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 22nd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Dear Debijyoti:
How will you feel if we all say Hai Hai to your entire family; the
most mediocre family who brought you up to say and to use such
phrases for the greatest singer of our land : Mohd Rafi..
You have downgraded the spirit of the debate and you have
stooped too low Mr.Debijyoti. Is your Master too of your class???
Do you want us to tell in this forum that that YOUR VERSATILE GENIOUS was sent to jail for 15 days for dodging the Income tax and he was left high and dry in the INDUSTRY.
You are instigating RAFI music lovers by using roadside phrases and
you must be ready to reap what you sow…..STOP IT N O W…..
BINU NAIR
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I personally believe that Kishoreda was way ahead than Rafisaab as Kishoreda was a natural talent that was awesome.
I dont shed a drop of tear after listening to emotional number of rafisaab but needless to say that Kishoreda same number make me breathless….
The debate will go on here that is for sure but ultimately all and sundry out here will realise that Kishoreda was single and Rafisaab can be born many a times…..Love u Kishoreda miss u…………
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Hi P. Haldar,
I will join you and Sudip in making a graceful exit as well.
Rajesh Roshan was trained by Ustad Faiyaz Khan, and before his debut Kunwara Baap he assisted L-P. He has mentioned in interviews that he regards L-P as a complete school of music where he learnt a lot about composing and laxmikant took him under his wing and groomed him well. Imagine grooming a potential competitor, that is what hapened in thi situation. His music has fok influences but also influence of the Vangelis and Eagles, two music groups. I will check up on if RR’s music has Bengali influence.
The composers you mentioned for duets were indeed the best, and I would like to add another name to that list, K-A. Their duets were excellent especially by Lata-Rafi. Also included in their repetoire are Asha-Rafi, Asha-Kishore, Lata-Kishore and Lata-Mukesh.
SD was indeed awesome in duets, the majority of them are great, and about “Man re tu ka”, this is another masterpiece of a composition. Roshan was another great composer, Lata picked him as the MD for her home production that never took off.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but the ignorants do not know what music is ýand think that teen-kanastar peet peet kar gala phaad kar chillana is gaana that’s why ýdebjyoti,bapan and jayanta are unable to appreciate Rafisaab.You go on to say that ýRafisaab was trained whereas Kishore Kumar was untrained, C’mmon man KK was ýin the industry for more than 20 years before Aradhana happened. Did he not had the ýtime and resources to learn music.And if you do not know before becoming an actor ýAshok Kumar used to deal in selling of musical instruments.He had a shop in ýMalad(Bombay).And KK was a kid when Ashok Kumar became an actor ,He had the ýinstruments at his disposal as he also used to sit at the shop, so he knew the basics of ýmusic and he also knew the range of his voice.Regarding the song ‘Ajab hai dastan ýterei aye zindagi’ in the film ‘Shararat’, The legendary Jaikishan had remarked that ýthe song was simply not KK’s cup of Tea, If you hear the song please listen to the ýline ‘tumhare pyaar ke is aanchal tale hamare gum dhale hamare gum dhale’ The ýsmoothness with which Rafi comes down from the higher notes to the lower and then ýcarries on ‘Dhala andhera jagi roshni’ PLEASE LISTEN TO IT you will understand ýthe remark made by Jaikishen is so very true. I like many of KK’s songs and ýappreciate the fact that given his limitataions he was one of the best our country has ýproduced but Why don’t KK fans simply appreciate the fact that trained or untrained, ýthe quality of Rafisaabs voice was a gift of the Almighty and his dedication to music ýand humblenes as a human being make him stand on a pedestal that one can only look ýat with reverence. This is the reason why you can see any Tom,dick and Harry ýsinging KK’s simple song and also sounding like him in total perfection for at least ýone song sung by KK but you can’t witness any one singing Rafisaab’s song with the ýsame tonal quality.Take man tadpat form baiju bawra and Jaan pehchan and all the ýother genre come in between.And the guy who is using orkut to prove that KK is the ýbest has surely gone out of his mind.How many Indians or Hindi music lovers are ýthere,Are they all computer literate,do all have access to Internet.Are they all ýregistered with orkut???ý
Go to the masters of classical music,give them your options and ask them whom they ýrate higher Rafi or Kishore and then we will see who is the best,Singer Vinod rathod ýwho is a devout Kishore Bhakt had said in an interview after the release of Baazigar ýthat “Mai Kishoreda ko hi follow karta tha lekin jabse music ki samajh aaye hai ýmaine Rafisaab ko sunna shuru kiya”. In India we have anti-social elements voted to ýbecome,MP,MLA,CM..the list goes on,Does their getting elected remove the tag of ýcriminal from their names ,They also have a proof of their majority, but is it true they ýwere good and so were elected.So my dear friend You can keep a track of this Orkut ýrecord to satisfy your own ego as well as those of your likes, who cares??ý
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Some foolish and ignorant people are telling that Rafi was back at the top in 1977. Rafi was never at the top after 1969. Kishoreda singlehandedly ruled the music industry from 1969 to 1987.And not to forget his other talents.
