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 26th, 2007 at 10:25 am
ANAND: Here’s an emotional gem of Mohammed Rafi, I’d like to hear what you think. It isn’t a particurly tragic number meant to make you cry, but surely you feel something.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZSnVzngiG4
Two songs immediately come to mind when thinking of Kishore’s emotional songs…O Saathi Re and Aana Wala Pal
If a singer like Mohammed Rafi can be born numerous times again, how many singers can you name that was the UNDISPUTED #1 singer for ~20 years? Not many.
May 26th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Couldn’t help re-posting after P Haldar’s knowledgeable post.
I know he has knowingly chosen to leave out “Humdum mere Man bhi jao” from Mere Sanam and “Yahan main ajnabi hoon” from JJPK. The reason I would highlight these is that it skews Rafi’s boundaries further, the former being a relatively fast number amidst the romatic Pukarta Chala and sad Tukde Hai mere dil ke and the latter being the the best song according to Anandji that Rafi ever sang for KA duo.
If I were to choose my favorite Rafi years, I would choose 1968-1969 (YES-the very ARADHANA year)..From Mere Huzoor, Mere Humdum Mere Dost, Anjaana, Do raaste, Brahmachari, neel kamal, Jhuk Gaya Aasman, Aadmi, to Aradhana, talash, Tumse Accha Kaun Hai and the lesser known Mahua Rafi delivered gems one after the other.
It is also in 1968-69 that we see two evening based songs sung by Kishore and Rafi that happen to be my favorites and can compete for the best song for this mood.. Kishore’s “Woh Shaam kuch ajeeb this” is a traditional favorite..To me Rafi went a notch up with “Hui shaam unka khayal aa gaya” (KK fans will disagree, who cares)… Enjoy.
May 25th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
U cant compare a bright light with the light of a star or a Sun, Therefore U cant compare Kishore with The Great Rafi ! .. Rafi can sing Kishore’s songs.. but the question is can Kishore do the same ?? Rafi Never had a competitor.. He was the undisputed King of Playback singing. When Rafi never had a competitor.. how can u compare anyone else with him ?? Kishore was a wonderful singer.. all praises for him .. but he looked up to Rafi.. Rafi has played back for Kishore as well. .. now if Kishore was better than Rafi .. why did he use Rafi’s voice for some songs picturised on him ??
One statement ends the feud.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Sorry Sir, I do not agree with you, not even with a single point.
If you see the comment section, there are more Rafi fans here arguing.. We have only one or two .. Debjyot and Bandita refuting and dragging Rafi sahab in comparison, which I too abhor.
I am a KK fan too (btw it is a Ms not Mr
) but I like Rafi sahab songs too and I give credit to both of them for what they have given me by way of lovely songs that I still relish even after they have left us and gone.
To me facts and figures do not matter, coz ultimately I am here to listen and enjoy their songs and not sit and compare and make an analysis. That is sheer waste of time hahahaha
Life is too short to fight over these trivial issues
This is my humble opinion. You may disagree but I have a right to my opinion. 
May 25th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Mr. Dron - All legends have different categories of fan so typifying all under one category whether it is Rafi sahab fans or KK fans makes no sense.
>>>>Mr Mast
>>>>Please read carefully, I said a section of KK fans. Lets not talk about sense after what is being posted on this site, ok.
A handful of them in both cases like to compare legends to show why the favour one of them.
>>>>It is more of an epidemic with KK fans that they always bring rafi in this discussion and not others who were also champion singers.
So I do not think it is polite to say disgrace etc.. to any of them.
>>> The word polite on this site is like speaking about peace with a terrorist.
This is an open board and each one of us have a right to voice why we favour someone.
>> Sure but thats not the case here.
Facts are meant for statisticians and researches to ponder over, not for personal preferences.
