An endless feud between the fans of Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar..
Mohammed Rafi was born at Kotla Sultan Singh, near Amritsar . Rafi displayed his talent for singing at the tender age of 13. The lure of movies beckoned him to Bombay in 1944. His first hit was the Tera Khilona Toota Balak from Anmol Ghadi in 1946. India lost this jewel on July 31, 1980.
Abhas Kumar Ganguly, better known as Kishore Kumar was born on August 4, 1929 in Kandwa. Following the footsteps of his elder brother Ashok Kumar he too ventured into movies. But he soon realised that his heart was in singing. Under the patronage of RD Burman he soon flourished. He would at times compose and write songs himself. Sadly he passed away in October,1987.
The debate as to who was the greater singer carries on even today, even decades after their death. Both of them left an indelible mark in the world of Indian film music, a void that still cannot be filled today. No wonder that their fans are at constant feud with one another trying to prove that their hero was better.
It is a no secret that Mohammed Rafi was a trained classical singer and that Kishore Kumar had a natural talent. Hence Rafi’s fans feel that he was the more accomplished and skilful of the two. Kishoreda’s fans are of the opinion that though he may not have been trained, he had purity and sheer quality of voice. The fact that he wasn’t trained, and could still sing anything, both classical and non classical songs with equal magic rendered him more superior than Rafi.
Fans claim that Rafi was the most favoured singer for many veteran composers while Kishore Kumar was preferred by few and was a playback mainly for Dev Anand and later for Rajesh Khanna. Rafi on the other hand balanced his melodious voice for diverse stars like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Shammi Kapoor.
In support of Rafi’s greatness, many of his fans say Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in films that Kishore himself acted. They also draw the attention to Rafi’s song Darde Dil in Karz which was based on a single note and proved that he was indeed blessed with God-gifted melody. Mohammed Rafi’s fans also claim that Sonu Nigam and Udit Narayan who belong to the Rafi school are technically better than Kumar Sanu, Babul Supriyo etc.
On the other hand, Kishore Kumar’s fans remind people of songs which he sang by melodiously incorporating his inimitable yodelling. Those numbers are extremely popular even today. They further claim that in the 70’s and 80’s, it was he who sang for a number of heroes.
This debate can go on endlessly. However it must be stated that both were great singers of their times and each had his own distinctive style.
There was no feud between the two and the immense respect that Kishore Kumar had for Mohammed Rafi is clearly seen in the photo during Rafi’s funeral. A silent, sad and grief-struck Kishore in the newspapers portrayed very well that no one except him understood what an irreparable loss had taken place in Indian film music.
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May 5th, 2008 at 9:19 am
sudip,
Mere dost how can u bias:
u wrote:
Also there was partial dominance (where Rafi’s songs wre e bigger hit than others) in lot of movies such as Kaatilon Ki Katil, Ram Balram, Nazrana Pyar Ka, Shaan, Dostana, Abdullah, Aap to aise na the, Biwi o Biwi…
Completely wrong: Here is analysis on follwoing movies:
1. O Meri chorni was not at popular that time from “Kaatilon ke kaatil”
u know which song was great.. Everyone knows
2. Ram Balram
All songs were pooular, but most popular were.
1. Ek Rasta ha ha ha ..sung by Kishore and Rafi
2. Yaar ki khabar mil gayi.. sung by Kishore n Asha
3. Ab to raam hi jaan bachaye.. sung by Rafi, Asha and Usha
3. Shaan
1. Jaanu Meri Jaan …Kishore and Rafi
2. YAMMA, YAMMA …RBD and Rafi
3. Pyaar Karne wale….Asha
4. DOstana
1. Dillagi ne di hawa….kishore n Asha
2. Dostana…kishore n Rafi
3. Koi khubsurat jawa….Kisuhore
4. Mere Dost kissa….Rafi
5. Biwi o Biwi
1. Gori ho kaali ho….Kishore
2. Sadiyon Se Duniya Mein Yahi To Kissa Hai….Kishore
3. Vaqt Se Pahale Qisamat Se Jyaada
[ Rafi’s songs was really bad — Paise ka khel nirala…completely dominated by Kishore]
6. Abdulla
1. Aai khuda e faisala …kishore
2. Main ne puchha chhand se….rafi
7. Aap to aise na the
1. Too is tarah se…Rafi/Hemlata
[ Aap to aise na the can’t deserve in same category of Abdullah, Dostana and other mentioned above]
Please note: Kaatilon ke Kaatil, Dostana, Ram Balram and Shaan….These are multi-starrer movie..Rafi was considered as backup singer in multi starrer movie….He is used to sing for 2nd actor..e.g Shashi Kapoor in Shaan, Shatrughan in Dostana, Dharmendra in Raam Balraam…
May 5th, 2008 at 9:00 am
dear A singh,
Mukesh won maximum…Filmfare award….What do u mean maximum?
2 is maximum….Out of 2, one was wrong choice (Be-imaan)…. Pls. go back in history, u will now the truth. [ Let me know if you can’t find the truth]
Wining filmfare award doesn’t reflect the popularity. If that is the case then Amitabh is not good actor (70s and 80s he dominate the hindi film industry), because he did not win filmfare for Deewar, Agneepath, and many greats..
Can u answer this?
May 5th, 2008 at 8:51 am
dhani ram ji..
I don;t know what should i write abt u….Abt Khemchand…Asha clearly said, it was not khemchand, it was Robin chatterji who rejected Asha and Kishore…and later kishore started referring robin as “Villain”…u.
FYI: Lata was rejected by MD for her thin voice…What does it mean?
Dhani Ramji, Are you working in “STAR NEWS” or “AAJ TaK”?
[Baat ko tod marod kar pesh karte hai]
Dhani Ramji, listen “KHUSHI DO GHADI KI” almost without orchestra….I can’t imagine Rafi singing without orchestra…First of all his voice resemble faminine, without orchestra, , it would difficult to recognize who is the singer..is it Rafi or Suman kalyanpur
aur ha Dhani Ram:
u wrote:
kishore supporters often deflect from matters of music to other considerations like ashu,for example,saying jo accha hota hai wohi bikta hai.by his logic chunri ke peeche kya hai is more acchha than most of lata’s songs
my reply:
this is a problem with you guy…Without knowing anything, u guys speak on behalf of others. Maine kabhi nahi kaha ki “Jo achha hota hai wo bikata hai”…E aap ka frustration hai….One person (of course kishore) who achieved a lot in field of music, and dethroned one of the greatest singer…Instead of appreciating his talent, u guys abuse her, belittle his achievement….
