often used to sing – Yuun To Humne Laakh Sangeetkaar Dekhe Hai, O.P.Nayyar Sa Nahi Dekha& #33; (I have seen many a composer but never one like O.P.Nayyar!) He also used to tell me, “Your music could turn a eunuch into a he-man!”

; Association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal

The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) also patronized Rafi as one of their singers, right from their very first film, Parasmani (1963). Both Rafi and L-P won the Filmfare Award s for the song "Chahoonga main tujhe saanjh savere" from Dosti (1964). Rafi rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal: a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P.

Once, when composer Nisar Bazmi (who had migrated to Pakistan ) didn’t have enough money to pay him, Rafi charged a fee of one rupee and sang for him. He also helped producers financially. As Laxmikant (of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo) once observed – “He always gave without thinking of the returns”.

Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in Bollywood. He sang for many male stars in Hindi films. In 1965, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Sri award. Rafi recorded two Hindi songs in English on 7" release in 1968. He also sang a song in Creole language|Creole while on his visit to Mauritius in the late 1960s. Rafi recorded two English albums as well. One of them is Pop Hits .
; Association with his Contemporary Singers

Rafi associated with several of his contemporaries, singing duets with them and sometimes for them (as in case of Kishore Kumar who was also an actor).
Rafi sang the maximum number of duets with Asha Bhonsle (female), Manna Dey (male) and Lata Mangeshkar (female).
For the song “Man mora bawra” in the film Ragini , Kishore Kumar requested Rafi to sing this song for him because this song was a semi classical and Kishore Kumar said that "Rafi Sahab can sing this song better than me". Rafi sang the song. The song “Ajab hay dastan teri aey zindagi” was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half ofantara but in the second half, he faced some trouble and after many retakes, he was unable to give the effect that Shankar Jaikishan wanted, and finally the song was given to Rafi to sing.
In the song "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar Kya Karein" (Amar, Akbar, Anthony), Mohd Rafi sang with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh - all in one song. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song.. Zee News. 31 July 2008.
; Singing career in other languages

Rafi sang several hit songs in Chris Perry (musician)|Chris Perry 's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro . http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=htcoy6snXJA

Controversies

Royalty issue

In 1962-1963, the popular female playback singer Lata Mangeshkar raised the issue of playback singers' share in the royalties . Recognizing Rafi's position as the leading male playback singer, she wanted him to back her in demanding a half-share from the 5 percent song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. Lata's contention was that, there was no way producers and music directors could deny this singing duo, one-half share in that 5 percent song royalty to the composer. Rafi's stated that his claim on the filmmaker ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song. After that, if the film proved a hit, the filmmaker was welcome to keep the Gramco (HMV) royalty he earned from it. Lata viewed his stand as a stumbling block on the royalty issue and this subsequently led to differences between the two. During the recording of "Tasveer Teri Dil Mein" ( Maya , 1961 ), Lata argued with Rafi over a certain passage of the song. Rafi felt belittled, as music director Salil Chowdhury sided with Lata. The situation worsened when Lata Mangeshkar declared that she would no longer sing with Rafi. Rafi stated that he was only so keen to sing with Lata as she was with him. Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.

Guiness World Records

During his last years, Rafi was involved in a controversy over Lata Mangeshkar's introduction in to the Guinness Book of World Records . In a letter dated June 11, 1977 to the Guinness Book of World Records, Rafi had challenged the claim that Lata Mangeshkar has recorded the maximum number of songs ("not less than 25,000" according to Guinness). After receiving a reply from Guinness, in a letter dated November 20, 1979, he wrote: "I am disappointed that my request for a reassessment vis-a-vis Ms Mangeshkar's reported world record has gone unheeded.".
In an interview to BBC recorded in Nov 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then.
After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of Word Records gave Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings" but also stated: "Mohammad Rafi (d 1 Aug 1980) claimed to have recorded 28,000 songs in 11 Indian languages between 1944 and April 1980."
According to the available figures, Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.
The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were later removed in 1991.

Early 1970s

In early 1970s, Rafi recorded fewer songs At the same period Kishore Kumar 's popularity increased due to the songs he sang for the film Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana . The music for Aradhana was composed by S. D. Burman , and he had used Rafi as the male playback voice for the first two recorded duets, "Baaghon Mein Bahaar Hai" and "Gunguna Rahen Hain Bhanwre". After these two recordings, S. D. Burman fell ill and his son and assistant, R. D. Burman , took over the recordings. R. D. Burman got Kishore Kumar to sing the solos "Roop Tera Mastana" and "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani".

