Mohd Rafi was depressed, grew his beard after Bollywood said he was ‘finished', chose Kishore Kumar: ‘He would say I'm not a singer'

Indian Express

6 hours ago

Mohd Rafi started singing in the movies in the 1940s and until his death in 1980, he remained one of the most respected and loved singers that India had ever seen. Yet, despite his skill and popularity, Rafi also went through a phase where he went through self-doubt and this phase came about in the early 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of singer Kishore Kumar. In a recent interview singer Sudesh Bhosle said that at one point, Kishore wasn't taken seriously by the pundits of music as he was not a classically trained singer, but later, as he started working with RD Burman and delivering one hit after another, Kishore's perception changed.
In a chat shared on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, Sudesh said that at one point, classical musicians would argue with composers like Kalyanji-Anandji as to why they were giving an opportunity to someone like Kishore, who wasn't trained classically. 'But Kishore gives us what we want. He gives the expressions, the feelings that we need in a song,' they said.
Sudesh said that after a few years, everyone's tune changed and the same producers and media persons who didn't speak well about Kishore, declared him as the superior singer, and said that Rafi was 'finished.' 'They changed their tune and said, 'there is no one like Kishore, Rafi saab is gone, Rafi saab is finished. Finally, Kishore da had to tell media people that stop making these comparisons, it's hurtful because I respect Rafi saab,' he shared. Sudesh said that Rafi's singing was just the same, it was just that Kishore's fate had changed.
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He added, 'I never met Rafi saab but I have heard that at one point, if Rafi was asked to sing for Kishore, when he was acting, he said 'Uthao isko, yeh doobta suraj hai', Amit Kumar shared this with me. After Aradhana, people said, 'we don't care who is the hero, but we won't have it if there is no Kishore Kumar song. At that time, Kishore started singing for the heroes, for whom Rafi saab used to sing.'
Sudesh then shared that somewhere in the early 1970s, Rafi went into depression and implied that this was due to the constant comparisons that were being made. 'We had heard, we don't know how true it is, that Rafi saab went in depression. He grew his beard. He would meet Naushad and say 'I am not a singer' and Naushad helped him rebuild his confidence,' he said. Sudesh claimed that Laxmikant-Pyarelal called Mohd Rafi for Amar Akbar Anthony, and because director Manmohan Desai was a big fan of the singer, he cheered him on. 'Rafi said, 'Why are you calling me? I am not a singer'. Manmohan ji was a huge fan of Rafi saab, and after that he sang 'Parda Hai Parda', 'Shirdivale Sai Baba'.'
Rafi took a small sabbatical in the early 1970s and it was said that he as suffering from a throat infection and had, in fact, lost his voice. In 1975's Amar Akbar Anthony, Kishore and Rafi sang 'Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyar' together, along with Mukesh, as the song was picturised on three male actors. Lata Mangeshkar sang for all three female actors. The song was widely promoted as a coup as it brought Kishore and Rafi together.