>> No figures are meants for statisticans, facts and truth go hand in hand. Simply having personal preferences will not change the facts.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:01 am
The discussion is getting a little more interesting, so I thought I’d contribute my bit. Here’s what I did; I randomly selected a year (1965) and identified 20 Rafi solos released that year. Here they are:
1. Din dhal jaye (Guide - S. D. Burman)
2. Tere mere sapne (Guide - S. D. Burman)
3. Kya se kya ho gaya (Guide - S. D. Burman)
4. Yahan main ajnabi hoon (JJPK - Kalyanji Anandji)
5. Pardesiyon se na aankhiyan milana (JJPK - Kalyanji Anandji)
6. Aye watan aye watan (Shaheed - Prem Dhawan)
7. Sarfaroshi ki tamanna (Shaheed - Prem Dhawan)
9. Pukarta chala hoon main (Mere Sanam - O. P. Nayyar)
10. Tukre hai mere dil ko (Mere Sanam - O. P. Nayyar)
11. Jaag dil-e-deewana (Oonche Log - Chittragupt)
12. Tera husn rahe mera ishq rahe (Do Dil - Hemant Kumar)
13. Aye phoolon ke rani (Aarzoo - Shankar-Jaikishan)
14. Chhalke teri aankhon mein (Aarzoo - Shankar-Jaikishan)
15. Jaan pehchan ho (Gumnaam - Shankar-Jaikishan)
16. Hum kale hai to kya hua dil wale hai (Gumnaam - Shankar-Jaikishan)
17. Chhoo lene do nazuk honto ko (Kajal - Ravi)
18. Dil jo na kahe saka (Bheegi Raat - Roshan)
19. Kahin bekhayal hokar (Teen Deviyan - S. D. Burman)
20. Aise to na dekho (Teen Deviyan - S. D. Burman)
These songs cover a wide range of genres (ghazal, patriotic, rock ‘n roll, comedy…), were composed by several MDs (SD, OP, SJ, Roshan, Hemant, Ravi…) and sung on screen by different actors (Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Shammi, Biswajeet, Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Mehmood…). The “voice” goes high pitch, low pitch, short pitch, full pitch,… and conveys feelings of every kind (masti, gam, mohabbat, sharabi, mawali, beqarari, desh-preeti…).
Can someone tell me — and this is for my own education — in which songs Kishore would sound better (with respect to voice and feeling)?
In most countries, if a singer had sung 40 such songs in a lifetime, he or she would have been bestowed all possible honours and awards; there would be no need for any debate. The Indian diaspora across the world — in Birmingham, London, Toronto, Port of Spain, the Fijis, Nairobi, Dubai, New York, Colombo and Singapore — has been swaying to Rafiana for the last 50 years. And now we are being told that there are other singers who are far ahead in conveying emotions!
When Rafi sang “Suhani raat dhal chuki” in 1949, I don’t think there was a proper recording room, forget about digital gizmos. No one even remembers who sang it on screen, but yet the lustre of that song grows with every passing year. Likewise, no one knows who danced to the tune of “Madhuban mein radhika nache re”. Fifty years from now, when no one would care for Dev Anand or Rajesh Khanna, people would still be listening to Rafi’s priceless gems. Because Rafi is the ultimate benchmark, the barometer for gauging the worth of the popular singer of the day.
Instead of 1965, I could have selected 1966. Do I need to remind readers which “suraj” shone that year or which MD got elevated to his “loRD” status? Yes, two more gems surfaced that year among his countless others: “Baharo phool barsao” and “Tumne mujhe dekha”.
May 25th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Mr. Dron - All legends have different categories of fan so typifying all under one category whether it is Rafi sahab fans or KK fans makes no sense.
A handful of them in both cases like to compare legends to show why the favour one of them.
So I do not think it is polite to say disgrace etc.. to any of them. This is an open board and each one of us have a right to voice why we favour someone. Facts are meant for statisticians and researches to ponder over, not for personal preferences.
May 25th, 2007 at 6:05 am
Interesting article but inept title. The title must read “enldess feud between facts and desperate KK fans”
By forcing KK to be pitied with legends like Rafi, all these KK fans have achieved is scaling down the memory of KK and insulting his fantastic achievements. When they fail to satisfy their burning urge to somehow convince themselves that KK was better than someone else, they start throwing abuses and get involved with discussions that could put sewage to shame.
It surprises me why fans of Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mana Dey and Mohammed Rafi do not have such discussions on their site.
Something to really ponder about??
Another point to ponder about is why it is that the name of Mohammed Rafi brings feelings of hate and anxiety to a section of the self proclaimed KK fans.
Rafi, a true symbol of playback singing who in the words of Lata filled the void left by the legendry K.L. Saigal, someone who mastered every skill of singing from the early 1940s to the 80’s. A name that is a sign of dignity and pride not only for India but for the sub-continent. A unmatched personality who did not allow even a spec of arrogance and pride take over his unmatched and rare skills and fame that no one has ever had in HFM, a person of high levels of modesty, kindness and decency and who all his colleagues including KK adored and respected.
So why the name Rafi irks these bigots? Truth hurts and facts are only for the wise. In both cases you have failed.
