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. […]

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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2,285 Blog Comments to “An endless feud between the fans of Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar..”

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  1. Vipul says:

    I did listen to Namakhalal song (Meera nachi thi) on you tube.
    I will post the link in my next message as I do not have access to youtube rite now.
    I found a different voice in SARGAM (The voice got changed inbetween SARGAM at 3:09 till 3:23)

    I would like others to confirm. Please note that I am still not sure if he was a different singer than KK but he sounded different for sure.

    Wait for the link (I will post it in a day or 2)

    BTW, when did I say kk has Rafi’s photo in his house? Who cares…?

  2. Sudip says:

    Ashu:
    Dude.. I never said Kabita always sings in false voice.

    The two songs that I mentioned CANNOT be sung without falsetto. The songs are designed like that. In Sa Re Ga Ma Pa little champs, when one participant sang “Bijli Ki Rani”, the first comment from (I do not remember who, most likely Asha) was “Yeh ganey mein jo falsetto hai”…

    Rafians have clarified every single question you posed.. Things pending from you are:
    1. You have not commented on Kishore’s effects on Bengali songs (the links I sent)
    2. Why you think Aaj Mausam Bada was false? (which line, which swar)
    3. Swarlipi of Chingari (you already missed the deadline) to prove you know classical music
    4. Rafi’s skillful toning down of “Aa ja” in Aa mere humjoli aa as a common ploy to misguide seekers in “hide and seek”
    5. Comment on the article http://www.mohdrafi.com/meri-awaaz-suno/true-voice-mohd-rafi.html

    As the lone surviving member of the KK land with tons of (meaningless) posts, I am singing this in your honor:

    (Ashu) bhari hai Kishore ki rahein
    Koi unse keh de ke unhe bhool jaye..

  3. ashu says:

    Sudip,

    As i thought, u did the same like any rafians. Firstly i must tell u, Kavita did not sing false in “Nimbuda” and “Hawa Hawai”.

  4. ashu says:

    Sudip,

    You are a big nut….Sorry (you are getting personal. i had ro reply).
    first line itself was false….

    Vipul,
    This is an another false news spread by u guys, like
    – Rafi’s portrait in Kishore’s buglaow
    – Kishore was off key
    – classical singer sang SARGAM in namak Halal.
    If you had seen K for Kishore, there is a singer name Naveen…He sang that SARGAM beautifully.
    Again we are judging these 2 singers based on what they had executed brialliantly.

  5. Sudip says:

    Ashu:
    You have proven yourself NUTS with this analysis. Can you pls tell me which part of “Aaj mausam bada” was sung with false voice?

    Can you pls comment on this article? The author has a tad better music knowledge than you:
    http://www.mohdrafi.com/meri-awaaz-suno/true-voice-mohd-rafi.html

  6. Vipul says:

    Since w are talking about classical songs.. I have one more query. Is ittrue that for Namak Halal song “Pag ghungroo bandh”, Bappi had to arrange for a classical singer to sing a small portion as KK was not able to. I am just not sure so looking for more information.

  7. Vipul says:

    Manish Said” WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED is that Mohammed Rafi sang some of the most enduring classical songs in HINDI FILM HISTORY – Kishore did not.”

    That is what I was tring to say for a long time but seems kk fan are kind of jealous about it. They know the truth but just can’t accept it. Anyways…

  8. ashu says:

    sudip,

    u wrote:

    I got the above statement examined by a Set theory specialist.
    The conclusions are:
    a. You are not a Kishore fan OR
    b. You do not know who is the best

    My reply:
    Your theory as worst as your analysis. (Not personal..Pls.)
    I wrote so many blog, not because i wanted to prove something, but i wanted others to understand few peoples false anlaysis.
    To me. Kishore is from 1 to 100…
    I too like Rafi, and i have my own his favorites..

  9. ashu says:

    Vipul 🙂

    I am sure, Sudip will come up with some false information 🙂
    Let me provide, real meaning of :


    the upper register of the human voice, the opposite of chest voice. Though sometimes considered synonymous with head voice, the Italian term falsetto means “false soprano” and therefore has been used traditionally to describe only the adult male’s head voice, whereby the vocal cords vibrate in a length shorter than usual and somewhat apart with a permanent oval orifice

    courtsey to net

    few songs which i immediately remember is:

    1. Aaj mousam bada
    2. duniya me ha ha ha logon ko
    3. AA mere humjoli aa…..(Rafi sang Aaajjjjjaaaaaaaaaaaaa 🙂 )
    4. Aake sidhi lagi jaise dil pe kataria

    This is a western concept.
    Here is link whihc gives you more idea:
    http://www.become-a-singing-master.com/head-voice-and-falsetto.html

  10. Sudip says:

    Vipul:
    In a truly technical sense, falsetto pertains to singing in a high pitch tone higher than one is capable of. Yodelling is one type of falsetto. Kavita Krishnamurthy often sang in falsetto in songs like “Nimbuda” or “Bijli ki rani”.
    Abhijit did not sing in falsetto from a very etymological angle because he never sang in high pitch. But, he did sing in false voice to sound artificially sweet. Typical songs sung in false voice are:
    -Main koi aisa geet gaoon
    -Lamha Lamha

    One singer (leaving our Rafi out) who never sings in false voice is Udit Narayan. Udit may sound not so good in some songs but I don’t think he sings in false voice ever.

