This devotional tRaCk became popular

My collection contained a couple of songs from Aasha, which released on March 21, 1980.

That was about four months before Mohammed Rafi passed away.

He was one of the two people who lent their voices to the subject of this post.

Speaking of two, that was the number of titles it went – it was called Tune Mujhe Bulaya, and its alternative title was Jai Mata Di.

The man who joined him behind the microphone for the song was Narendra Chanchal.

Anand Bakshi wrote the song, which Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma composed.

Indeed, Rafi did it justice

I wrote this post on December 24, 2023 – the 99^th birth anniversary of the legendary Mohammed Rafi.

He lent his voice to the subject of it, which happened to be the second song from College Girl (1978) in my collection.

If they were arranged in the alphabetical order, Phoolon Ki Tarah Woh Hansti Thi would be the first.

The song was his only contribution to the film’s soundtrack.

Dev Kohli wrote the Bappi Lahiri composition.

I first heard this song in a YouTube clip, in which Sachin Pilgaonkar – on whom it was picturised – mentioned it.

Mukesh and Rafi rendered it

Samjhauta released in 1973.

My collection contained just one song from the film.

It was titled Badi Door Se Aaye Hain.

The next five words of the song were Pyaar Ka Tohfa Laaye Hain.

It would not be incorrect to state that it was one of the finest male duets on the soundtracks of Hindi films that released in the 1970s.

The two men who lent their voices to it were Mukesh and Mohammed Rafi.

The song was written by Indeevar.

The two men who composed it were Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah.

The ListeneRs definitely loved it

One night, during my ride home from work, I heard a song on the radio.

Although the cabbie had reduced the volume, I could catch a few words of it.

The opening line of the song went, “Tere Dil Mein Thodi Si Jagah”.

All I knew was that Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi lent it their voices.

I looked it up online immediately, and found that it was a song from Anokhi Ada, which released in 1973.

The song, which was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, was composed by Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma.

Rafi’s voice, indeed, was divine

There is no two ways about the fact that the voice of the legendary Mohammed Rafi was aptly described as ‘Khuda ki Awaaz’ (or ‘The Voice of God’).

Even when he was no longer at his peak, he managed to stay relevant with underrated hits like the subject of this post.

It was titled Khuda Bhi Aasmaan Se.

And it happened to be the only song from Dharti (1970) in my collection.

It was written by Rajinder Krishan.

The two men who composed the song were Shankar Singh Ram Singh Raghuvanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal.

Sharda sang it with Rafi

Composer Shankar Singh Ram Singh Raghuvanshi was raised in Hyderabad, so it was fair that he (and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal) had a ‘Duology with Telugu Phrases’.

While one was Ramaiya Vastavaiya [from Shree 420 (1955)], the other was the subject of this post.

It was titled Badkamma Badkamma Ekkada Potav Ra.

That could be translated to, “Badkamma, where are you going?”

And it happened to be the only song from the 1969 film Shatranj in my collection.

Sharda Rajan Iyengar joined Mohammed Rafi behind the microphone for the song, which was written by Kiran Kalyani.

It was among Rafi’s best

My collection contained a couple of songs from Mere Huzoor, which released in 1968.

These included the subject of this post – Gham Uthane Ke Liye Main Toh Jeeye Jaoonga (which would be the first if they were arranged in the alphabetical order).

It was rendered by the one and only Mohammed Rafi (who sang the majority of the songs in the film).

As far as their mood was concerned, the contrast between the two songs couldn’t have been starker.

But there were a couple of similarities – Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the song,  which Shankar Jaikishan composed.

MoHaMmeD Rafi sang this too

The reason I capitalised half the letters in Mohammed Rafi’s first name was they also happened to be the initials of the title of the film from which the subject of this post was – Mere Hamdam Mere Dost, which released in 1968.

If the singer’s three solos from the film were arranged in the alphabetical order, the subject of this post – Hui Shaam Unka Khayal Aa Gaya – would be the second.

Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the song, which was composed by Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma.

It was four minutes and 31 seconds long.

It was yet AnotheR(a)fine track

I discovered the songs of the 1967 film Palki quite late in my life.

And upon doing so, I added a couple of them to my collection.

One of them happened to be the subject of this post.

It was titled Kal Raat Zindagi Se Mulaqaat Ho Gayi (which was alphabetically the first of the two).

Like the other song from the film in my collection, this was a male solo.

But the man who lent his voice to it was the one and only Mohammed Rafi.

Shakeel Badayuni wrote the song, which Naushad composed.

Rafi’s fans paid this heed

My collection contained one song from Naunihal, which released in 1967.

It was titled Meri Awaaz Suno (which could be translated to, “Listen to my voice”).

Though the song was rendered by the one and only Mohammed Rafi, it was nothing but an expression of every singer’s expectation of his fans.

By the way, the next four words of the song were Pyaar Ka Raaz Suno.

The song was picturised on the funeral procession of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (who died on May 27, 1964).

Kaifi Azmi wrote the Madan Mohan composition.  

Suman sang it with Rafi

If the four songs from Farz (1967) were arranged in the alphabetical order, Tumse O Haseena would be the last.