Dear myk:
u wrote:
Check out what Laxmikant of L-P had to say about Rafi:
“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.”
my reply:
Why u r going with LP’s word? Listen FM, world space, TV..You can find one and only Kishore….
- There is movie on him
- TV show dedicated to one singer.
Can you imagine more than this?
i have not heard anything like this abt Rafi….
[ Note: And pls. don’t introduce Himesh here…U guys always tend to do this.. Himesh has to go long way to prove his credibility..It is almost 21 years since Kishore demise, and we are still talking abt him. ]
Regarding Yoodling…I can only say “Angoor KHATTE HAI”
Dear VIpul,
Thanks for putting effort in saving Rafi’s position….:)
Rafi was a singer till 80, and FYI though kishore wanted to become singer…Fortunately or unfortunately he established as primarily actor than singer….Till 69, he just sang for himself, Dev anand, and one or two songs for Memhood…Rafi was out and out playback singer. And again FYI: everyone accepted that Rafi ruled the hindi film industry till late 60s…and he was completely dethrone by Kishore after that.
I appreciate ur effort.
Someone wrote abt my knowledge abt Rafi…I think i wrote many time that i have huge collection of Rafi especially his 60,70s songs…
Those day when there was no TV..only radio was source for songs…My uncle who is very fond of Rafi, used to sing his song…After listening “DIL ke jharokhe me” i become big fan of Rafi…I was rafi fan ( i am still..).
THose day, especially in the weekend…there was a programme on music where anchor used to select one movie and played all songs from that movie. I was listening radio on weekend, and movie was “SHARMILEE”..When i heard
- khilte hai gul from Lata and Kishore (SOlo)
- Kaise Kahe hum
- O meri sharmilee
I found varienties in Kishore’s voice and also realized that this voice directly touched my heart…..I started liking Kishore, and i also prefer to listen Rafi and Mukesh.
So pls. don;t question me on Rafi;s songs: I don;t like Rafi under Naushad, but i like Rafi under SJ, Madan Mohan, Ravi and LP and S N Tripathi…
May 5th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Dhani Ram, very nice post inded. (1020). Rafi Maana dust were much better than kk - Rafi… I do not even consider songs like Hum premi or ek rasta do rahi.. just nonsense. Yo can’t judge any singer’s ability with such songs. I would like to add one more Rafi Manna uest - Sarforohi ki tamnna ab hamare dil main hai… A true masterpiece.
anyways, you mentioned something about Rafi’s song on Shammi. I think there were few really good songs. I think Rafi and only Rafi could have sung those songs (Like Hai Duniya uski or akele akele kanha ja rahe ho or ahesan tera hoa muj par.
Somebody mentioned that main jat yamla is not very well sung by Rafi and should have gone to kk. I feel verysorry for that person whosoever mentioned it. Rafi sang with lots of power (force) while maintaining melody at the same time. I do not think kk could have done justice to the same song.
And someone mantioned that Dhramendra was ot number 1 because Rafi sang most of his songs. I can just laught at this one. I mean I hope people talk with common sense and logic. I really do not see any logic in such statements!
May 4th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
@Myk sir
There’s another reason why people don’t attempt Rafisahab songs at important events (I’m a small-time singer myself and prefer to sing Kishoreda numbers in public, though I’m more fond of Rafi sahab). It’s that the gentle giant has made each of his songs un-attainably perfect and complete. The performers are left with nothing more to add or improvise and the comparison with the original strikes the listeners instantly. And then there is that divine, soft-yet-strong voice… almost any voice pales in comparison to it. Exactly the reasons why when SPB sir sang ‘Mere naina…’ listeners felt he bettered the original but when he sang ‘chaudvin ka chand…. ‘ they felt he is not just there yet…
May 4th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
MYK
You write in 1018:Go read about how hard it was for KK to make a break into singing.You have hit the nail on the head.Even Ashu has this information from the horse’s mouth.When Asha appeared on K4K in April this is what Ashu heard her say:Kishore and I went to khemchandji,known as guruji,for an audition.After listening to us he turned us out unceremoniously.The song was given to (she formed her lips to say Mohd but changed) Talat and Shamshad Begum.Kishore and Asha were deeply dejected at this rejection.
And Khem Chand was a master musician who knew what was what.The other day a specialist presented a series on Shankar Jaikishan on Radio World Space.He said that after Jaikishan’s death Shankar continued to compose.He gave some songs to Kishore in the 70’s though he was never comfortable with the singer.The rise of Kishore in the 70s has nothing to do with the quality of music.It requires a socio-cultural study.
Rafi outdid Kishore in the duets but overall you will notice those were not the best duets sung in films.They were deliberately set to suit Kishore’s voice.And yet it was Rafi’s sheer genius that he pipped K.Just imagine Kishore singing Ho ke majboor mujhe usne bulaiya hoga in company with Rafi.Rafi sang his finest duets with Manna De,a man who also sang with a knowledge of music.Look at :Na to karvaan ki talash hai na to hum safar ki talash hai.It is a first rate qawwali and has been sung with aplomb by both Rafi and Manna De,with Rafi of course having a wide edge.Kishore was a very great man in certain ways.He was very honest and straightforward.While singing ik chatur nar he asked Manna De to keep it simple as he couldn’t match Manna De in classical intricacies.
Someone in one of the posts asserted that Kishore could sing without orchestra which no other singer can do.As you have rightly said such assertions are born out of sheer ignorance.Only Rafi and Rafi alone could do justice to songs wikthout needing any orchestra.Listen to preludes that he sings to numerous songs which hardly any other singer does and kishore not even once.
MYK,don’t give any importance to Yodelling.Such things are mere gimmicks and don’t add any worth to the art of singing.Music in the real sense captures your imagination and enters deep into your mind.For this reason I don’t fancy much even Rafi’s songs sung for Shammi Kapoor.But for me something like:Main yeh soch kar uske dar se chala tha ki voh rok le gi mana le gi mujhko or maine chand aur sitaron ki tamanna ki thi are absolute gems.
May 4th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Rafi’s songs are being played all around the world on all radio stations and on TV, his songs, albums and compilations all sell like hotcakes. Many of his songs are also sung on singing shows. In fact, Rafi’s songs are the hardest to sing, and many screw up his songs but others do a decent job. And if his songs are not attempted or sung by people in these shows, its because of their degree of difficulty, not because he’s not popular, because Rafi is the most popular male singer ever.
Check out what Laxmikant of L-P had to say about Rafi:
“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.”
