FOREVER MOHD RAFI:
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With special reference to the 1950's and 1960's.
The year 1948 also promised that we had in Rafi Sahaab a singer who could stir up feelings of patriotism in a manner hitherto not done as when he sang in the musical composition of Husnlal Bhagatram: SUNO SUNO AY DUNIYA WAALO BAPU JI AMAR KAHANI. The then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru evidently having heard of Rafi Sahaab invited the young singer to his residence to sing to him that lyrical obituary relating to the Father of the Nation - that Bapu JO PUNJYA HAI ITNA JITNAA GANGA MAA KA PAANI. There was, perhaps, no one to record how many precious tears the Indian Prime Minister must have shed on listening to the deep, rich voice, that heart-rending pathos... Though Rafi Sahaab had sung several patriotic numbers such as in Shaheed (1948) which had Ghulam Haider as the Music Director, WATAN KI RAAH MEIN...showed the promise that Rafi Sahaab would be excelling the genre of the patriotic number as well. Since this song is a duet, one can easily fathom what an emotional singer Rafi Sahaab was even at that very young age. The rendition of this song established him as the singer of patriotic songs too. For Ghulam Mohammad he sang in Kajal (1948), Shayar (1949). His DIL KI LAGI NAY HAMM KO DIWAANA...in Paras (1949) was at the simple best. Rafi Sahaab sang for Music Director like Shyam Sunder right from 1948 till at least 1953 for movies such as Actress, Bazaar, Chaar Din, Dholak and Alif Laila, giving such hits as AY DIL MERI AAHON MEIN (Actress -1948); AY MUHABBAT, UNSE MILNAY KA BAHAANA MIL GAYAA and the lament in MERAY BHAGWAAN TU MUKHKO, YUNHI BARBAAD REHNAY DAY (Bazaar 1949); the light foot-tapping HALLA GULLA LAEE LAA (Dholak – 1951); KYA RAAT SUHAANI HAI (Alif Laila – 1953). Khemchand Prakash and Husnlal Bhagatram were some of the other composers for whom Rafi Sahaab sang giving them many hit numbers. In Meena Bazaar, Husnlal Bhagatram tasked Rafi Sahaab to sing all their numbers, nearly ten, either solo or duets. For Husnlal Bhagatram he sang such soulful songs as: IK DIL KE TUKDE HAZAAR HUWYE (Pyar ki Jeet - 1948); MUHABBAT KE DHOKE MEIN KOI NA AAYE (Badi Bahen – 1949); THUKRA KE HAMEN CHAL DIYE BEGAANA (Baalam -1949) among others. The romantic AYE MUHABBAT, UNSE MILNEY KA BAHAANA MIL GAYA, (Bazaar), and DIL HO UNHEY MUBARAK in Chaandi Raat, the vocal timbre sounds the same. The song of Badi Bahen: MUHABBAT KE DHOKE MEIN KOI NAA AAYE, and in Dillagi ISS DUNIYA MEIN AY DILWAALO.n...is still effectively at low key though the latter was under the baton of Naushad Sahaab. We find certain direction of the genre of Ghazal or Nazm in JIN RAATON MEIN NEEND UD JAATI HAI....(Raat ki Raani) and that of a soulful lament in MUJHE BHAGWAAN TU MUJHKO YUNHI BARBAAD REHNEY DE...(Bazaar). In other song of Dulari (duet) such as MIL MIL KE GAAYENGE HO DO DIL YAHAAN...or in Rafi Sahaab's duet with Suraiya in Duniya (1949): HAAYE RE TUNE KYA KIYA, and YUN TO AAPAS MEIN BIGADTEY HAIN..in Andaaz with Lata definitely reflects the style of late forties and early Fifties with a special reference to the sweetness of Rafi Sahaab's vocals. But in RK'S Barsaat (1949), Rafi Sahaab's MAIN ZINDAGI MEIN HARDAM ROTA HI RAHA HOON...seems to be the precursor of the songs that were later composed under the baton of Naushad Sahaab in the fifties. However, the all-famous song from Dulari SUHAANI RAAT DHAL CHUKI... stands as the benchmark of a style that was common to all the coming decades.
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