Feel sorry for KK that he has such by such a disgraceful following. If he was alive today, he would have disowned you all.
May 24th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
sorry moderators, i just saw my post. I take my comments back. You should anyway not allow such nonsese to get through this respected site.
May 24th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Debjoyoti and other shameless creeps
If this is how you love and represent Kishore that you need to make insulting comments about the noble and graceful Mohammed Rafi then you have a major inferiority complex and suffer from insecurity.
Your lack of knowledge suggests that either you are a kid or simply a usless person who has time to dish out shit on this respected site.
Leave these legends alone as most of you don’t have even an iota of knowledge about their quality of singing and their mutual respect and love they had for each other.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:43 am
years after the death of rafi and kk music lovers very actively participating in debates abot them.thiz reveals the imprint and legacy left behind by them.comparison between them is not at all possible as rafi is very muchahead than kk as a singer,kk is ahead than rafi as an actor.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Nothing further to add, I confirm what I said.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Kishoreda is simply the best and so is Mohd Rafi sahab.Comparing people diffrent styles is utter foolishness.All those Rafi fans posting veiws against Kishoreda are not good enough to be called mohd Rafi sahab’s fans.they are no fans but are enemy to music. WE JUST CAN’T COMPARE TAJ MAHAL’s BEAUTY WITH HEIGHT OF THE PETRONAS TOWER’S.Hence simply starting a debate over greatness of two god’s of music is just wastage of time listen to music and just enjoy it.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:14 am
It is not a very useful thing to compare two singers or actors. This cannot be understood by fans who soon loose all sense pf proportion and support their singer against all comments. I am a kishore fan and have been so all my fifty years of age. But it was only recently that I had the oppertunity to listen to Kishore, Rafi , Hemonto, and Mannadey on high quality MP3 players during extended metrorail travels to office. What I heard surprised me. The Mp3 music can be heard very closely in the ears and when you hear a long collection of songs of each , the effect can be quite revealing.What I have to say is this:
About voice quality
The order in which you can place the above mentioned singers is Kishore, Rafi, Manna, quite a few others and Hemonto. I find that it is possible to find many good voices among female stars due to the higher frequency content which the human organism reproduces better(?). But this fact is being proved time and gain by the sa re ga ma contests which have found many good contenders to Lata and asha and records show that there have always been good contenders to them. It is the male voice with versatility which is difficult to find. On the MP3 if you listen to the slow passages you will find that inferior voices loose their musicality and sound banal. It is only kishore and rafi who can meet the challenge. I have no quarrel to pick with the Rafi fans on this count, however I place Kishore above Rafi comparing them on a huge repertoire of songs.
Conveyance of the song
However it is on the second count that kishore excels. His songs convey the feeling and context of the song better than anybody else. The emotional songs sound natural and not concocted. It was because he was an excellent actor, acting in sad and comedy films with elan. He was a Director who could convey the song context very aptly.
He did not have any classical music training , like from a classical Guru, however the training he recieved from his sister who was a classical artist of repute and the encouragement from the avid listeners of his fathers lawyer friends, nurtured an interest from a young age and natural understanding of what ‘listens good’, never left him. He could say a line of prose musically.
It is these qualities that place him as a singer above everybody else and unfortunately it is this combination of a singer with top voice quality with his understanding of context, acting and direction that will be hard to find in another singer for a long , long time to come, maybe a thousand years?
May 24th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I know this is going to sound ridiculous but…
I would really have liked to listen to a Kishore Kumar version of “Pardah Hai Pardah Hai.” He would have done an EXCELLENT job and I can gauge that from merely the one line he sang in the song. One of my favorite qawwalis is actually a KK qawwali - Haal Kya Hai Dillon from that 1973 Jeetendra movie. Sure, KK wouldn’t do the alaaps and such but his own version would still be special in a different way. No matter how good something is, if you’re too much into it - you will be desensitized to it. Sometimes I get “tired” of Rafi singing every single qawwali and like to resort to a different, fresh voice. Kishore seemed to be at 100% capacity of his abilities when uttering that line but he could pull it off.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:35 am
What to say about this man,he is my dream man,everyone’s favourite.Kishore Kumar is not only the best singer ever,but also the best human being,was quite humourous too.I have allways rated him far ahead than other singers like Rafi and Mukesh.No one can ever match his talents,he mastered every art.His acting,dancing was also the best.Not to forget him as a director,musician and lyricist.In short he is GOD.He is best.Personally,I don’t like Rafi’s songs at all.Rafi is liked by very few people of previous generation,while Kishore Kumar is liked by millions of people all over the world.