May 4th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Ref. Post 1010:
LOL Raj, you must be joking, Kishore having the edge over Rafi in their duets ?. Maybe in your opinion, but I fail to see Kishore having any edge at all, Rafi completely dominates these duets and is more melodious. When did Kishore dethrone Rafi ?. Like I mentioned before, there was no such thing as dethroning. The truth is KK could never match up to Rafi in any way. And where was Kishore all those years back ?. Acting ?. Taking a break from singing ?. You and others claim to be KK fans, yet seem to know very little about his history. This is the problem with most KK fans on this site, they hardly seem to know about his history. I bet Rafi fans on this forum know more about KK than his own fans. Go read about how hard it was for KK to make a break into singing. Go and read the several interviews by famous personalities, musicians etc. about KK’s history, then you will find out the truth. Go and find out why KK chose acting over singing, and how SDB, his mentor, told him that he could never be another Rafi. This is the reality, and if you don’t want to admit it then don’t, just don’t compare him or put him on par, or say he is better than (when he is clearly not) a giant like Rafi. I know many KK fans who accept that KK was great but never in the same league as Rafi, they’re very sensible, they know their music, unlike many here who argue for the sake of arguing, and most of what they write is nonsense.
Judging by your comments, it is very apparent that you lack musical knowledge as well as the ability to argue contrsuctively. You are saying you and other KK fans have argued sensibly, while Rafi fans have argued points out of no where ?. The only sensible people I have seen on this site are Sudip, Vipul, Dhani Ram, Manish etc. who have brought up points based on facts. Others such as yourself, Ashu etc. bring up foolish points mentoning the score of Abhimaan, opinionated perceptions to prove a point, oh yes and let me mention, Kishore taking over from 67 ?. If you call those sensible points, then I wish you all the best in the future, may you find the right path.
You mentioned that I am considering myself to be greater than Rafi ?. Are you out of your mind ?. I would never do that or think about that. It is a fact that Rafi was a million miles ahead of Ghantasala when it came to singing. No matter what Rafi said about Ghantasala, the fact is Ghantasala can never come close to Rafi, and even Yesudas or SPB. Rafi may have praised Ghantasala’s singing, but stretching that further to say Ghantasala was better is being foolish and shows you don’t really know what you’re talking about. I don’t feel Ghantasala had the edge in those similar songs, I feel Rafi sang them better, you may feel otherwise, but don’t turn your imagination into fact and compare Ghantasala to Rafi when Rafi is miles ahead. You are the one who seems to think you are greater than all singers, and that you are the personal PR man for both Ghantasala and KK. Please stop acting like that, its only making your case weaker.
Ghantasala simply did not attempt as many genres, have as wide a range, or was as skilled as the above three singers, with Rafi leading the pack. You are clearly comparing apples with oranges, and your arguments are foolish. If you would like to come forward with a constructive analysis and points based on FACTS, then I will gladly take it up with you, however so far you seem to have raised nonsense points and I’ll be wasting my time responding to them. I loved your rabbit analogy, I think you are the one who is arguing for something else and not accepting facts as they are, yet you boast about proving facts. A word of advice, why don’t you take your own advice instead of preaching sentiments to others. Don’t say that anyone else is deaf, or can’t hear or comprehend anything, because you seem to be the one who is deaf, and it seems you can’t listen or comprehend what I am saying, judging by your nonsense arguments and points. Mind you I am not just pointing out facts about Rafi’s superiority to others because he is my favourite, it is a well known fact Rafi is and was the greatest singer ever.
Also your statement of Kishore and Ghantasala being similar is also funny but interesting, I know I would never agree that these two singers are similar in any way. If you feel Kishore was similar to Ghantasala then that is your opinion, but both are no where near Rafi. In the South there were better singers than Ghantasala, such as Yesudas and SPB (in my view), and they also regard Rafi to be the first and last word in singing.
————–
Vipul,
I would not go by those IndiaFM totals, they seem flawed, and incomplete. It’s better to go by what Geet Kosh or Humraaz say regarding stats.
————–
Ashu,
If you dont know a lot about Rafi, please don’t comment. Rafi failing to do experiments ?. I can name you so many songs where Rafi has done so many experiments. The list of KK songs in this respect will not even come close. Kishore didn’t have as diverse a repertoire as Rafi, that is a sure fact, so please don’t try and make it seem like that out of thin air. You may feel Kishore impacts you the best with his emotions, but that is opinionated and doesn’t prove KK was better than Rafi.
You are mentoning that the music industry can’t exist without Kishore, ofcourse it can and it did for all those years. KK was virtually no where in the 50’s and 60’s in terms of singing. Rafi was there in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and even 80’s with his 80’s releases, this is what you call irreplaceable, and the music industry would definitely not have been the same had Rafi not been there. You mentioned KK delivered gems in the 50’s and 60’s, yes he did but they were very little to make any sort of impact, yet you’re saying the indutry can remember him by those gems in those years ?. This is foolish, I would only expect this from a KK fan, its narrow minded thinking, but then again all your points are just opinionated and not based on facts so I will not discuss them. You have failed to respond to Sudip’s or my points with fact and logic, and instead your bias as always has crept in.
The K for Kishore show doesn’t matter one bit, I know of many Rafi songs being remixed, your figure of 90% is a myth, I don’t hear about that many Kishore remixes, maybe in your part of the world you hear them but not in my part. How do all these points prove your point, they don’t at all.
Take out Kishore, and you won’t lose that much, but take out Rafi, and you’ll lose a huge amount, and also lose what shaped the music industry. This does not have anything to do with the amount of songs they sang, its the impact they made. Rafi’s impact is more than any other singer in the history of indian music, you can never ignore that and if you want to then you’ll hardly have anything left.
Rafi fans don’t have anything to prove, they know Rafi was the greatest ever. It’s KK fans, and fans of other singers, who are always arguing the superiority of their idol over Rafi, and comparing their idol to Rafi.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Correcting grammatical typos:
Ashu:
All the songs you mentioned are good, but the vocal treatment sounds the same with little variation to me. But that’s my opinion…Just as I have no right to change yours, you cannot question mine. So let us stop delving on opinions and come to facts.
What makes you think Rafi could not yodel when every Tom, Dick and Harry (Kishore clones) in my college could yodel his songs at ease? Forget Rafi.. Anyone with an iota of intelligence knows that every one of Talat, Mukesh, Hemanta could do something that the Abhijeets and the Sudesh Bhosles of the world can.. Use your reasoning for a moment.