    One easy layman’s way of judging is : If a person’s speaking tonal quality is very different from singing tone, one has to resort to false voice. If one speaks like Usha Uthup and sings like Lata, there is no way one can do without false voice. Have you heard Rafi speak? His voice would be as sweet as when he sang. I am sure that’s not the case with Abhijeet.

  11. myk says:

    There is no comparison at all, Rafi is the greatest singer. Rafi was a phenomenon, Kishore or anyone never matched up to him, but Kishore was great within his own range. Comparing him to Rafi is impossible, as no one can be compared to Rafi, he is in a different league.

    Sudip, do you still think Rafi’s “Pyar Hai Ik Nishan” (Mukti), and “Zamane Ne Maare” (Baharon Ke Sapne), will make it into RD’s Top 5 ?. What other Rafi songs do you think will make it into RD’s all-time best list ?. How about those two outstanding qawwali’s from HKKN and TBT ?.

  12. Sudip says:

    ASHU:
    “Kishore fan never get involved into such debate, because they know who is best. I am continously replying you guys, because i can’t stop myself in replying ur biased view.”

    I got the above statement examined by a Set theory specialist.
    The conclusions are:
    a. You are not a Kishore fan OR
    b. You do not know who is the best

    🙂 🙂

  13. Sudip says:

    THIS ONE IS FOR ASHU:
    “I play Guitar and I know classical”-again a very anecdotal, empty statement.
    Nothing substantiates the claim. Unless you can tell us the notes (swars) of Chingari without referring to any website or book.

    NOW HERE IS THE REAL ONE:
    Throughout this debate you have been picking on “Aa mere humjoli aa”. Even I agreed with you when I listened to the song on tape. I thought Rafi’s “aa ja” was a bit faded, a bit thin.
    But then I watched the video.. And realized HOW BRILLIANT RAFI HAS SUNG THAT PART!! I can give you a week to figure out why, but since you do not appreciate these subtleties anyway, let me answer for you.

    Here is the video:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=UuTYSTOZxf4

    At around 1 min 25 sec, Jeetendra starts moving backward and hiding. The camera remains fixed at Tanuja’s position while Jeetendra starts moving backward. At 1 min 29 sec Jeetendra sings that part “Aa ja” from a distance. Anyone who has played “hide and seek” knows it is a common ploy to confuse the searcher by making it sound as if you are calling from a distance. No one in the right minds believed Rafi is incapable of singing that part a bit heavier (even I can). The question was WHY did he sing it that way?

    Now that I saw the video I really know why Rafi did that and that’s what makes him SPECIAL!!

  14. Manish Kumar says:

    Vipul,

    No need for apologies. The only reason I made that post was (1) to share an interesting story with you all (2) prevent us from talking about other singers as Ashu would want 🙂

    So no worries at all 🙂

    Ashu’s strategy is to bring up Bhimsen Joshi, Mehdi Hassan, etc. to counter one singer and move away from the focus of this debate. His other strategy is to belittle the contributions of Rafi in the WORLD OF PLAYBACK SINGING in areas that Kishore never touched. We had agreed to talk about WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED is that Mohammed Rafi sang some of the most enduring classical songs in HINDI FILM HISTORY – Kishore did not.

  15. Dhani Ram says:

    There is no scope for hard classical songs in films.Hard classicals have been situationally tried in a handful of movies but they couldn’t gain popularity.A telling example is that of Aaj gavat man meiro jhoom ke in Mughle Azam but the most popular song from that movie is Piar kiya to darna kya.However,numerous semi-and light-classical songs have been sung and in them Rafi’s performance has been stupendous.He has no equal both in film industry and outside for such songs.Besides the well-known ones like Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare and Suhani raat dhal chuki etc,there is this one:Peehoo Peehoo boley koalia,a duet with Lata.I would like Ashu and Sanjay Kapoor to comment just on this one song.Has it been sung to perfection or could it be done better and how?With apologies for all Kishore lovers,including those like Sudip who admire Kishore too and for whose knowledge and analytical powers I have the highest regards,I don’t think much of Kishore as a singer.I find monotonous sameness in all his songs.One song is just like another.His voice is coarse.He tried to make up for his deficiencies through antics like yoodling and singing in woman’s voice.

    There is another Rafi light classical duet with Lata:Teri shahnai boley sun ke dil meira doley.

    There is a hard classical song to which I have referred in two of my previous posts but it seems none of the participants has heard it.Sanjay and Ashu,I would like you to hear:Baat chalat nai chunri rang daari aiso hai natkhat banwari.It is a duet sung by Rafi with a professional classical singer.Rafi beats the professional in singing taans and all else.Just as the Mughle Azam song could’t become popular this one too has been forgotten but it is a superb song.