From Bandita-a die-hard Kishore fan.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Couldn’t stop posting this one.
A R Rahman recent interview:
————————————
Are you hunting for more singers? What about instrumentalists?
I am always on the lookout for new talent. These days I am looking for a good male voice. Like Rafi, not ˜roughy” (laughs). Someone who can switch octaves with that ease.
If you can’t guess who a “roughy” singer could be, come to this site and look at the picture at the top.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:21 pm
For saying Hai Hai to The greatest singer Rafi, Kishore da would
have slapped Debojyit and closed this site as KK respected
Rafi saab.
KK once slapped a fan for saying some foolish thing abour Rafi saab.
And when SADAK CHAAP FANS enter the EDUCATED AND LITERATE
LEAVE THE PLACE… ANY PLACE FOR THAT MATTER….
SO BYE BYE….
binu nair binus2000@hotmail.com.
May 23rd, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Someone said that “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”….Well Kumar sanu,abhijeet,shaan,vinod rathod,babul supriyo and the list goes on.What a JOKE hahahaha.Now don’t you say that we have Anwar,shabbir kumar,Mohd Aziz,Sonu as Rafi clones. What I want to point out is how much lies you guys invent just for defending your rotten arguments.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:20 am
Well said Anand,Kishoreda is obviously the greatest and most popular singer of all times.
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:49 am
Kishore is a better singer than Rafi because he can act.
Kishore is a better actor than Naseeruddin Shah because he can sing
Kishore is a better soccer player than Maradona because he can also sing and act
–BIZARRE LOGIC
First of all I think he as a good singer but a lousy actor.
Since most of the Kishore fans are Bengalees here, let me remind them of Tulsi Chakraborty in Sharey Chuattar or Rabi Ghosh in Galpo Holeo Satyi or Santosh Dutta in Jai Baba Felunath..
That is what is called comedy not Kishore-sumar-style-bharamo (utter frivolity)
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:13 am
KK had four wifes it is true and became Muslim and changed his name to if am not wrong to Kassam Ali to marry….plz listen to song in flim Kranti when mohd Rafi enter to the song……KK was at top from 1969 to 1987!!!!!!!?that what u kk fans say but we Mohd Rafi say that Mohd Rafi is still at the top and will be,Lata ji had Bharat Ratna award but we Mohd Rafi fans think that award should given to Mohd Rafi before Lata Ji but u KK fans never spoke about that because u r sure that this award is more higher from u r KK,Talat Ji said that Mohd Rafi voice is gift from God but Mohd Rafi made it gift to God,SB said when he listen to Mohd Rafi he think that he is not half of Mohd Rafi,Asha Ji said no one can win Mohd Rafi,OP Nayar,Naushand,Madan Mohan,SD and LP do u KK fans know who are they and what they said about Mohd Rafi u kk fans know more these great people in music world.
DO U KK fans know that flim maker and actor want kk to sing in Flim Laila Majnu but Madan Mohan said no he will use Mohd Rafi,I know u kk fans are blind mind u can’t see the trueth but please put KK voice in flim Laila Majnu songs….and many more,Raj Kapoor didn’t used Mohd Rafi much but he said that Mohd rafi is the best same to Manoj Kummar.
we should feel sham to compare Mohd Rafi with KK.really i don’t understant how someone can say that KK was better SINGER!!!!!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Shame on debjyoti… sadak chhap… an uneducated KK fan! This is what one expect from a KK fan. I believe it’s a waste of time for us to visit this site. Useless really. Even an African negro is much better educated than this chap. This chap has crossed the level. A junglee fellow! KK if alived would have slapped this chap who spoke harsh on Rafi Saheb.
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:29 pm
though kk could not outsmart rafi with all of his soatributed abilities,kk fans will surely tarnish porr rafi with their harsh and unfounded comments.what a pity.hear music with ears and heart
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Dear Debjyoti:
What you have said to Mr Hussain is due to you having
hallucinations. Its a PSYCHIATRIC condition that you are
feeling now.
You feel that Hussein is one person using different names.
You need immediate PSYCHIATRIC treatment for this. And you
also said : get lost to Hussein due to this hallucination.
I live in Mumbai and myself can chat live with you to prove that
Hussen does not use alibis. Same with many writers of whom
you feel the same.
As I said earlier… you need urgent Psychiatric treatment for
your mental condition and I can HELP YOU OUT…
contact me: binus2000@hotmail.com