Now, onto the real fact. Rafi has in fact yodeled in some songs (even before Kishore), but later refrained from doing so..Kishore made it a good marketable commodity and popular (and kudos to him). Since you have a good Rafi collection please add two songs to your collection, you will hear Rafi yodel:
1. Unse rippy tippy ho gayi (Agra Road, 1957)
2. Chale ho kahan (Reporter Raju, 1962). Here is a link to the song:
http://www.esnips.com/doc/8d4b719a-0982-4884-b7bd-6d930e15017a/Hindi—Reporter-Raju—O-Chale-O-Kaho
I have two other Rafi-Asha songs with yodeling but those are Punjabi.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Ashu:
All the songs you mentioned are good, but the vocal treatment sounds the same with little variation to me. But that’s my opinion…Just as I have no right to change yours, you cannot question mine. So let us stop delving on opinions and come to facts.
What makes you think Rafi could not yodel when every Tom, Dick and Harry (Kishore clones) in my college could yodel his songs at ease? Forget Rafi.. Anyone with an iota of intelligence knows that every one of Talat, Mukesh, Hemanta could do something that the Abhijeet’s and the Sudesh Bhosle’s of the world can.. Use your reasoning for a moment.
Now, onto the real fact. Rafi has in fact yodeled in some songs (even before than Kishore), but later refrained from doing so..Kishore made it a good marketable commodity and popular (and kudos to him). Since you have a good Rafi collection please add two songs to your collection, you will hear Rafi yodel:
1. Unse rippy tippy ho gayi (Agra Road, 1957)
2. Chale ho kahan (Reporter Raju, 1962). Here is a link to the song:
http://www.esnips.com/doc/8d4b719a-0982-4884-b7bd-6d930e15017a/Hindi—Reporter-Raju—O-Chale-O-Kaho
I have two other Rafi-Asha songs with yodeling but those are Punjabi.
May 4th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Vikram
Thanks for staying on.I enjoy reading your posts.You write quite cogently and your English is also excellent.
Waz
I heard Dostana song just an hour ago.Rafi is much better in this song.Kishore sings the antras flat whereas Rafi modulates them.This song again proves Rafi’s greatness.Whatever fame kishore gained was by singing simple songs like this while Rafi soared in many songs of high complexity.In one of my posts I have mentioned Zulf lehrai teri in which Rafi switches genres with great virtuosity.Yoodling etc are not qualities of music but mere antics.
There are countless songs of Rafi which have been sung with perfection.Time constrains me otherwise I could give at least a thousand and after that another thousand would also be awaiting mention.That can’t be said about Kishore.In a majority of songs he is too loud.There have been other great male singers with wonderful voices.But only Rafi had a perfect blend of voice,melody,training,range,depth etc.Kishore’s voice is overall jarring,Rafi’s is soothing.Kishore only touches the surface of your mind while Rafi enters deep into your soul.Listen to something like Na jhatko zulf se paani or yeh wadian yeh fizayen bula rahi hain tumhen etc.Or duets like Peehu peehu bole koyalia or Ajhoon na aye baalma sawan beeta jaye or door basa len dil ki jannat jis ko zamana loote na.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Raj, Waz, Ashu:
let’s keep our discussion VERY SIMPLE.
one song: salamat rahe dostana hamara
can you please elaborate why you think kishore has the edge against rafi? are there any particular words or parts to the song where you think kishore is extra special or where rafi is lacking?
i look forward to your *opinions*. there is no wrong or right. just clarify. thank you.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
The best way to do a Rafi vs. Kishore debate is to discuss nothing but songs and your subjective opinions on them.
Talking about history, philosophy, what Manna said, etc - will get us nowhere. Truthfully, and this is only my opinion, they have no concrete substance. Certainly not today.
Kishore Kumar became more popular than Rafi in early 1970s because no one likes to hear the same voice for 20+ actors for many many years. This doesn’t make him a better singer.
If we discuss only songs - than that can’t really be debated but just clarified of perspective. For example, I find Kishore’s voice to be hoarse compared to Rafi’s in many of the duets they did. That’s just my opinion. If a KK fan says he felt more emotions in Kishore’s voice - than I’ll accept that as his opinion. We’d have achieved clarifying perspectives.
A while ago some people were discussing versatility vis vis Rafi & Kishore. They argued that Kishore was more versatile because he could sing for a male AND a female in Half Ticket. That was their definition of versatility whereas for me it was genres, eras, actors, MDs, etc. We clarified ourselves.
Song discussions themselves may point to songs or things you didn’t know before. You’ll notice when Sudip gave out some special songs - some readers thanked him for pointing them out. Truth is, only a select people have heard a good number of the ~15,000+ Rafi, Kishore, Lata, Asha etc sang before 1980. That just takes many years of enjoyment. Some day this is how I’ll tackle this “discussion”.
WAZ:
I’ve been listening to Salamat Rahe Dostana Hamara for 18 years. Always felt that Rafi’s voice showed much more emotions and was more melodious. In Jaanu Meri Jaan - Rafi shows more emotion whereas Kishore is just goofing around. In these two duets and Hum Premi Prem Karna Jaane or Woh Woh Na Rahe - Kishore’s open throated voice sounds hoarse and unpleasant in comparsion. The hoarseness muffles a lot of emotion. That’s just subjective opinion.
ASHU
Yes Ashu, talking of “history” - is very debateable and has limited relevance today. It is well known that some of Kishore’s popular numbers in those days like the song in Carvan or Aap Aaye Bahaar Aye or Mehboob Ki Mehdni - were popular during the artiifical wave - but are lost into oblivion whereas Rafi’s excellent songs from those movies are still popular to this day.
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 am
The endless fued between Rafi and Kishore fans is result of wrong propaganda done by the media in the early 70s against Rafi. This was controlled by the Anti-Rafi lobby which also influenced the film fare awards criteria. Remember this Anti-Rafi lobby was never Pro Kishore at all. They used Kishore’s popularity to tarnish Rafi’s image. As a result Rafi fans had all the right to protest.
When Rafi became popular in the 50s Mukesh, Talat, Manna Dey & Hemnat Kumar were already established singers. The media never against any of these singers after Rafi success. When Mahendra K become famous in the 60s, again the media never wrote against Rafi. So why suddenly the media became so much anti Rafi in the 70s. Plus in 1972 Rafi took a break for 8 months, which gave media an excuss to write all sort of rubbish againt him at the cost of Kishore. The media has to an extend witten the Rafi and Kishore never use to talk to each other, they were rivals. But the fact remains Rafi and Kishore were “FRIENDS FOR LIFE”.