And if they were arranged in the ascending order of their durations, it would be the first – it was five minutes and 55 seconds long.

Mohammed Rafi was joined behind the microphone for the song by Suman Kalyanpur.

Anand Bakshi wrote the song, which was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

By the way, this was one of the three songs whose Revival versions also featured on the film’s soundtrack.

The others were also included in my collection.

This was an exceptional nuMbeR

My collection contains four tracks from Mera Saaya, which released in 1966.

The subject of this post – Aapke Pehlu Mein Aakar Ro Diye – happened to be the solo male solo in the film.

It was rendered by none other than Mohammed Rafi.

Obviously, it would be the first if they were arranged in the alphabetical order.

But if there were arranged in the descending order of their durations, it would be the penultimate one – it was three minutes and 32 seconds long.

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan penned the song, which was composed by Madan Mohan.

Playback’s Shahen‘shah’, Rafi, rendered it

My collection contains five songs from Love In Tokyo (1966).

Eighty per cent of those were written by Hasrat Jaipuri.

These include the subject of this post – the male version of O Mere Shah-E-Khuban*.

That, by the way, is an Urdu phrase, which could be translated to beloved.

Mohammed Rafi lent his voice to the song.

Was that even a surprise? After all, he sang the majority of the male solos in the film.

Shankar Singh Ram Singh Raghuvanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal composed the song.

(*Note: The female version was sung by Lata Mangeshkar.)

This wAs(h)a duet featuring Rafi

The title track of Dus Lakh (1966) was titled Gareebon Ki Suno Woh Tumhari Sunega.

There were a couple of versions of it on the soundtrack of the film*.

But my collection contains just one.

And that was the duet, to which Asha and Mohammed Rafi (Bhos)lent their voices.

That was hardly a surprise, because between the two of them, they sang the majority of the songs in the film.

Prem was Dhawan who penned the song.

It composed by Ravi Shankar Sharma (better known as Ravi).

(*Note: The other was an Asha Bhosle solo.)

This Rafi solo became popular

Shehnai released in 1964.

But please do not be fooled by the musical title of the film – my collection contained just one track from it.

It was titled Na Jhatko Zulf Se Paani.

That line could be translated to, “Don’t shake off the water from your tresses”, and was, therefore, something a man would instruct his partner after she has come out of the shower.

The man who lent his voice to the song was none other than Mohammed Rafi.

It was written by Rajinder Krishan, and was composed by Ravi Shankar Sharma (a.k.a. Ravi).

A Sing(h)ing quaRTet rendereD it

Prior to the addition of the subject of this post – and that of the next one – to my collection, there was just one song from Haqeeqat (1964) in it.

The second song from the film in my collection (if the three were arranged in the alphabetical order) was Hoke Majboor Usne Mujhe Bulaya Hoga.

Four male Sing(h)ers – Bhupinder, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, and Talat Mahmood – sang it.

Kaifi Azmi wrote the Madan Mohan composition, which was the longest of the three from the film in my collection – it was seven minutes and a second long.

Only Rafi’s version was included

I came across the subject of this post in a book I didn’t expect to find it in – The Devil’s Pack, written by India’s 1983 Prudential World Cup-winning fast bowler, Balvinder Singh Sandhu, who referenced a West Indian of Indian descent, who sang the song.

The original, of course, was the male version of a song from Sehra (1963)*.

It was titled Taqdeer Ka Fasana.

And it was rendered by the one and only Mohammed Rafi.

The song, which was penned by Hasrat Jaipuri, was composed by Ramlal.

(*Note: Lata Mangeshkar sang the female version.)

This duet became quite popuLaR

Bluff Master released in 1963.

With the addition to this song to my collection, there were a couple of songs from the film in it.

If they were arranged in the alphabetical order, the track in question – Husn Chal Kuchh Aisi Chaal – would be the second.

It was the only female-male duet on the soundtrack of the film.

The two people who lent it their voices were Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi.

The song was written by Rajinder Krishan, who also penned the dialogues of the film.

It was composed by the Shah brothers, Kalyanji-Anandji.

  

Rafi didn’t just rock kal

Aaj Aur Kal released in 1963.

My collection contained just one song from the film (which I remembered out of the blue when I was compiling this playlist).

It was titled Yeh Wadiyan Yeh Fizayen.

Mohammed Rafi lent the track his voice.

And he was the right man for the job – his songs are timeless classics, and with the constant deterioration in the quality of Hindi film music over a period of four decades, it seems fair to say that the valleys and the springs have been beckoning him.

Sahir Ludhianvi wrote the Ravi composition.

It was yet anotheR(a)fine solo

Baat Ek Raat Ki released in 1962.

Before I added this song to my collection, there was just one song from the film in my collection.

It was titled Akela Hoon Main.

Though Mohammed Rafi was renowned for his humility, only he could have justice to the title of the song, because he was the leading playback singer at that point, and as the saying goes, it is lonely at the top.

It was his only solo on the soundtrack of the film.

Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the song, which was composed by S D Burman