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Kishoreda was at the top in playback singing from 1969 to 1987.He is the greatest singer,comic hero and genius of all times.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Very True JAYANTHA,
KK was a JACK of many trades as you have said. The MASTER
of Play back was Rafi saab . For any hero , for any situation, in
any pitch, in any language including ENGLISH (baharon phool
barsao and Hum Kaale hai to kya huwa- the English versions)
and for every actor.
Rafi is the TANSEN of Music. No one before him or anyone after
him so far has managed to retain the sweetness of MELO dy.
I myself started as a KK lover IN 1970-71 PERIOD but after
listening to Saighal, Talat saab, Mukesh, Hemanta, Manna da
quickly reverted to Mohd.Rafi whose tunes and magic has only
increased with time. I was 16 years then.
Even the new generation sing Rafi songs i n style - as they
are EVERGREEN AND MELODIOUS TO THE EAR.
kk was on top yes for a few years after 1970 when RAFI took
a sabbatical .But, RAFI duly came back after some of the composers
had written him off..
Soon, R.D. Burman faded and also the big talk that he did’nt need
Rafi in his music rooms.
Rafi saab topped the charts in 78 - 80 period which is a FACT.
BUT SOME OF KK fans would never be able to digest this TRUTH/
fact.
So , let it be that way…. And WE end the topic…..
binu nair binus2000@hotmail.com Mumbai.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:41 am
I am new here but I agree with Halder, manish, sudip and myk. Rafi was gaining pack his position by 1980.
If Rafi hadn’t died in 1980, he would possibly have sung:
a. All Ek Duje ke liye songs
b. All Betaab songs that went to Shabbir Kumar
c. All SP Bala songs in Sagar and other films.
plus more..
I think the Ek Duje Ke Liye songs would have made him #1 without any dispute..
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:48 am
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
Hussein Sekh,I know you are the only Rafi fan here,so don’t change your name and write as different persons.Get lost.
JAI JAI KISHORE KUMAR,THE GREATEST SINGER AND VERSATILE GENIUS!!!
HAI HAI MOHD RAFI,THE MEDIOCRE SINGER!!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 am
Jayanta,
Seems to me you need to check the Binaca Geet Mala records for the amount of hits Rafi had in the 70’s, and in particular 76-80. I don’t think you know a lot from that period. You will be surprised to know that Rafi equalled Kishore in hit songs and especially from 79-81 it was Rafi everywhere on the Radio, very little of Kishore. Your comment “few hits” of Rafi is so hilarious, makes me wonder if you know anything about that time frame.
Your comments are not based on fact, whatever you have said has no backup, it is based only on opinion, not fact. If you would like to debate in a healthy way, please back it up with facts, not opinions, like others have done.
I can surely take you up on that challenge and you will be surprised but I think its a waste of time writing down the hit songs from both singers here, if you knew what I was talking about you wouldn’t be writing down such comments. For your info, refer back to my previous post, in 77, 78, 80, 81, Rafi songs are tops followed by numerous other hit songs, I don’t think you are able to digest that fact. One Rafi ace Dard-e-Dil in fact did transcend time, much more than the other hits from Karz.
Can you please tell me why RDB gave most of his qawwali’s to Rafi and most of his classical songs to Bhupinder instead of Kishore ?. No one has also answered my question yet as to why Raj Kapoor did not want to take Kishore for Bobby, and had only Rafi or a new voice in mind ?.