Analyzing the period of early 70s, which was primarily a Kishore era. But Mukesh has won the maximum number of awards during 1971 to 1976. How come Mukesh got so much importance when Kishore was excellent during the early 70s. After going the nominations of early 70s it has been observed that there were mainly 2 film-makers Manoj K and Raj Kapoor who were the most influencial in winning film fare wards in old categories. Kishore won many nominations in early 70s but was Mukesh who walked away with Max awards including one national award as well.
Coming back to Rafi, he won only 2 nominations between 1971 to 1976, that too songs composed by music composers of 60s i.e. SJ and Sharada. The songs nominated are very ordinary compared to the hits which Rafi delivered between this period. In the other words the Anti-Rafi lobby was powerfull enough to prove the world that Rafi cannot sing with new generation music composers. But Rafi proved it wrong in 1977 when he won film fare and national award for the same song sung for Pancham in “Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi”. It was thrashing slap to the Anti-Rafi lobby who wrote against him.
Another interesting fact has been observed that songs of Mukesh was appearing in the film fare nominations even after his death. But once Rafi and Kishore leave us there is no single nomination under the film fare criteria. So was Mukesh a better singer than Rafi and Kishore in the 70s? Certainly not. There are all great in their own respects.
All this possibly could be the result of the rift between Lata and Rafi on the royalty issue in mid 60s.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Ashu Ji and Mr. Waz,
Here is the link to “Ajab Hai dastaan Teri” by Rafi on Kishore Kumar. Copy and paste the link in your address bar. I think it should be enough for you guys to see reason and come out of the make- believe world of yours. On the same page you can find some more songs sung by the one and only one Rafi for Kishore kumar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYksWYJQ0rw
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Hello rafi fans specially mr. MYK, etc. etc.
It is kishore who dethroned rafi and not rafi dethroning kishore. So who is great. it is kishore. Leave individual songs, compare both singing songs i.e. yaadon ki barat, bane chahe dushman jamana hamara, kishore has a edge against rafi. You rafi fans simply go on arguing that rafi is best, this that etc. but do not argue in a sensible way as we argue about kishore’s greatness. You people that’s why have the same problem with fans of ghantasala also, because you do not have the capability to prove point to point raised by other people.
Gani sahab,
You are right regarding shri ghantasala. Mr. MYK , i do not know what he is talking about. He is considering himself to be greater than mohd. rafi himself. Because by saying his own analysis, he is not accepting even rafi’s statement of ghantasala performing better in suvarna sundari and chal ud ja re panchi. So leave Mr. MYK sir, because he is not even respecting rafi’s words on ghantasala. I do not know how he became a rafi fan. Mr. MYK would have kept quiet, if rafi was alive today, since rafi would have clarified mr. MYK on ghantasala’s edge in the aforesaid songs. If Mr. MYK understands this, it is fine. Otherwise gani sahab, leave it, a proverb goes, a fellow caught one rabbit and always argued it has 3 legs despite proving it has 4 legs, because it was his favourite rabbit. same case applies here. Another proverb, even if you blow a conch before a deaf man, it is of no use. He will not and cannot listen because of his inability to listen and comprehend.
Mrs. rani
I have noted your point. I am not comparing in an unnecessary way, but only replying to the unnecessary arguments by so called rafi fans, who do not have the courtesy to respect rafi sahab’s statements also. By countering such statements they are proving themselves to be great analysts than rafi himself. I am only countering those arguments and not anything else pl.
Finally, all people i want to say in no uncertain terms that kishore kumar, though not much trained in classical equivalent to stalwarts like shri ghantasala, had the great attraction in his voice similar to that of ghantasala, and accordingly i conclude that kishore is certainly better than rafi.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Ashu:
“Rafi never dominated Kishore during 77-80….Sargam, Laila Majnu are only 2 movies i remember where he sang majority of songs”
Sorry…Just to refresh your memory, here are few more movies:
-Dharam Veer
-Kaali ghata
-Shaan
-Naseeb
-Professor Pyarelal
-Chacha Bhatija
-Nagin
-Ladies Tailor
-Jaani Dushman
Also there was partial dominance (where Rafi’s songs wre e bigger hit than others) in lot of movies such as Kaatilon Ki Katil, Ram Balram, Nazrana Pyar Ka, Shaan, Dostana, Abdullah, Aap to aise na the, Biwi o Biwi…
If you look at masterpieces and not pure popularity, Rafi scores there too- Shankar Hussain, Chambal ki kasam..
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Mere dear friend Sudip,
U r only rafians in this site who know the truth, but always swung by his heart. I don’t have problem with it. It is good, atleast u accept history (sometimes
)..
Here is reply for ur comments:
u wrote:
singing career was longer than Kishore and hence he ended up delivering more gems. For a moment imagine the songs of Kishore did not happen at all.. It will no doubt be a big dent..
My reply:
No doubt, rafi’s singing career was longer than Kishore. Rafi sang more number of songs than Kishore, and perhaps more gems, thanks to Sahil, Shaliendra, Hasrat and many..
First of all, i can’t imagine hindi film music without Kishore, but yes if u just ignore 50-60 era than i think we can easily say “who was Rafi” same can’t be true in case of Kishore…..in 50-60 era, kishore delivered great gem (May be not in quantity)….
Best answer in this context is….
- Remix songs are completely (more than 90%) based on Kishore’s songs, Remix songs would not be there if they were not sung by Kishore
- Sony Channel knew that they can make money by starting show on Kishore after 20 yrs. of his demise.
Above 2 example are more than enough to tell you that indian music industry will not exist without Kishore, same may not be true in case of Rafi
u wrote:
There are some subtle qualities in Rafi that make him unique
My reply:
This is completely wrong statement…Rafi always followed music sur and taal, he reluctant to do some experiment…Kishore was open-hearted to do so many experiement.
e.g. Yoodling, first Echo tune in “Door Gagan ki chhaoon mein”
U wrote:
Rafi also had the unique ability to convey mixed feelings in a song. Take “Meri dushman tu mere” (Aaye din bahaar ke).
My reply:
I agreed with you, but Kishore was one step ahead in conveying feeling through his voice..
e.g.