During 1971-1973, Rafi's musical output decreased; however, he did sing several songs. Some of Rafi's songs of the early 1970s were with music directors like Laxmikant Pyarelal , Madan Mohan , R. D. Burman and S. D. Burman . These include "Tum mujhe Yun Bhula na Paoge" (a signature song of Rafi in 1971) from Pagla Kahin Ka , "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" from Heer Ranjha (1970), "Jhilmil Sitaron ka" from Jeevan Mrityu (a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, 1970), "Gulabi Aankhen" from The Train (1970 film)|The Train (1970), "Yeh Jo Chilman Hain" and "Itna to Yaad Hain Mujhe" from Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971), "Mera mann tera pyasa" Gambler , "Chalo Dildar Chalo" from 1972 released Pakeezah , "Chura Liya Hain Tumne" from Yaadon Ki Baarat (a duet with Asha Bhosle, 1973), "Na tu Zameen Ke liye" from 1973 released Dilip Kumar movie Dastan , "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" from Hanste Zakhm (1973), "teri bindiya re", from Abhimaan (1973 film)|Abhimaan (1973) and "Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai" from Loafer (1973).

Later years

Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in 1974. In 1974, he won the Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974) composed by Usha Khanna .

In 1977, he won both Filmfare Award and the National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the movie Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin , composed by R. D. Burman . Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor in films like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Sargam (1979 film)|Sargam (1979) and Karz (1980). The qawwali " Pardah Hai Pardah " from Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) was a superhit. Rafi's notable renderings in the late 1970s and early 80s include Laila Majnu (1976), Apnapan (1978), Qurbani (1980 film)|Qurbani , Dostana (1980 film)|Dostana (1980), The Burning Train (1980), Naseeb (1981 film)|Naseeb (1981), Abdullah (1980), Shaan (film)|Shaan (1980), Asha (1980), Aap To Aise Na The (1980), Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1982).

In December 1979, he recorded six songs for the Hindi remake of Dilip Sen's Bengali superhit Sorry Madam ; unfortunately the film was never completed due to a personal tragedy in Dilip Sen's life. These songs, written by Kafeel Aazar and composed by Chitragupta, were released digitally in December 2009 by the label Silk Road under the title "The Last Songs". The physical album was released only in India by Universal.

Death

On Thursday, 31 July 1980, Rafi died at 10:50& nbsp;p.m., following a myocardial infarction|heart attack . His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" ( Aas Paas ), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.

Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.
In 2010, his tomb was demolished to make space for new burials. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on 24 December and 31 July, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.

Trivia

Rafi's song from the film Gumnaam (1965), " Jaan Pehechan Ho ", was used on the soundtrack of Ghost World (film)|Ghost World (2001). The film opens with the lead character dancing around in her bedroom to a video of Gumnaam .

His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding . His song "Mera Man Tera Pyasa" ( Gambler , 1970) has been used as one of the soundtracks in the Jim Carrey-Kate Winslet starrer Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). This song is played in the background in Kate Winslet's character's home while the lead pair are having a drink - at approx 00.11.14 runtime .

Several of Rafi's unreleased songs will be used for an upcoming film titled Sorry Madam .

A documentary about Rafi’s life is under production by The Films Division of India .

In the summer of 2008, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra released a double CD entitled Rafi Resurrected comprising 16 songs by Rafi. Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam provided the vocals for this project and toured with the CBSO in July 2008 at venues including the English National Opera in London, Manchester's Apollo Theatre and Symphony Hall, Birmingham .

The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi.

In June 2010, Rafi was voted the most popular playback singer in the OUTLOOK Music Poll, conducted by Outlook (magazine)|Outlook Magazine , along with Lata Mangeshkar. The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" ( Chitralekha , 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song. Three songs were tied for the #2 place of which two were sung by Rafi. The songs were "Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hain" ( Guide , 1965) and "Din Dhal Jaye, hai raat na jaye" ( Guide , 1965). This poll was published in Outlook Magazine. The jury included people in the Indian music industry; Abhijeet, Adesh Srivastava, Alisha Chinai, Anu Malik, Ehsaan, Gulzar, Hariharan, Himesh Reshammiya, Jatin, Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Khayyam, Kumar Sanu, Lalit, Loy, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey, Prasoon Joshi, Rajesh Roshan, Sadhna Sargam, Sameer, Sandesh Shandilya, Shaan, Shankar, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam and Talat Aziz.

In an article in Times of India , Rafi is described as "a versatile singer, who could render classical, rock and roll, indeed any kind of song with ease, he was Hindi film's, favourite male voice through the 1950s and 1960s". Music director Rajesh Roshan, who composed some of the songs with Rafi, remembers him as "a warm-hearted simple person with no ego".

There have been appeals to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)

Classical and playback singer Manna Dey, who was also a contemporary of Rafi said, "Rafi and I could sing everything, and he was such a gentleman. He was a better singer than me, and I will say this - that no one came even close to him& #33; He deserved everything he got& #33; We had a great understanding and it was never about one-upmanship". http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp? pid=28039

Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor said, "I am incomplete without Mohammad Rafi. I used to often go for the recoding of my song, which was sung by Mohammad Rafi, only because I used to like telling him how I would perform on this song on screen so that he can sing it that way. Even he liked my involvement".

|url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/I-am-incomplete-without-Rafi-Shammi/articleshow/6243555.cms
|title=I am incomplete without Rafi: Shammi - The Times of India
|accessdate=2010-12-25
| work=The Times Of India
|deadurl=yes

On 22 September 2007, a shrine to Rafi designed by artist Tasawar Bashir was unveiled on Fazeley Street, Birmingham, UK. Bashir is hoping that Rafi will attain sainthood as a result.