Your arguments are funny, you mention Rafi had to undergo tough competition, what competition was that ?. He single handedly wiped away all competition in the early 50’s. You fail to mention Kishore as one of the singers who could not seem to get a break during that time and resort to (as what others have done) his acting. Kishore was an all-rounder, but there is absoutely no comparison in singing to Rafi.
You don’t mention Kishore as being part of the competition in the 50’s, and only when you want, you mention he sang songs, but then when it comes to Rafi ruling the roost, you mention Kishore was busy acting, how silly is that !!.
I don’t think you know a great deal about your favourite singer, because if you did, you would know he came to Mumbai to be a singer but had to wait more than twenty years to finally achieve success.
I am with Sudip on this one, no point in debating for no reason especially when some cannot comprehend certain facts.
For your info, Rafi and Kishore sang almost the same amount of songs in the 70’s, bet you didn’t know that. I suggest you don’t mention Rafi’s influence in the 70’s unless you know what you are talking about.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:35 am
Hi myk, two more duets that impressed me a lot: Manna-Lata in LP’s “Tum gagan ki chandrama” and Mukesh-Asha in Khayyam’s “O subhah kabhi to ayegi”.
As for junior Roshan, please check if his music has any Bengali influence. His mother Ira Moitra is Bengali and used to sing for AIR when Roshan met her. Senior Roshan was outstanding; the Outlook poll that Sudip mentioned has his “Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare” as the No. 1 song ever. Of course, there is always a lot of subjectivity involved in such a ranking, and given the vast treasure of songs it’s difficult, if not impossible, to identify the best song. But for whatever reason, this song always gets the attention of singers and composers. I’ve heard Kishore sing it on stage, Lata singing it for her Shraddhanjali album, Jaidev playing it in the Jaimala program,… Another Roshan song that I particularly like is the qawaali sung by Manna and Rafi in Barsaat ki Raat; Roshan actually used Ustad Fateh Ali Khan’s (Nusrat’s dad) composition for this song with permission. Manna starts with “Na tu karwan ki talash” and Rafi follows with “Yeh ishq ishq yeh ishq ishq”. Listen to the sufi strains in Rafi’s voice and see how easily he reaches the high octaves, keeping his vocal splendour intact; it’s almost a divine experience.
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:52 am
Hi myk, like Sudip I think I should make a graceful exit from this site. There is no point in arguing with people who keep repeating the same lines, mostly without any basis.
As far as junior Roshan is concerned, he must be good. I’ve heard the duets from Julie and Kala Patthar; they are good. As I’ve said before, I haven’t followed the post-1980 period closely, so can’t comment on it much. But if you focus on duets only, the masters of the game are SD, SJ, OP, RD and LP. For SD, the combinations to look for are Rafi-Geeta, Rafi-Lata, Rafi-Asha, Kishore-Asha and Kishore-Lata. For OP, it’s Rafi-Geeta and Rafi-Asha. For SJ, it’s more varied: Manna-Lata, Mukesh-Lata, Rafi-Lata and some Rafi-Suman. For RD it’s mostly Kishore-Asha and Kishore-Lata, but there are some good Rafi-Asha songs too. For LP, it’s mainly Rafi-Lata and Kishore-Lata, but there are quite a few Mukesh-Lata hits. OP’s orchestration in “Diwana hua badal” (KKK) is one of the best experiments in fusing different instruments. SD was awesome; listen to any duet of his and there’s always something great about the music. There is a Rafi-Lata duet in Vasant Desai’s “Jeevan mein piya tera saath rahe” (Goonj Uthe Sehnai), whose pace simply takes your breath away. But the duet of the century was composed by Jaidev for Hum Dono, “Abhi na jao chhor kar ke dil abhi bhara nahi” by Rafi-Asha.
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:38 am
Jayanta;
It is not about quantity, but about quality.
Agreed Kishore sung volumes of junk. I do not even consider “Om Shanti Om” a song.
In the whole 1980s show me one song of the calibre of “Tu is Tarah Se Meri Zindagi mein shamil hai” (Aap to aise na the). You may say “Sagar Kinare”-huh. That’s a classic for you?