1. Main Shayar Badnaam, ho ho main chala (is there any better feeling?)
2. Kuchh log mohabbat karke
3. Matlabi hai log yaha par matlabi Zamana (unique….1000 times better than any Rafi’s songs)
4. Aaye tum yaad mujhe
u wrote:
Rafi’s treatment to each song was unique. Each Rafi song has its distinct place in history. “Main jat yamla” and “Badan pe sitare” are in their rightful positions. So are “kahin ek masoom, nazuk si ladki” and “Aaye na balam”..There is no blending of genres. Lack of this is what I considered Kishore’s singularity of approach.
my reply:
I am partially agree with you. Above statement are more applicatible in case of Kishore…
**classic comedy*
- Priye pran swari, hriday swari
- Meri pyari Bindu
****
**feeling*
- Kaha tak e man ko andhare
- koi louta de mere beete hue din
****
**Disco**
- Om shanti om
- bachna ai hasino
****
**soft n silky**
- E jeevan hai, es jeevan ka
- Woh shaam kuchh ajeeb thi
- Rimjhim gire saawan
****
**Yoodling**
- Na koi dil se samaya (Rafi or rafian can’t imagine to sing this song..Hope u will agree to me…song from AA Gale Lag Ja)
- Chala jaata hu
- Main hu jhumjhum Jhumaroo
****
**Funny**
- Ma ma ma maaf karo, ja ja ja jane do
- bambai se aay re babu chhaila
****
Is this what u mean “singularity approach”
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
Raj P,
I am sure Rajesh Khanna would have still been a superstar, had Rafi sang the songs of Aradhana. Rafi had a different voice for all actors, it was definitely not routine, he is the only singer that had a different voice for every actor. You can’t say the same about Kishore or any other singer. Also, Dharmendra was already a star much before RK became a star, so Dharmendra made the right choice sticking to Rafi’s voice in the 70’s and it helped him a lot as always. Anyhow, Kishore sounded odd on Dharmendra and others, the only actors he really suited were Dev, Amitabh and RK, and even then Rafi sounded great on all of those three as well. Jeetendra was also a star much before RK became a star too.
So what if RK became a star with the aid of Kishore’s vocals (Rafi had his part to play in RK’s superstardom too), it was only one star, how about Rafi making stars out of so many actors, why are you forgetting that ?. When Kishore sang for Dev in the 50’s, it was routine, no big impression. When SDB opted for Rafi’s vocals for Dev, the evergreen actor became a huge star, that is what the Rafi magic is all about. You can further extend this case for so many other actors too.
Not all Rafi actors were number 2 in the 70’s, maybe in your opinion they were but definitely they were not. RK faded out after some time, Dharmendra and Jeetendra were still there as stars and giving many hits (during RK’s wave and after), so I don’t think you can say they were # 2 in those cases. Even during the RK wave, these two actors never lost their top position. Rishi Kapoor had KK and Shailendra sing for him, yet when Rafi sang for him, his whole image changed, he contributed max to Rishi’s popularity from 1976-1980. The same can be said for many other actors Rafi sang for in the 70’s.
—————
Waz,
So what if the Abhimaan story mentioned that, when you hear the song, Rafi is clearly better than Lata, so in that case the writers made a huge blunder, sorry. What kind of an example is that anyways to prove whatever you’re trying to prove ?. Again, a foolish example from KK fans, please come up with something better.
—————
Ashu,
Kishore was a great comedy actor, but that doesn’t mean he could compete with the likes of Dilip, RK, Dev, Shammi Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra etc.
SDB said KK could not be another Rafi because that is the truth. He could never have the same talent, or reach the heights Rafi did, or come anywhere near him. You can laugh at it, or change it around as much as you want, it won’t alter the fact that Rafi is the best, and that SDB and Kishore thought so as well. I was expecting a better reply from you but again you proved me wrong.
Rafi never went wrong in “Aaja Aaja”, that interview is fabricated. Don’t always believe what you read. Knowing you and others, you will only pick up articles, even if they are fabricated, that proves your point, so it is expected. Both RDB and Nasir Husain were skeptical about Asha rendering the song, with Rafi they knew he would sing it in the best way (as usual). Lata has not mentioned numerous times that KK is the best, she’s made it clear that Rafi was the best many a times. I can believe that Asha has said that because she is jealous of Rafi, actually both sisters are jealous of him, but atleast Lata has many a times acknowledged Rafi’s greatness. 40 years singing together ?. Lata and Asha spent more time singing with KK from 70 onwards. They spent more time singing with Rafi, and both Lata and Asha have more duet with Rafi than any other male singer, they definitely both know Rafi is better, and the best, and if they’ve mentioned it otherwise its due to jealousy as Rafi was head and shoulders above all. Atleast KK wasn’t like them in that respect, he made it a point to mention that he thought Rafi was the best.
Btw, KK may have been RD’s favourite, but RD has said many a times that no singer had a better range than Rafi and his “prized composition” (according to him) went to Rafi as well. Why don’t you take a guess what song RDB was referring to ?.
Ashu, I feel sorry for you, you REALLY need to enhance your knowledge on what actually happened. Vipul is correct when he mentions that Rafi dominated for that long, Kishore comes no where close. Four years doesn’t match up in any way to all those Rafi years including 1977-1980. Rafi definitely did not dominate until 1967, you must be on another planet to think that KK made any inroads in 1967. Kishore’s peak period was from 1972-1976. Rafi still had more hits than KK in the years 1970 and 1971. Forget about 1969, one film Aradhana did not affect all those other Rafi hits from the same year. How could Rafi lose his to position when he had more hits and more songs than Kishore during that time ?. Even from 1972-1976, Rafi had many hits, but Kishore had more, because Rafi had cut down on his singing himself.
From 1977-1980, Rafi definitely overtook Kishore. Come 1977, both were on top, but Rafi then definitely took over, and by the time he passed away in 1980, he was the top singer. You mentioned history. History says Rafi was the top singer when he passed away, it also says he made a huge comeback and was on top from 1977-1980, but some articles may say nonsense such as he never competed with Kishore from 77-80. Don’t always believe what you hear or what you read, dig deep and find out for yourself, then come to conclusions, the facts are right infront of you. Actually with the release of Laila Majnu in 1976 is where he came back on top. This is from a commercial point of view, in regards to singing and talent, Rafi had no equal. Also, he always had the most hit songs every year, but from 72-76 his hits were less compared to KK, because he cut down on his work. Even then, they were a lot of hits during that period. Kishore ruled commercially for about 4 years, that’s all, in terms of other years it was Rafi all the way, and in terms of KK matching up to Rafi in terms of singing, that was never the case, its only KK fans who try and argue for that. Also, many radio stations and programs were playing Rafi songs even amidst the KK wave, and that goes to show that KK’s popularity didn’t affect Rafi in any way, he was still as popular as before, and the most popular male singer of all time.
From 1977-1980, Rafi had more songs and hits than Kishore. You may remember just two films of Rafi singing the whole score, but Rafi had so many hits and whole scores from 1977-1980 that its impossible to count. No, RD and LP did not only contribute to Rafi’s hits, why are you forgetting other MD’s such as Rajesh Roshan, Usha Khanna, MM, K-A, Ravindra Jain, Sonik Omi etc. that all had hit and popular songs with Rafi during this time.
