FOREVER MOHD RAFI:
ARTICLES BY NASIR WHO IS TODAY CONSIDERED AN AUTHORITY ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MOHD RAFI:
With special reference to the 1950's and 1960's.
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The picture that emerges shows that in the Forties itself Rafi Sahaab's name became a household name and that his songs had become a run-away hit with the masses. The presence of other male singers such as G.M. Durrani, Surendra, Khan Mastana, Shyam and others could not suppress the rising star. Bollywood song sequences by the mid-forties had become more dynamic and the camera was liberated to roam around freely. This was synonymous with Rafi Sahaab's voice that had laid the foundation in the forties to make the business of musical recording songs more exciting. When we come to the Fifties, in the very early couple of years we still find traces of the style that was prevalent in the late forties – again probably due to the fact the Music Directors had not explored the potentials of Rafi Sahaab and were content with their same old style of song and music. Thanks to the experimentation of Naushad, the Fifties were to witness, or rather hear, and treasure that quality of Rafi Sahaab that was not present in the earlier playback singers, namely, his phenomenal range of voice. The song from Baiju Bawra (1953) : O DUNIYA KE RAKHWAALAY is still fresh in the memories of music lovers even after the lapse of fifty-four years. This high range was of Rafi Sahaab was used in MERI KAHAANI BHOOLNAY WAALAY (Deedar 1951), YAHI ARMAAN LEKAR. (Shabab 1954) or O DUUR KE MUSAAFIR (Udan Khatola 1954). Shankar-Jaikishen made use of this range in Basant Bahar (1956): DUNIYA NA BHAAYE MOHAY...where the voice rises in crescendo and is one of the most difficult songs to sing. Some singers have tried to sing the Baiju Bawra and the Udan Khatola songs but hardly one is found attempting to sing the Basant Bahar Bhajan of Rafi Sahaab. Hansraj Behl too got him singing MUHABBAT ZINDA REHTI HAI with the high octave of the words: CHALI AA, CHALI AA, CHALI AA....(Changez Khan – 1956). So did S. Mohinder for the song HAZAARO.N RANGG BADLEGAA ZAMAANA...(Shirin Farhad – 1957). In the late fifties Salil Choudhry had to give TOOTAY HUWAY KHWAABON NAY to Rafi Sahaab in Madhumati (1958) and so also Shankar-Jaikishen had no option but to give that difficult but racy and thunderous number: YEH DUNIYA YEH DUNIYA (Yahudi 1958) to him.
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