On Rafi saab’s Birthday, take a look on what great people say about him.
“Tu hi tha pyar ka ek saaz Nafrat ki is duniya mein
On Rafi’s death Naushad sahab remarked,
ganimat thi teri awaz, nafrat ki is duniya mein.”
“Kehta hai koi dil gaya, dilbar chala gaya
Saahil pukarta hai, samundar chala gaya
Lekin jo baat sach hai, woh kehta nahin koi
Duniya se mausiqui ka paembar chala gaya !!!
OP Nayyar (Music director)
“He earned respect and his popularity touched the sky. The magic of his voice enthralled the whole world. His popularity, respect and wealth all increased tremendously, yet he always remained modest. Like a fruit-bearing tree, the more he fructified, the more he bent in front of the world. His heart was filled with fear of God and the love for truth. Generosity and altruism were part of his system. God and truth were the only sources of inspiration for him. And he always used to say Tum yahan jaisa karoge waisa bharoge”
“I loved Mohammed Rafi. His death was a big loss to me. When I composed for Shammi Kapoor or Johnny Walker, he managed to sound like them. He sang so many wonderful songs for me. Rafi miyan was a wonderful person. Nobody can ever be compared to him.”
Lata Mangeshkar (singer)
“A man of unassuming temparament, Rafi Sahab was very melodious. It’s my good fortune that I sang the maximum number of duets with him. He sang every kind of song so brilliantly that even those listeners not very conversant with music, would spontaneously break into appreciative wahs – wahs. Singers like Rafi Sahab aren’t born everyday.”
Asha Bhosle (singer)
“His greatest ability was that he could sing at a high pitch and shift to a low pitch immediately. He could manage that very well. One of his songs which I love is Suhani raat dhal chuki.”
Johny Walker (actor)
“Rafi Sahab was such a dedicated singer that he would take time to meet with the actors and to study the actors’ personalities so that he could match his singing style with the actors’ style, accent and pronunciation. Jab Rafi Sahab mere liye gaate, tab aisa lagta ki main khud ga raha hoon(When Rafi Sahab sang for me, it seemed like I was singing)”.
Laxmikant (music director)
“He was a great human being. He would never ask what he was going to be paid for a song. Apart from waving off payments, he even helped producers financially. He’d help out the needy. He always gave without thinking of the returns.
Once Rafi recorded six songs in a day for us-two for Anjaam, one for Maa Aur Mamta, two for Man Ki Ankhen and one for Pyasi Shyam. Imagine, he could memorise six songs in a day! And he could do this at live recordings and not through the easy dubbing method that’s on today. If any singer claims that he has recorded 25-30 songs in a day, he’s talking nonsense. There’s only one singer in India who can even attempt that and that’s S.P.Balasubramaniam, not anyone else.
The demand for Mohammed Rafi’s songs is phenomenal. No other singer, not even Lata Mangeshkar, has been able to attract such a tremendous following. It’s almost as if he were still alive.”
Shahid Rafi (son)
“If a producer was in a tight spot Abba would’nt accept any money from him. He was a God fearing man. He felt he was an instrument through whom God was singing…whenever he was extra busy he’d ask the producer to give the song to another singer”
Jagjit Singh (ghazal singer)
“Rafi sahab had immense versatality and an ability to take on the personality of the hero on whom the song was picturised. Every time you hear a Rafi song, you see the hero, you can vividly put in place the situation and correctly access the mood.”
Raj Kapoor (Actor/producer/director)
Raj kapoor’s reaction on hearing the news about Rafi’s death was “In the world of music, the uncrowned king of singing has left us”.