I don’t think you heard the BGM during the period 1979-81. Rafi completely dominated that period, there was very little of Kishore during that time. You have failed to recognize the BGM trends in this period as well as other periods, and are coming to bogus conclusions, please do A LOT of research first then write about it, because what you are saying is out of thin air.
People did not start talking about Rafi again after he won the Filmfare and National Award for HKKN, because they were already talking about him from the time he started singing and also amidst Kishore’s popularity Kishore’s singing career and popularity made no difference to Rafi’s greatness in any way.
LOL your movie list is far from complete, Rafi sang for so many films from 1977-1980, and he sang many whole scores as well.
You may have written about this period (1977-1980) in the past, but your write-up is full of myths and lies, and untrue facts. Unless you’re able to come up with something solid, this debate is as good as dust.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Here is head to head comparison between Rafi and kk (source indiafm). The count only indicates number of movies in which each singer gave playback and not the number of songs.
year kk Rafi
——————
46 - 1 2
47 - 0 1
48 - 1 6
49 - 1 10
50 - 1 6
51 - 6 27
52 - 13 24
53- 11 32
54 - 8 14
55 - 5 14
56 - 8 13
57 - 5 19
58 - 4 24
59 - 2 21
60 - 2 13
61 - 2 21
62 - 4 16
63 - 1 26
64 - 4 28
65 - 4 29
66 - 3 27
67 - 2 27
68 - 3 21
69 - 11 32
70 - 18 38
71 - 34 22
72 - 45 27
73 - 39 16
74 - 36 21
75 - 29 14
76 - 26 12
77 - 43 32
78 - 36 25
79 - 25 18
80 - 38 26
Lets not count 46 and 47 (though Rafi is ahead). In those days number of movies made were less in quantity though.
Some kk fan mentioned that Rafi was seriously challenged by KK in 67.
67 shows 2 movies for kk to 27 movies for Rafi (one more false info)
68 almost is identical to 67. ( 3 to 21)
In 69 and 70 too Rafi is far ahead than kk.
I will give 71 to 80 to KK though Rafi in late 70’s is not far behind.
Please note that these figures are taken from indiafm website.
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 am
sudip
I may add a few other qualities in rafi’s singing that other singers lack.the foremost is the rapidity and effortlessness in transition among multiplicity of notes.his articulation is absolutely superb in all scales.Each word is rendered with full musical force.the distinct rendition of each word contributes to melody as a whole.to the ones you have cited,i may add:tum ek bar muhabbat ka imtehaan to lo.
kishore supporters often deflect from matters of music to other considerations like ashu,for example,saying jo accha hota hai wohi bikta hai.by his logic chunri ke peeche kya hai is more acchha than most of lata’s songs.another gentleman rests his case for on some dialogue uttered by david in abhiman.i don’t know since when has david become an arbiter of musical tastes.
i fully agree with your endorsement of elitist tastes.i don’t rate aradhna songs very high in musical terms.You say that chingari koi is played more than certain rafi songs.that makes no difference to the quality of a song.take lata’s jago mohan piare or jyoti kalash chhalke or even greater saawariye jao na maroro baian mori,a composition of the great ravi shankar the sitar maestro.where are these songs played?but for me only songs of this level constitute music and kishore has contributed nothing at this level.So I don’t regard him a great singer.
And the quality of music is not to be determined by what people sing for a hungama.I know of no colossus of the world of music who even ever mentions kishore whereas they all adore rafi.Of Maneshkar sisters are an exception and we all know why.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Waz
I thoroughly enjoyed your fantasy regarding abhiman.
But will you please allow the same benefit to Rafi in teri surat meri aankhen and baiju bawra.In these movies male songs are sung by rafi except one in the first film by Manna de and female by lata.Unlike just one character david on one occasion in abhiman in these movies the male character is held by everybody to be by far the best singer.baiju bawra was a legendary singer whom rafi lends his voice in the film.Following your fantastic logic should we say that as per these movies rafi was vastly superior to lata?
And in milan mukesh corrects lata’s articulation of the word shor.So mukesh better than lata.
In a song Manna de laments his inability to sing in sur.The song is sur na saje kya gaun main.Does that mean that manna had problems in singing in sur?
how will you prove kishore’s superiority to rafi by such jugglery.The fact is that rafi is by far the greatest singer and no amount of skulduggery can prove it otherwise.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:18 am
Thank you Dhani Ram Ji. You are right. We are all learning new things about Rafi and Kishore in the process, no matter what. I have decided to stay on after going through your post. I had already started missing Ashu Ji. Vipul, I liked your Cricket joke. It was funny. Mr. MYK’s analysis was insightful, as usual.
Mr. Waz,
Tell me one thing. How many names did Amitabh have in ABHIMAAN? I think throughout the movie he was called Amit. He was Amit when Rafi sang for him. He was Amit when Manhar Udhas playbacked for him. And if I am not wrong he was still Amit when Kishore Kumar sang for him. So when David says that “Jaya sings better than Amit”, it stands true for the whole length of the movie. It applies equally to all the duets whether sung by Kishore, Rafi or Manhar. By the way -’Teri Bindiya Re’ is the best song of that movie. Mohd. Rafi in particular is superlative in the song. Along with ‘Tere Bin Soone Nain Hamare’, this is one of the best duets ever recorded in the annals of hindi film music.The other songs of this movie too are very good. I like ‘Tere Mere Milan Ki’, in particular a lot. Kishore and lata are both great in this one. Your analysis is at best hilarious and silly. It certainly defies all logic.
What about the Rafi songs that were picturised on Kisore? Do I need to say more? This fact will stay with all of us for ever. I hope Ashu doesn’t ask for evidence here as some of these songs are readily available on YouTube. ‘Ajab Hai Daastaan Teri Aye Zindagi’ from the movie Sharaarat is a masterpiece by Rafi. Hear it once and you will know why Rafi had to be summoned to do the honours here for Kishore. There is one semi-classical composition- ‘Man Mora bawra’ by Rafi, again on Kishore Kumar. Rafi singing for Kishore Kumar- not once, not twice, not thrice ,but more than ten times definitely proves something that you guys just don’t seem to get. Nobody can dispute that KK was a great singer, but to try to bracket him along with Rafi is just not right. Only Lata deserves to be put in the same league as Rafi. They are the benchmark in male and female playback singing. KK fans fail to accept Rafi’s supermacy over him that Kishore himself accepted without a fuss.