Singers like Shabbir Kumar , Mohammed Aziz , and more recently, Sonu Nigam , made their names by adopting Rafi's style, and perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.. Hindustan Times, 30 July 2009

After his death, seven Hindi movies were dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha , Mard , Coolie , Desh-Premee , Naseeb , Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal .

Over 9000 musical tributes were organized in July 2011 commemorating the 31st anniversary of the singer's death.

Rafi is one of the recording artists mentioned in the 1997 song Brimful of Asha by Cornershop .

List of Songs

See List of Songs by Mohammed Rafi

Personal life

Rafi married twice; his first marriage was to the cousin of his second wife, and took place in his ancestral village. The marriage ended when his in laws and wife migrated to Lahore, Pakistan after partition. Rafi and Abdul Hameed married each one of two sisters in Mumbai in the late 1940's. Rafi had one son from his first marriage and three sons and three daughters from his second marriage with Bilquis in Mumbai. He was very much a family man, following a recording-room, to home, to recording-room itenerary. He never attended film parties, did not smoke or drink, was religious, and was considered a humble man.. He used to perform his riyaz (musical practise) from 3& nbsp;AM to 7& nbsp;AM without fail. His only indulgences were playing carom, badminton, and flying kites.

Awards

; Honorary

1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru , on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.

1967 - Honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India .

1974 - Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974).

2001 - Rafi was honored with the "Best Singer of the Millennium" by Hero Honda and Stardust (magazine)|Stardust magazine . Rafi won with 70% of the votes.

; National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer|National Film Awards

Year	Song	Film	Music director	Lyricist	Result
1977	"Kya Hua Tera Wada"	Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin	Rahul Dev Burman	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Won

; Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer|Filmfare Awards

Year	Song	Film	Music director	Lyricist	Result
1960	"Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho"	Chaudhvin Ka Chand	Bombay Ravi	Shakeel Badayuni	Won
1961	"Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko"	Sasural	Shankar Jaikishan	Shailendra	Won
1961	"Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin"	Gharana	Bombay Ravi	Shakeel Badayuni	Nom
1962	"Aye Gulbadan Aye Gulbadan"	Professor	Shankar Jaikishan	Shailendra	Nom
1963	"Mere Mehboob Tujhe"	Mere Mehboob	Naushad	Shakeel Badayuni	Nom
1964	"Chahunga Main Tujhe"	Dosti	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Won
1965	"Chhoo Lene Do Nazuk Hothon Ko"	Kaajal	Bombay Ravi	Sahir Ludhianvi	Nom
1966	"Baharo Phool Barsao"	Suraj	Shankar Jaikishan	Shailendra	Won
1968	"Dil Ke Jharoke Mein"	Brahmachari	Shankar Jaikishan	Shailendra	Won
1968	"Mein Gaaon Tum Sojaao"	Brahmachari	Shankar Jaikishan	Shailendra	Nom
1969	"Badi Mastani Hai"	Jeene Ki Raah	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi	Nom
1970	"Khilona Jaan Kar"	Khilona	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi	Nom
1973	"Hum Ko To Jaan Se Pyaari"	Naina	Shankar Jaikishan	Hasrat Jaipuri	Nom
1974	"Achha Hi Huva Dil Toot Gaya"	Maa Bahen Aur Biwi	Sharda	Qamar Jalalabadi , Vedpal Varma	Nom
1977	"Kya Hua Tera Wada"	Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin	Rahul Dev Burman	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Won
1977	" Pardah Hai Pardah "	Amar Akbar Anthony	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi	Nom
1978	"Aadmi Musaafir Hai"	Apnapan	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi	Nom
1979	"Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahaar"	Jaani Dushman	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Varma Malik	Nom
1980	"Mere Dost Kissa Yeh"	Dostana	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi	Nom
1980	"Dard-e-dil Dard-e-jigar"	Karz	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi	Nom
1980	"Maine Poocha Chand Se"	Abdullah	Rahul Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi	Nom

; Bengal Film Journalists' Association – Best Male Playback Award|Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Year	Film	Music director	Lyricist	Result
1957	Tumsa Nahin Dekha	O. P. Nayyar	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Won
	Dosti	Laxmikant Pyarelal	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Won
	Arzoo	Shankar Jaikishan	Hasrat Jaipuri	Won

; Sur Sringar Award

Year	Film	Music director	Lyricist	Result
1964	Chitralekha	Roshan		Won

Copyright Citations

This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Mohd. Rafi


1. Mohammed Rafi 2. Rahul Dev Burman

Undetermined Music Artists