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:45 am
kk ru;ed from 70’s tillthe end, no matter what u say!. after aradhana it was all kk, the few hits of rafi were buired and crushed under thousands of kk hits !..songs like pardaparda?..lol..few hits ike this doesnt prove the fact that rafi made a comeback!…nope his reign was brough to an end after aradhana!..songs like parda ye parda, dad e dilwas ncie but could not transcede the passing of time, that is y you here sons like om shanti on rated higher above than those!. ok u r telling that between77 to 80 rafi had more hits?..goshu must be joing..i challenge u list downthe hits of rafi..and i will list down that of kk during that period..rafi will fail miserably!
yes, rafi saab was talented a great singer,..but uptil aradhana it was ok..and ppl like who with their biased views try to bring rafi’s influence during 70s’s which was noting as compared to what rafi produced during the 60’s!..and even befroehand during the initial periods rafi had to undergo tough competitions from manna,talat,hemant etc to cement his position!..kk on the otherhandmanaged everything..starting from acting,composing,script writing,singing,directing,producing and what else!
long like kishoreda
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:19 am
Actually ‘Kya Mausam Hai’ cannot be qualified as a duet, it involves three singers.
Junior Roshan created an identity of his own, he had a great sense of orchestration, melody as well as rhythm. You can tell a RR composition from another song just by his trademark flair and punch. He had the opportunity to work with all the greats, Rafi, Lata, Kishore, Asha, even Mukesh (I believe he has some songs with him too).
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:15 am
Hi P. Haldar,
Thanks again for your views, I totally agree with you, Rafi set very high standards, in other words he set the benchmark for singing. I would love to hear the Bengali songs that you mentioned, I have heard only a few from the 60’s, others would be definitely be welcome.
What are your views about Junior Roshan ?. Right now, I am into another aspect of his music, his duets. They were just amazing in the 70’s, for both Kishore and Rafi. He worked with the best lyricists at that time, Majrooh, Sahir, Gulzar etc, and produced one great soundtrack after the other. However in the 80’s he could not quite maintain his quality with the exception of a few albums here and there.
One duet that stands out, I rank it as the best ever duet of Kishore-Lata-Rafi, ‘Kya Mausam Hai’ from Doosra Aadmi, it is a masterpiece, all three have done a fantastic job, and the music is excellent.
May 21st, 2007 at 11:25 pm
THIS IS MY LAST POST UNLESS PROVOKED…
First of all, a debate is a waste of time unless there is something to exchange and learn in the process. I do not think that I would be able to convince any KK fan to go the Rafi way, nor can they convince me to go the Kishore way.
Secondly, I found that I am possibly debating with 20-25 year old fops with juvenile knowledge of music. So there is little to learn for me in this excahnge. In this entire thread no KK fan has come with any song that would enlighten me on KK (Honestly I think I have heard more KK songs than most KK fan out there anyway). In the bargain, I have spelt out my preferences. KK fans would do well to take my list and spare some time in listening to Rafi classics and see if they reverse (if not change) their opinion.
That way I can take solace in the fact that I did not entirely waste my time and energy.
Bye…
May 21st, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Dear fellow RAFIans, a thought just crossed my mind. Wouldn’t Rofi saheb, if he were alive today, been very happy to see his fans — Kishore, Yesudas, S. P. Balasubramaniam, Udit, Sonu, Srikanta Acharya — have such large fan followings themselves? Never say anything bad about any of these singers because they are part of the same clan. The larger their fan following, the prouder we should all be.
May 21st, 2007 at 10:07 pm
KK’s favourite singer was MOHAMMED RAFI SAHEB, the greatest of all…
May 21st, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Manna Dey said, Rafi Saheb was ahead of all singers, KK was just temporary fad….. watch on www.youtube what Manna Dey say on Rafi Saheb.
May 21st, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Someone out there has said a joke- that Kishore kumar
became the No. one singer in 1968.
Sir, Aradhana was released in 69. Its first two duets were
sung by Rafi and Lata as S.D.BURMAN and the distributors wanted.
S.D. BURMAN got sick and R.D. BURMAN BROUGHT IN
KISHORE KUMAR. Kishore s time had come and we RAFI fans
under STAND this. Pl. do not distort facts .. and …..
Pl. stop dreaming as facts are indigestible often as they say
minds can be jaundiced……
Need I say more……
binu nair mumbai binus2000@hotmail.com
May 21st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
RAfi -feminine? You dont know anything about music. He is sweet and used to sing from the navel (read Anandji’s interview) unlike Sonu Nigam
Kishore= “Ki shor” (shouting)
May 21st, 2007 at 9:42 am
Kishoreda’s dominating period was from 1969 to 1987,contrary to Rafi’s 1955-1968.On that time ,Kishoreda was more into acting.When he turned into singing more,he overtook all competitions.From 1955 to 1968,Rafi faced strong competition from Mukesh,Kishoreda,Talat.Hemant,Manna Dey.But from 1969 to 1987,Kishoreda was way ahead others.Kishoreda could modulate his voice to suit the actor,not Rafi.In spite of having so much other talents,like acting,directing,dancing,music compose,writing lyrics,painting,Kishoreda is the greatest singer of all.Rafi had a feminine voice,with no heroism,modulation and variety.Kishoreda is the greatest and most popular singer of all times.
May 21st, 2007 at 9:34 am
Hi myk, you must be right about the break that Rafi took from his singing. Amit Kumar said somewhere that around that time, Rafi had invited him and his dad for a homemade meal when they were visting London for a concert. Apparently, Kishore joked about being in Rafi’s chorus at one time. Knowing Rafi, he might have said, “The keys to the kingdom are yours,” the line that Saigal used on him when he was in his teens.
You keep prodding me about the 70s but I’ll have to admit that my favourite Rafi songs are from the 50s and 60s (of course, there is Suhani raat dhal chuki from 1949). I am a bit old-fashioned that way; with Jai, SD, Madan Mohan and Roshan gone and with Naushad and OP losing their touch in the 1971-75 period, I am not sure whether Rafi could have produced the milestones that he was so used to producing in the 50s and the 60s. He would have ruled the charts, no doubt about that, but whether he could surpass the lofty standards that he himself had set, I’m not sure. Please note that musical tastes by then had shifted from “Paag me ghungroo bandh ke” (Naushad-Rafi) to “Paag ghungroo bandh ke Meera nache re” (Bappi-Kishore) and Rafi would have happily delivered whatever Bappi or the newer MDs wanted him to.
From the 70s, if I have to pick any one solo of his, I would select “Tum jo mil gaye ho”. Madan Mohan had given him a couple of other great solos, including “Tumse kahoon ek baat” (Dastak) and “Yeh duniya yeh mehfil” (Heer Ranjha), and, of course, there were the Laila Majnu songs. I would also select Khayyam’s “Kahin ek masoom nazuk si larki” (Shankar Hussain) and LP’s “Dard-e-Dil dard-e-jigar” (Karz). Of course, there is SD’s “Mera man tera pyaasa” (Gambler) but the song that is often overooked is the superb “Mehbooba teri tasveer” (IPZN). And then there is SJ’s “Unke khayal aaye to aake chale gaye” (Lal Patthar). I have mentioned earlier some of RD’s songs from HKKN and Abdullah, but none of them measured up to “Tum ne mujhe dekha”. Frankly, with the possible exception of “Tum jo mil gaye ho”, I wouldn’t put any of the afore-mentioned songs in Rafi’s top 25. I am very, very picky when it comes to Rafi.
I must confess that I don’t know much about the post-1980 period. When Rafi died, a part of me died; most often, I keep listening to the songs of the 50s and 60s. As far as Bengali songs are concerned, my tastes are similar to Sudip’s; listen mainly to Manna and Hemanta, but also to Lata and Asha. The elder sister had a very fruitful association with Salil and Hemanta, and the younger with Sudhin Dasgupta and, guess who? But Manna is my all-time favourite. If you ever get the chance, listen to his “Aami je jolsagor-ey” from Antony Firingi; the notes are somewhat similar to Rafi’s “Mere mehboob tujhe” and to this day haven’t been able to decide which one is the better of the two. The former is a little more pure, while in the latter, Rafi brings in his nuances for Rajendra Kumar.
May 21st, 2007 at 9:31 am
Kishoreda is undoubtedly the greatest singer of all times.Rafi is far behind Kishoreda.