There was a report published in one of the largest circulated english daily , “The Hindustan Times”- on August 11th, 2007, about sixty successful men and women without whom the country would not be where it is today. Guess what! Only Rafi and Lata find a mention. About Rafi the report said, “Indeed the best singer of all times”. Then there was this Outlook magazine survey declaring Rafi as the singer of the millennium. So my dear Kishore fans you have to wait another thousand years. But, even after that Kishore will feature nowhere because he was Rafi’s contemporary.
I don’t mean to demean a great singer like Kishore here, but some of his fans who defy logic deserve a taste of their own medicine.
I repeat, Kishore Kumar was the best entertainer to have ever graced bollywood, but for sure not the best singer. Rafi was in a class of his own. Kishore has sung some pure gems, but again so have Mukesh, Manna Dey, Talat, Hemant, M Kapoor and others. They were all great in their own right but were sporadic in success rate whereas Rafi was miles ahead wih his golden voice in each and every aspect of singing. Nobody was and nobody will ever be able to replicate his popularity and success rate.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 am
dear ashu:
thanx for correcting me man. but i guess all Rafian’s would never discuss ‘ABHIMAAN’ issue. from now onwards im here to protect kishore’s legacy but not harm Rafi’s.
dear sudip:
yeah all these traits may b subjective but isn’t it true that you can associate all these qualities with kishore’s voice. as far as having different emotions and voice quality for every song i appreciate Rafi. but calling kishore’s voice uni dimensional is preposterous aswell.
to all rafians:
if u see the songs rendered by both kishore and rafi then u will see the difference in the voice quality, control and meety part. few songs where kishore was better (though he was better in 98% of all)
1. sa re ga ma (chupke chupke)
2. humko tumse ho gaya hai pyar (amar akbar anthony)
3. kya mausam hai (doosra aadmi)
4. bane chahe dushman (dostana)
5. jaanu meri jaan (shaan)
do u still have to say anything!
as far as the range and variety goes..then check out this list:
eena meena deeka
maana janab ne pukare
chotti si ye dunia
mere mehboob
nakhre wali
kora kaagaz
roop tera mastana
ghungroo ki tarah
kuch to log
chingari
zindagi ke safer
jaane jan dhundta
le kar hum diwana dil
mere dil mien aj kya
dil aisa kisi ne mera tora
o majhi re
khaike paan bana
iss mod re jaate hain
aanewala pal
ye mausam aaya
hazaar raahien
aa dekhen zara
saagar kinare
log kehte hain
inteha ho gayi
manzilien apni jaga
kaate nahi kat te ye din ye raat
to name the few.
now dont u find variety. or u guyz r still numb n dumb. admiring rafi is not bad but taking credit from kishore won’t b tolerated.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Kishore was great and at his true best in soft and sad songs.
one can’t imagine Yeh JEEVAN HAI, KAB tak andhere( rajesh roshan compsition, the song is carried by simply voice there was liitlebackground music, no singer has done it!so effectively), Aanewala pal, Zindagi ka safar . chhokar mere manko kiya . moreover if you are not carried away from the complex of classical singing you will notice that hume tumse pyar kitana by kishore is more effective than parveen sultana sheerely by emotions put in the song no other singer has dared to sing a solo whose other version is sung by classical singer. Kishore’s version is more appealing due to voice quality and mood catching a difficult task when compared to mujra version of “parveen sultana” where the harkats convey feelings.
It is amyth that rafi made comeback as top in eighties. his songs were more in 1980 in binaca but that is because of Amitkumar shared some numbers of kishore courtosy rdb. all classique gems went to kishore some to yesudas or wadkar but none to rafi. he might have sung more number of songs but that is average type of second or third rank song. rafi benefited by multistarrer wave. again rafi’s singing in “botlese ik batt chali” is way behind “asha”. he has spoilt “maine pucha chandse” by dull and old person like voice. Darde dil from karz is also sung very poorly by rafi. rr was a kishore fan and he never liked his father’s music but was impressed by SDB.
Moreover the best songs in 1977 to 1980 were composed by rajesh roshan , rdb and their best compositions ( Rimzim gire sawan ) are sung by kishore and always this was the case .Occassionally RDB used Rafi for the khoya khoyaa chand versions!. in abdulla best song was not Maine pucha chandse but Ae khuda her faisala tera muze manjjor hai a sad song sung by kishore.
Kishore as regarded as top due to his vice quality which reflected in songs like KABtak andhere Manko and JEEvanse na har jeenawale imosiible to ever imagine in any other voce . in contrary to opinion xpressed on rafi kishore’s voice catched all types of mood variations with drastically different voice quality in many songs.
True rafi and lata had better range than kishore and asha but kishore and asha too had good range. Kishore’s voice had depth at high pitch unlike Rafi , teri duniya se hoke majbur chala ( pavitra papi song) is an excellent song. the salil choudhari hit ” koi hota jisko apana ” from “Mere apne” by kishore was another great song which i do not thinga cup of tea of rafi, yesudas or spbalsubraniam or mukesh. It has diificult variations and great range is required.
in Khayyam’s “ankhome humne apke ” kishore takes a subtle fast modulating variation characterstic of kishore which beats lata. Again similar variation is reflected in “jab bhi koi kangana bole payal khanak jaye.
kishore has sung 2/3 excellent ghzals also like “mere mehboob kayamat hogi” and dil aaj shayar hai and some excellent bhajans ( lp preferred kk to rafi to get the bhajan muze premka rog lada rendered. During sdbs time kishore was not at top . again songs of rafi in guide are the comaparatively dull songs. true gems are sdb song, gata rahe mera dil, aaj phir jeeneki tamanna hai, lata asha duets.
as explained though not as much as rafi and lata but kishore and asha had good range and in fact kishore retained depth at high pitch which rafi could not as shown above. true kishore might had lesser modulation than rafi SPB,Yesudas lata, asha but even lata had lesser modulation than asha and we are not lokking for classical singing here. then we do not need rafi either “bhimsen joshi” beats rafi . but the expression and voice quality matters. the voice quality reflcted by kishore in “kab tak andhere chalate rahenge , aanewala pal, zindagi ka safar, yeh jeevan hai, Jeevan sena har Jeenewale is not matched by any other male singer and hence the greatest singer is kishore. i would like to argue by the points i have mentionesed above. nobody could reply to these points. something immortal and divine quality in the voice of “kab tak andhere chalate rahenge, yeh jeevan hai zindagi ka safar” which have made people stop while walking due to sheer effect of voice!
there were some qualities of Lata and asha in kishore’s voce and exactly complimentary copies from latrta and asha reflected in rafi’s voice.RDB realized it late.
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vitthal Says: