Mohd Rafi & RD Burman
Fans of singer Rafi allege that RD Burman and his preference for Kishore Kumar spelled the lull in the career of Rafi, after Aaradhana (1969). It probably says something about how fate plays its hand and as portend of things to come, that a song composed by RD Burman sung by Rafi for Guru Dutt film remained unreleased, with the tune finding its way to Dev Anand’s Jewel Thief and becoming a blockbuster in the voice of Kishore Kumar.
It is true that right through the 1970s RD gave the majority of his songs to Kishore. It is also true that when Rafi’s career as a singer is mentioned, the composers who come to mind are Naushad, Madan Mohan, Shankar Jaikishan, Ravi, OP Nayyar, and SD Burman. RD rarely finds a mention.
However, that is an incomplete understanding. Rafi won his only National Award as Best Male Singer, and that composition belongs to none of the composers we generally associate Rafi with. The National Award-winning song “ Kya Hua Tera Wada” (Hum Kisise Kum Nahin) was composed by RD. This was just one of RD’s sensational compositions for the singer. There are others, like chartbusters in Teesri Manzil, which was RD’s first super hit film, which brought RD to the list of top composers of Hindi films. There is one more movie “ Pyar Ka Mausam” which had super hit music, and one song was sung by both Rafi and Kishore, for hero Shashi Kapoor and character actor Bharat Bhushan, and here Rafi’s song became a chartbuster, and the song is “Tum Bin Jaoon Kahan’.
Even after that, and even as other composers of the era turned to Kishore, RD would time and again give Rafi the best he had. In Yaadon Ki Baraat, for example, it goes without saying that ‘Chura Liya Hai Jo Tumne Mujhko’ is by far the most melodious song of the film. It is Rafi who drives three of the best duets ever in Caravan (1971), which also rank among RD’s finest work. And in Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, though Rishi Kapoor and Kishore win the song and dance competition (with ‘Aa Dil Kya’ and ‘ Mil Gaya’ songs). Not only does Rafi have ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada’and also ‘Chand Mera Dil’, qawwali ‘Hai Agar Dushman Zamana’, and ‘Yeh Ladka Hai Allah’.
In between there were individual hits that escape consideration when we talk of Rafi’s collaboration with RD. Consider the hypnotic romantic song ‘Rut Hai Milan Ki Saathi Mere Aare’ (Mela 1971). The Train (1970) song ‘Gulabi Ankhen Jo Teri Dekhi, a very sensuous song from Abdullah (1980) ‘Maine Poocha Chand Se ki Dekha Hai Kahin’, and how about the high pitch song of Shaan (1980) ‘Yama Yama, Yeh Khubsurat Samma’ which Rafi sang with RD. This Yama Yama song has a story associated with it, it has been said that RD was not very happy with this song even after recording, and he had requested Rafi to re-record this song but it was not to be, before he could re- record this song with RD as his co-singer, Rafi left this world.
There is one song from Kudrat (1981), which was released after Rafi’s death, the song is ‘Sukh Dukh Ki Har Ek Mala, Kudrat Hi Piroti Hai’, and with that the story of Rafi’s gesture toward an unknown singer Chandrashekhar Gadgil. RD had composed and recorded the song, all four antras (stanzas), with young Gadgil, and the singer has sung the song very well. However, the film’s producers began insisting on getting Rafi, to render this song, replacing Gadgil. This was quite a common occurrence in those days and composers often had to give in to producer’s or director’s whims. RD approached Rafi who was unaware that the song as already been recorded earlier by another singer. After recording three antras of the song, Rafi learnt the truth. Distraught at the prospect of snatching away the young singer’s opportunity of a lifetime, Rafi told RD that he would have nothing to do with the song. That he did not approve of it at all and would not lend his name to the song, and refused to sing the fourth antra, and refused to take his fees.
Eventually, the film was released after Rafi’s death. The producers had their way, and Rafi’s version played in the film’s soundtrack (the credit titles and in the background) though Gadgil is mentioned as one of the playback singers. However, the film’s LP record still has only Gadgil’s version.
At the same time, there are a number of songs Rafi/RD combination that have been lost in the mists of time for the reasons either the film was a failure or some other song from the same film became a chartbuster. Here are a few of the songs of this combination;
1 ‘Zamane Ne Maare Insaan Kaise Kaise’ from Baharon Ki Manzil (1966). This film had other hit numbers like ‘Aaja Piya Tohe Pyar Doon’, ‘Chunnari Sambha Gori’. Majrooh’s mournful words find the perfect voice of Rafi in this exquisite RD composition filled with all the sorrows of the world.
2 ‘Waadiyan Mera Daaman from Abhilasha(1968)- The sublime song has Rafi in great form from conveying the pathos and longing of love like few singers managed. The film is long forgotten, but the song can still move your heart.
3 ‘Rekha O Rekha, Jabse Tumhe Dekha’ from Adhikaar (1971)- Rafi’s lively rendition of this joyful number. This is Rafi at his playful best, a reminder of the Shammi Kapoor masti bhare songs of the 1960s.
4 ‘Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara’ from The Burning Train (1980)- No one sang the qawwali better than Rafi. And there are very few better than this duet Qawwali with Asha Bhosle. Sahir’s affecting lyrics on the transient nature of human relationships benefit immensely from RD’s magical treatment of the music (alternating between the classic approach to the traditional qawwali and the western beats as Dharmendra races on a car to stop a bomb ticking away in train) and zestful picturisation. But it is Rafi who nails it, and in the light of his passing only months after the film’s release, make this line immortal ‘Umar Ka Rishta Jodne Wale, Apni Nazar Mein Deewane Hain’ with a rare similarity.
There are many other songs of this combination ‘Poocho Na Yaar kya Hua (Zamane Ko Dikhana hai 1981), ‘Kaun Kisi Ko’ (Kaalia 1981), ‘Ye Choodiyan Nahin’ ( Balika Badhu 1976), and many more that have languished in obscurity.
Both Rafi and RD were great legends in their field, and it is said by many experts that Rafi was the greatest male playback singer and RD was the greatest composer of Hindi film music.
I am waiting for your views on this blog
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
4th August 202