Shammi Kapoor (actor)
Shammi Kapoor acknowledges that Rafi had a lot to do with his success. “It was amazing the way Rafisaab adapted himself to what I wanted him to do. I used to be terribly involved with my songs and go for all the recordings. I used to make it clear how I wanted a certain line sung and Rafisaab always responded. I remember when the song Tareef karoon kya uski (in Kashmir Ki Kali) was being recorded, I wanted the signature line Tareef karoon to be repeated till it reached a crescendo. O P Nayyar, the composer and a friend of mine, objected. He thought it would sound boring. But suddenly, Rafisaab spoke up and said ‘I would like to do it the way the boy wants it because I know what he wants’.” When the film was released, the song was a big hit. Nayyar hugged Kapoor and congratulated him for his foresight, but the actor maintains “it was possible only because Rafisaab had taken the song to such a pitch and had sung each repetition in a different style.” He adds, with a touch of pride, “Though Rafisaab sang for all the actors — be it Dilip Kumar or Johnny Walker — he was especially identified with me. Some songs sung by him and picturised on Joy Mukherjee and Biswajeet were actually my kind of songs. Baharon phool barsao, Pukarta chala hoon main or Teri pyari pyari surat ko — these were my songs, sung in Rafi’s special style for me. I remember when he sang Main gaoon tum so jaao for Brahmachari, I told him how I wanted him to sing one particular line. When he saw the picturisation he came and kissed my hand and said, ‘it’s very beautiful, why didn’t I think of that?’ I felt as if my own voice had been lost and could not utter a word for hours when I heard this shocking news of Rafi Sahab’s death.”
Shabbir Kumar (singer)
“I have been singing Rafi sahab’s songs since 1968 when I first started performing on stage in my hometown of Baroda. I have met Rafisahab only twice and both meetings were very moving. He was so nice and kind to me even though I was a nobody at that time. The first time I met him at Famous studio in 1972, there were a lot of people waiting to meet him. I used to sketch then and drew a sketch of him when he was recording. As soon as he passed me I showed the sketch in his hands to get his attention. He encouraged me a lot. Even today, there is a large audience for Rafi’s songs.”
Anand Bakshi (lyricist)
Even today when I write something I imagine how it would sound if Rafisahab had sung it. His place can never be filled again.”
Nitin Mukesh (singer)
“Amongst his contemporaries, my father’s favourite singer was Mohammed Rafi. He loved Rafisaab’s voice, and believed that nobody could replace him.”
Udit Narayan (singer)
Udit Narayan talks about his first recording with Rafi Saheb “As it was a dream come true I was obviously excited, and to add to my excitement I was to sing none other than with Rafisaab, that very singer whom I worshipped as my guru, whose voice I used to hear on the radio, was in front of me! I can’t describe my ecstasy. But I was a bit nervous too. Rafisaab, realised this and the angel that he was, he comforted me by saying ‘You remind me of myself. I too was of your age when I came in the industry. Do not worry keep going.'(Mohd. Rafi was a chorus singer at the start of his career.) “
Khayyam (music director)
“Rafi sahab is the pride of India. His voice and his memories are still with us even though his body has left us.”
SD Batish (singer of 40s)
“His extremely humble way of showing respect for my seniority, before all gathered, left an impression of utmost respect and regard in my mind. Time went by, and Mr. Rafi, with his, ever flexible good voice and be recorded to the satisfaction of the music director.”
Manna Dey (singer)
“Despite being an educated singer, I could never reach Rafi’s height of popularity. And he sang very good songs that I could never hope to sing. His style was unique. I sing Rafi’s songs to myself when I am alone. He was a singer par excellence. He was an uneducated singer like Lata, but their voices are gifts of God. It cannot be anything else!”
“I have been singing for many years now. I have seen and heard so many singers. But the most brilliant of all singers and all songs are the ones sung by Mohammed Rafi! “
“Mohammed Rafi was king, and Manna never grudged him his success because he genuinely believed that Rafi was better than he was! “
“In my time, there were giant singers. Rafi was there, and he was such a great singer. He used to sing for everybody — the hero, the villain and the comedian. “
“How can you ever dream of singing what legendary singer like Rafi have sung? I do not claim to come up to his standards. “
Dharmendra (Actor)
On being asked “Hemant Kumar, Mukesh, Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar… all of them provided playback for you. Whose voice suited you the best?”, macho man Dharmendra said: ” Mohammad Rafi’s contribution to my career is immense. From numbers like Jaane kya dhoondti rehti hain yeh aankhen mujh mein (‘Shola Aur Shabnam’) right till Main jat yamla pagla deewana (‘Pratigyaa’) have remained evergreen. The other singers have also made huge contributions to my career. I can never forget that. But Rafi saab is a personal favourite. “
Sonu Nigam (singer)
“Rafi Saab is God to me. I have grown up listening to him and imitating him in my early years. Rafi Saab sounded only like Rafi Saab if he sang Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe from Junglee, or Man tarpat Hari darshan ko from Baiju Bawra which is what made him the legend he was.