    Ashu,I have another Rafi-Asha duet for you to comment on:Chand sa mukhra kyun sharmaya.

    Ashu,I am afraid you have contradicted yourself in your latest post in response to Sumit’s comment on salability of a singer.In a previous post you tried to prove Kishore’s superiority to Rafi by asserting that Kishore’s albums had a higher sale.Now your criterion is the lasting value of a song.And by your new criterion,Rafi is way ahead of everybody.Only time will tell how much of Kishore lasts another decade.Rafi’s songs are already into the 8th decade and still have freshness and vitality.

    Any comment on this one:Zara thehro,zara sunate jaana sada meire dil ki,Khuli palak mein jhoota gussa band palak mein piar jeena bhi mushkil marna bhi mushkil.There is so much modulatory variation in just this one song that we hjardly find it in the repertoire of any other singer.

    Sanjay says that whenever a classical song was to be sung Manna De was called upon to do so.Certainly not true.Actually several of Manna’s classical numbers were picturised clownishly.The famous Laaga chunri mein daag is a wonderful song but in the film it is presented in a manner that makes fun of classical singing.The same is the case with Piar ki aag mein tan badan jal gayaa.

  16. Vipul says:

    Sudip, I went through your post 826 and I think your music taste is really good. I think you sing too rite?

    Once you mentioned that Abhijeet sings in falsetto. Well, I am trying to understand the technical meaning of that term.

    I would mention one of my favourite KK numbers.
    Mere Mehboob Qayamat hogi”
    I think this song has 2 parts and do you think in sad version, KK also sang in falsetto particuraly when he started the song. Please confirm as that will help me understanding the meaning of that.

  17. ashu says:

    Sudip,

    Kishore fan never get involved into such debate, because they know who is best. I am continously replying you guys, because i can’t stop myself in replying ur biased view.
    For me, Chingari koi bhadke is brialliantly sung by Kishore, i could not see anyone match to his level. According me, Technically best song is song which reaches to comon man easily.
    I know classical music even i can play guitar, so pls. don’t trouble ur self in spreading junk information. According to me..”Kabhi khud pe” and “Chingari koi bhadke” both are beautifully sung by Rafi and kishore respectively..But none can be considered as Pure classical song.

  18. ashu says:

    Sudip,

    Kishore fan never get involved into such debate, because they know who is best. I am continously replying you guys, because i can’t stop myself in replying ur biased view.
    For me, Chingari koi bhadke is brialliantly sung by Kishore, i could not see anyone match to his level. According me, Technically best song is song which reaches to comon man easily.
    I know classical music even i can play guitar, so pls. don’t trouble ur self in spreading junk information. According to me..”Kabhi khud pe” and “Chingari koi bhadke” both are beautifully sung by Rafi and kishore respectively..But none can be considered as Pure classical song.

  19. ashu says:

    Sudip,

    Kishore fan never get involved into such debate, because they know who is best. I am continously replying you guys, because i can’t stop myself in replying ur biased view.
    For me, Chingari koi bhadke is brialliantly sung by Kishore, i could not see anyone match to his level. According me, Technically best song is song which reaches to comon man easily.
    I know classical music even i can play guitar, so pls. don’t trouble ur self in spreading junk information. According to me..”Kabhi khud pe” and “Chingari koi bhadke” both are beautifully sung by Rafi and kishore respectively..But none can be considered as Pure classical song.

  20. Vipul says:

    Manish, I apologies if you feel I was degrading Mukesh by saying he can’t sing “Laga chunrai main daag”
    I was just trying to make a point that I agree with Mann da statement that difficult songs went to Rafi and Manna.

    Anyways, you are right that Mukesh should not be brought into this topic.
    I personally like Mukesh and would like to take this opportunity to mention my favorite songs of Mukesh…

    1> Tum mujhe bhul bhi jao to yeh haque hai tumko
    2> Wo subha kabhi to aayegi
    3> Phir na kije maeri gustakh
    4> Chand ko kya malum
    5> Yeh mera diwanapan hai ( I think this song was initially meant for talat but later went to Mukesh)
    6> Jane kanha gaye wo din
    7> Chhod gaye balam
    8> Hum aaj kanhi dil kho baithe
    9> Kisi ki muskurahote pe ho nissar..
    10> Guzra zamana bachpan ka

    I can write 50 more.. but I think when it comes to comparing hit ratio, Mukesh songs were higher than others as most of his songs became hit.

    I agree with Dhnai ram that we are too small to put our views on legends and when most of the legends like Manna, Mukesh says that Rafi was their favorite, I will go with the

  21. Vipul says:

    Dhani Raam, I have a list of duets of Rafi and Asha where Rafi was way ahead than Asha.
    1> Diwana hua badal
    2> Bahut Shukriya
    3> Abhi na jao chood kar
    4> Diwana masatan hua dil
    5> Aja panchhi akela hai
    6> Main pyar ka rahi hun.

    Again it is my view that I find Rafi better than Asha… I founf Rafi effortless while Asha was may be trying to match Rafi. ( I am sorry I do not have right words to express…)
    However in “Achha ji main hari” I feel Asha did a wonderful job in matching Rafi.

  22. Vipul says:

    DhaniRam,
    Very nice post indeed. BTW, I am a die hard Rafi fan and I think you post was meant for someone else.

    BTW, I agree with your list of songs you mentioned. “Tum hi tum ho mere jeevan main” Is Raj kapoor song (Rafi for RK was kind of rare) and I agree that Rafi was terrific in that song…

    My other Rafi number is “Hai duniya usiki ..zamana uskia).. my god what a rendition.. Rafi is way above others in terms of playback singing!

  23. Sudip says:

    Minor spelling corrections and some Bengali song additions:
    ———————————————————————-

    Ashu:
    You wrote:”I meant to say Rafi was never considered as “CLASSICAL” singer”
    -That way none of Manna, Lata, Asha, Bhupinder is.. No background singer is a classical singer of Jasraj or Amir Khan’s nature.
    -Without making superficial anecdotal statements, tell me why you think “Laga chunri mei daag” is MORE CLASSICAL than “Sawan aye ya na aye” or “Sur na saje” is MORE CLASSICAL than “Man tadpat”. Ashu, you have a perception-based definition of “classical” and you tag a song based on what your preference says. I consider “Kabhi khud pe” as a classically sung song but not “Chingari koi bhadke”, though both are soft-raga based. If you really want technical details I can provide that (since you are the only surving Kishore fan in this discussion, I can devote more time for you :-))

    As I said, Rafi’s approach to singing is classical in general. His murkiyas, tans, harkateins are subtle, classical. If it needs a “komal sa” he hits that note perfectly. Kishore just flattens out these parts. What renders Kishore attractive is his booming voice that can well conceal these deficiencies. As Manna De stated “I was especially cautious when asked to sing for Mehmood in Ek chatur naar with Kishore Kumar. The latter had a unique and unaffected style of singing which tended to eclipse the subtleties of classical music, and place his singing partner, in a duet, at a disadvantage. To be put in the shade by Kishore’s flamboyant style of singing was a distinct possibility and, to counter the risk, I decided to work with Pancham, striving to build on my strengths and find a way of holding my own.”

    While the above is written in a cautiously appreciative tone, this is precisely what I have been trying to say. If one has to accept Kishore Kumar’s supremacy over Rafi and/or Manna, one has to love “FLAMBOYANCE” (I had been looking for the right word to describe Kishore’s style, thanks Manna for providing me that) at the cost of forsaking appreciation for these subtleties. Ashu, you have decided to do that and I do not have a problem with that. Myself, Manish, Probal, and Dhani Ram plus countless others have not decided to part with our love for those subtleties. But that’s a personal choice.

    Bengali songs of the 1960s and 1970s had a lot of these subtle variations, if one listens to Manna, Manabendra, Satinath, Hemanta it used to be. Believe it or not, Kishore completely ruined that tradition and Bengali songs have degenerated completely. Since most members here are non-Bengalis, I am including two songs (without even knowing Bengali you will understand the difference):

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=D6CcZ4FJv2U (Manna De)
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qi3kuL23a8Y&feature=related (Manabedndra, Shyamal Mitra)
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=xLuMynYaxiA (Kishore and post-Kishore)

    The simplistic style of singing is no doubt appealing (that’s why I just love him in my car audio), but its like McDonalds food..The instant appeal does not and should not replace long existing and more artistic treatments.

  24. Sudip says:

    Ashu:
    You wrote:”I meant to say Rafi was never considered as “CLASSICAL” singer”
    -That way none of Manna, Lata, Asha, Bhupinder is.. No background singer is a classical singer of Jasraj or Amir Khan’s nature.
    -Without making superficial anecdotal statements, tell me why you think “Laga chunri mei daag” is MORE CLASSICAL than “Sawan aye ya na aye” or “Sur na saje” is MORE CLASSICAL than “Man tadpat”. Ashu, you have a perception based definition of “classical” and you tag a song based on what your preference says. I consider “Kabhi khud pe” as a classically sung song but not “Chingari koi bhadke”, though both are soft-raga based. If you really want technical details I can provide that (since you are the only surving Kishore fan in this discussion, I can devote more time for you)

    As I said, Rafi’s approach to singing is classical in general. His murkiyas, harkateins are subtle, classical. If it needs a “komal sa” he hits that note perfectly. Kishore just flattens out these parts. What renders Kishore attractive is his booming voice that can well conceal these deficiencies. As Manna De stated “I was especially cautious when asked to sing for Mehmood in Ek chatur naar with Kishore Kumar. The latter had a unique and unaffected style of singing which tended to eclipse the subtleties of classical music, and place his singing partner, in a duet, at a disadvantage. To be put in the shade by Kishore’s flamboyant style of singing was a distinct possibility and, to counter the risk, I decided to work with Pancham, striving to build on my strengths and find a way of holding my own.”

    While the above is written in a cautiously appreciative tone, this is precisely what I have been trying to say. If one has to accept Kishore Kumar’s supremacy over Rafi and/or Manna, one has to love flamboyance (I had been looking for the right word to describe Kishore’s style, thanks Manna for providing me that) at the cost of forsaking appreciation for these subtleties. Ashu, you have decided to do that and I do not have a problem with that. Myself, Manish, Probal, and Dhani Ram plus countless others have not decided to part with our love for those subtleties. But that’s a personal choice.

    bengali songs had a lot of these subtle variations. If one listens to Manna, Manabendra, Satinath, Hemanta it used to be rich in these songs. Believe it or not, Kishore completely ruined that tradition and Bengali songs have degenerated completely. The simplistic style of singing is no doubt appealing (that’s why I just love him in my car audio), but its like McDonalds food..The instant appeal does not and should not replace long existing and more artistic treatments.

  25. myk says:

    LOL Ashu, your comments at best are silly, I’ve been following them over the past month.

    Kishore cant be compared to Rafi in any way possible, the more you defend Kishore, the more you drown because you’re going up against a wall. The points you give are subjective and not considered facts at all.

    Just one example, you claim Rafi was never considered a classical singer ?. Please do some more research on Rafi before coming to such absurd conclusions. Explain why Naushad, SJ, SN Tripathi, Roshan and others etc. went to Rafi for their classical songs ?. Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh, one of the Guru’s of classical music and the founder of the Calcutta gharana considered Rafi the best exponent of classical songs. So where is Manna in all of this ?. Manna was excellent in classical songs and was more trained than Rafi, yet Rafi with his natural brillaince could outshine him in classical songs.

    Rafi was by far the greatest, he was a phenomenon, not just one of the best, he was the best. Your bias is clearly showing.
    Virtually the whole music industry considered Rafi the greatest including Kishore himself. Even Kishore’s own mentor SDB used to tell him that he could never be a Rafi. Rafi was SD’s “first serve” along with Lata. Anyone with a half-baked knowledge of music, including KK fans will know Rafi stands above any other singer. Also, every singer including Lata, Asha, Kishore had to keep up with Rafi when singing with him, his range was phenomenal and incredible.

    Please don’t compare genres, Kishore has very little to show infront of Rafi. Kishore was a great singer within his own range, when you start comparing him to Rafi, you’re going outside the box and into no man’s land.

    I know why P. Haldar, Binu and others have left, this discussion is at best a comedy. I’m surprised Sudip and Manish are still here debating with others who bring out comedy statements. Their time could be spent better elsewhere.

    Kishore’s high period can’t stand up to Rafi’s unmatched greatness and dominance over four decades. And for your info, Rafi and Kishore sang almost the same number of songs from 1970-1980. Rafi cut down his assignments in the 70’s, he was told not to sing by maulvi’s, and he left the scene for a while, something which Kishore took to his advantage. If that hadn’t happened, the scene would have been different, Kishore would have been popular (if Aradhana had still happened) but history would not have been the same. Also, maybe Aradhana for KK would not have happened, if Rafi was in town during that time. Either way history would have been different. Yet with all of this Rafi made such a great comeback, and proved yet again that he was the greatest.

    Compare this to KK who couldn’t break in as a singer because he couldn’t match up to Rafi (and others), so he had to resort to acting, and was lucky he got a break by the Burmans (that too when Rafi was out of town), or he would have gone back home, and still whatever he accomplished can’t be compared to Rafi, its a joke that one would even attempt to compare the two.

    You can choose to ignore facts, but please don’t make silly comments. Kishore was great but definitely not as great as Rafi, its a proven fact.

    Btw, Sudip, do you still hold the view that “Pyar hai ik nishan qadmon ka” (Mukti), and “Zamane ne mare jawan kaise kaise” (Baharon Ke Sapne) would make it into RD’s Top 5 ?.

  26. Vikram says:

    Sanjay,
    Let’s keep this discussion to a decent level. The kind of language you used in your post speaks volumes about your tastes. If compared, laloo prasad will score over you in terms of decency. Stop your hate train before you derail it. No amount of name calling will serve you any purpose. There was nobody like Rafi, and will never be one like him. Kishore Kumar was great in his own right. It’s the fans like you who have let him down from time to time.

  27. ashu says:

    Correction in post 822.

    I meant to say Rafi was never considered as “CLASSICAL” singer

  28. ashu says:

    Dhani Ram ji

    u wrote:

    There is a duet with Ashaji: Jab se tumhein dekha hai aankhon mein tumhi tum ho.Is there an equally good duet of Ashaji with Kishoreda?I don’t know much about Kishoreda’s duets with Ashaji.
    Another is:raat ke humsafar hum kidhar ko chale

    My reply:
    SOng whihc u have mentioned is good song..Canu compare this song with following:

    1. E duniya wale puchhenge mulaqat hui kya baat hui
    2. Dillagi ne di hawa (most romatic song)
    3. Agar saaj chheda tarane banage
    4. Chhod do aanchal zammana kya kahega

    U might have ur own fav. I don’t have problem. But for god sake, don’t say they are best.

  29. ashu says:

    Sudip,

    I must say, Ur analysis on rural and urban is quite right. I would also like to add here one point:
    Urban and rural relates themselve based on tune. LP and SJ used Tabla and other indian instruments which got attraction in rural.
    I remember couple of year back year when i visited UP (attend my friend marriage), few songs which was playing almost every conrner where i visited
    – Yaar badal na jaana (song from Talaash, hardly was heard…It got great melody….but not popular across country..)

    Dhani Ram,
    Playback singing is commercial art. Rafi was commercially hit and popular till 69. You people don’t have problem there, but when we said Kishore dominated rafi 69 onward, ur problem starts there.
    I personally don’t categories Rafi as classical singer, because history says he was never considered as singer, wheneve there is any opportunity for pure classical singer in movie. It was only Manna Dey who got preference over all.
    As far as me consider, i acept Rafi as only playback singer where he could not come closer to Kishore.

    If you talk to me on classical singer, then my choice would not be Manna dey, but Pt. Jasraj, Subbaluxmi.

    Mere dear friend, I posted couple of master piece ( 🙂 🙂 ) of Rafi’s singing. I must say, I will never prefer to hear them again, I mean his voice didn’t suit to those type of songs. On other hand, Kishore managed to sing 2rd grade song beautifully like…

    1. ice cream khaoyogi
    2. Ma maa miya
    3. Chhopadi me chaar payi

    Mere dost, Is it right to blame kishore for all those songs….It was music director (forced by producer and director) who composed these kind of songs on others demand, so singer should not be blame. Singer should only be blamed if he is not able to do justice to the song.
    I feel kishore and only kishore who could have sing this kind of songs.

  30. ashu says:

    Vipul,

    My dear Friend, Himesh is not best at all. I remember one line for him
    “CHaar din ki chadani aur phir andheri raat”.

    Is it what popular mean? Popular means Kishore/Rafi/Mukesh, They are alive in form of their singing after so many year 🙂

  31. Dhani Ram says:

    Sudip

    You made a most perceptive observation in one of your posts when you said that inward looking people prefer Rafi while outgoing people love Kishore.You are absolutely right that music is a matter of temperament.I would just add that while temperament determines tastes,tastes also mould temperament.Tastes can develop and ripen with knowledge and experience.

    In a way Sumit is right that Himesh Reshamia is the best because he sells.Personally I have no liking for Himesh.You already know that I am quite fastidious in my tastes and resolutely believe that only Rafi was a perfect singer and all others are far,far behind him.Kishore stands absolutely nowhere in my estimation as a singer.A hundred times better than Kishore for me is another Bengali–Hemant Kumar whose Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kahaan,chali gori pee se milan ko chali,hai apna dil to awaara,na yeh chand hoga na taare rahenge,aa neel gagan tale pyar hum karein etc are aesthetically far more appealing than the crudities of Kishore.And yet,paradoxically,Sumit is right for the reason that cinema is a commercial art.A movie is made to earn money.If it fails at the box office,its artistic quality has little value.Now the irony is that a singer of the highest quality would not get wide recognition if he didn’t sing for films and singing for films necessarily forces singers to make compromises.The worth of a song in a way lies in its commercial success.Movie makers,actors,directors,singers etc would get out of business if they don’t sell.And remember it is not the best that sells.

    And yet Hindi cinema has produced great gems in the midst of mediocrity and downright banality.What puts Rafi way ahead of all other singers is the sweetness of his voice,its range and its smooth,unwavering and unfaltering flow.Listen to a song like:Jaane kya dhoondti rehti hain yeh aankhen mujhmein.There is a duet with Suman Hemmadi(Kalyanpur) Ajhun na aaye baalma.

    Vipul

    I usually don’t listen to Kishore but it seems to me you do.So I have even less musical sense than you.Let me tell of one
    melodious KK number and it will help you in acquiring some further musical sense: Main hun ghora yeh hai gaari.If even after listening to this immortal composition you are not able to comprehend the subtleties of music,you will never know what great music is and what great poetry is.I know why I don’t like Kishore.But I wonder why I should have no musical sense while I like many other singers including non-film singers as well as western singers.

    Manna De has been talked about quite a lot on the forum,About a year ago Manna De was interviewed by the Editor of the Indian Express on NDTV in the programme Walk the Talk.Besides talking about his his art,Manna talked about Rafi,Kishore and Mukesh.He categorically stated that Rafi was the best and perfect playback singer ahead of all others.Manna was very emphatic in this and the interview was also on a respectable channel with the highly respectable editor,Shekhar Gupta.Mr Gupta asked Manna De some searching quetions.Manna De gave lucid reasons for Rafi’s greatness.While talking about Kishore he said one or two good things about Kishore such as Kishore’s commercial success,his ability to sing certain types of songs etc.But he spoke of his limitations as well.Manna De has left absolutely no doubt as to whom he regards as the greatest singer of all times.

    Vipul,so far as music is concerned we are very small men.We may go astray in our judgements.Let us say we are to know the worth of a scientist.We will have to go by what the other scientists have to say about him.Why is Shakespeare regarded as the greatest writer in English?Because other great writers say so about him.There are some great writers who don’t regard Shakespeare to be the greatest.Bernard Shaw was one of them.But it is a minority opinion.Similarly,the greats in the field of music regard Rafi to be the greatest singer.In my previous posts I have cited the names of some of the greats in the world of music who have spoken in glowing terms about Rafi.Recently Mahendra Kapoor in an interview lauded Rafi greatly.The only thing he said about Kishore was that he had a lively sense of humour which he kept displaying even at the time of recording.He said nothing about his singing talents.Nitin Mukesh has said that Mukesh told him that there was no singer like Rafi.Vipul,there is all circumstantial evidence that Kishore himself thought so.Then outside the film world,Begum Akhtar,Bade Gulam Ali,Mehndi Hassan,Gulam Ali,Jagjit Singh and the greatest South Indian singer Jesu Das etc consider Rafi to have been the greatest singer.My question to you Vipul is:Why doesn’t Kishore draw similar applause from such giants of the world of music?You and I may not have any musical sense but these people have or had.I want answer to just this one question.If this question is satisfactorily answered,I will drop out of this debate and believe that indeed Kishore was the greatest and I have no musical sense.

    Manish,Sudip,Vipul,Vikram,XXX,Probal,

    I have enjoyed reading your comments.I will continue to read your comments in future also but I won’t be able to participate much in the debates for want of time.You must have noticed that all my comments are posted past mid-night.Meanwhile what do you think of these songs:

    Subha na aayee sham na aayee jis din teri yaad na aayee

    Na jhatko zulf se paani yeh moti phoot jaayen ge

    Khuli palak mein jhoota gussa band palak mein piar

    Naache man mora magan dhigda deegee deegee

    Yeh dunia yeh mehfil meire kaam ki nahin

    Yeh wadian yeh phizaayen bulaa rahee hein tumhein

    Le ke pehla pehla piar bhar ke ankhon mein khumar jaadu nagri se aaya hai koi jaadugar

    There is a duet with Ashaji: Jab se tumhein dekha hai aankhon mein tumhi tum ho.Is there an equally good duet of Ashaji with Kishoreda?I don’t know much about Kishoreda’s duets with Ashaji.
    Another is:raat ke humsafar hum kidhar ko chale

    I like this duet of Rafi with Lataji immensely:Tum hee tum ho meire jeevan mein phool hee phool hain jaise chaman mein.Lataji sings this song very well but Rafi is just majestic.Look at the way Rafi articulates each word.Variety,depth and expression with which Rafi renders each note makes him a singer who is born only once in a century(Naushad’s words for Rafi).What do you all think of this song?

  32. Sanjay Kapoor says:

    Ai ai ya karoon main kya Susu Suku…! This is quality Singing and Quality lyrics? Yahoooooo.chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe…Yahooooo… quality singing and quality lyrics from the most popular films? What rubbish!! Rafi was nearly abolished from the music industry and died of heart attack because of Kishore Kumar’s popularity and acceptance the world over! That’s a fact jack!

    Not only as a singer but as a music director Kishore Kumar stands way beyond any Md. Rafi (whatever) Lata Mangeshkar also recorded songs under him. I personally think it’s a waste of time comparing Rafi with Kishore Kumar – let’s compare Rafi with Anup jalota in respect to bhajans, compare Rafi with Suresh Wadkar in respect to classical songs and his “junglee” sammi kapoorian style with the versatile singer Weird Al, and his so called Ghazals with Chandrasekhar Gadgil. In reality Rafi was like Manna dey, never successful as a classical singer and never classic in a modern day song! It is correct to compare him with “Ravi Sastri” in Indian cricket! Sigh*

  33. Manish Kumar says:

    Vipul,

    No need to comment on Mukesh – he has nothing to do with this topic. Having said that (yes Ashu you can call me inconsistent here) – you and Ashu have left an open door with Mukesh so I’ll leave you with an anecdote from singer mukesh dot com:

    {One of the classic true stories of musicdom concerns a top-notch classical vocalist, playback singer Mukesh and veteran music director Kalyanji. The singer was leaving the composer’s music room after a sitting when the classical luminary entered for a social call. After Mukesh departed, this worthy told Kalyanjibhai, “Look at the irony! What does that man know about classical raag and sur? And he drives a Mercedes and I have to travel by bus!”

    Kalyanjibhai beckoned the man to sit next to him and asked him to sing Chandan sa badan chanchal chitwan along with the harmonium. The classical singer sang the line, with excessive murki as per his training.

    Kalyanjibhai again explained to him the exact notes. Try as he might, the classical maestro could not get the requisite straight and heart-touching rendition needed for this Saraswatichandra classic. Gently, the composer drove home his point by telling him, Ab aap ko pataa chalaa ke woh Mercedes main kyoon ghoomte hain? (Do you now realise why he drives a Mercedes?) }

  34. Manish Kumar says:

    Ashu,

    I was being consistent. I was replying to post 801 (6 posts before my reply) when you brought up Mannade’s comment on SDB & Rafi.

    Ashu, you don’t need IMAGINE – it happened already. The song Na Tu Caravan Ki Talash Hai – regarded as the mother of all qawwalis – has Manna “beating” Asha & Sudha Malhotra and then Rafi jumps into the middle and “beats” Manna. Rafi is the only male singer I know that Manna has NEVER spoken negatively about. I had to address your tangential imagination else this doesn’t pertain to the main topic.

    Once again Ashu, you make superficial arguments with regards to SD Burman’s view on Rafi & Kishore. There are quotes from SDB with regards to the two (I think I may have provided them). They are very clear and if you chose to deny them and make weak & baseless arguments like having Kishore for Sagina.

    And with regards to that song list you provided – I actually listened to the Main Hoon Mr Johnny for the first time. IMO you’re not judging this properly. Without even seeing the picturisation, I can tell this song is for a COMEDIAN and Rafi is doing playback accordingly. So of course he is going to sound silly! And yes – you are right – Rafi does an excellent job of singing for the comedian – and yet this is the same main during that same year 1960 rendered Ae Mohabbat Zindabad (Naushad) and Zindagi Bhar Nahin (Roshan). He changed his voice for the actor / situation / genre. This was a comedy genre.

  35. Vipul says:

    Quality songs (popular) of KK were higher than Rafi. Here is one more…
    Icecream khaogi… picture Laogi… rh mera wad hai… Was the movie justice choudhar? Nice cong…

    how about one more fom the same movie…
    Ma ma miya pom pom pa ki gadi… tez bhagao.. This was my favourite when was 14.

  36. Vipul says:

    Sixty successful men and women of India(Friday, August 10, 2007 of HINDUSTAN TIMES)
    Rafi Saab is choosen among the Sixty successful men and women without whom the country would not be where it is today.the press cliping was:
    Mohammad Rafi:
    Indeed the best singer of all times, he inspired many budding artists and lives on today through his songs like Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho and Baharon Phool Barsao.

    I nevr knw this. I salute Rafi saab ( l liked the word BEST and not one of the best)

  37. Sudip says:

    If one follows the 1970s there were two types of songs that became mainstream and popular among the public.

    The first type was the urban music where RD Burman (and to some extent Rajesh Roshan) made a niche’ for himself. This type of songs needed deep bass and was accompanied by light drums. Kishore specialized in this genre. Typical numbers are Rimjhim gire sawan, Phir wohi Raat hai, Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jatey hain….

    The second type was the rural dholak music with the typical LP theka. This type of songs required a lot of control over melody because one false sur would mean you will sound off key. Rafi was a master of this genre. Typical songs are Hum to chale pardes, Yeh khidki jo bandh rahti hai, Tera naam ka diwana, etc.

    Even if you listen to Rafi’s lighter numbers he used to put a lot of sublime touches to it. Take the antara of “Janey hum sadak ki logon se” (Aasha). It is a light song but the pitch transitions are amazing. It surprises me all the more because Rafi was 55 in 1980 (even Manna has started being off tune post 50) . If you watch the visuals in youtube, you almost feel being in Reena Roy’s position, as if every word is being directed at you..

  38. Vipul says:

    Sumit wrote
    Dear All,
    Lets not fight over things. May be the best never go the chance to sing. And the one’s who got is Himesh G, who has rocked people all around the world. Some one may come up and say Himesh G is the best. And yes he is th best cos he sells the most. What sells the most is the best and that is y people buy it. The world has changed. Now evn u and I can sing. It is just a matter of going to the Studio.

    Reply”
    Sumit, if you think that music is business that I agree with you that what sells most is the best. But it is not business for everyone. Rafi used to sing free for many direcotrs as they did not have money to pay. I heard this in his son’s interview. It does not mean that since Rafi made less money so he is not best. For KK, he sang for a token money of only one rupee.

    Now here is the my question about Himesh. For how many MD’s Himesh sang so far apart from himself? I do not have to answer. You know it.

    So definition of best is different for different people. for someone it is money as they look at at it as business. I hope you got my point.
    and by the way, shouting from nose is not music. It is a kind of “shor” and I do not like it.

  39. ashu says:

    Few Rafi’s great hit:) Pls. listen and provide ur comment. And pls. don’t forget to comapare with 80s hindi song(especially Bappi’s composition – remake of Telugu movie…Tohfa, Mawaali, HImmatwala and many…)

    Great singing by Rafi in following songs…

    1 Aye Jaaneman…(Hare kaanch ki chudiya)
    2. Main hu Mr. Johny.. (Maai Baap) [ Superb Melody and what a great singing)
    3. Kya hamne socha tha kya ho gaya…with Manna Dey….[Master Piece]
    4. Kiss Kisko pya karo..
    5. Do do haath, do do paaon..Kaam jo lega en chaaro se..
    [another master piece]

    Vipul and Manish, Pls. listen this songs, they are truly master piece.
    And vipul, pls. sing these songs in ur family, and get feedback from them and it would be great if you publish them here.

    Note: If you guys find some difficulty to get these songs, pls. visit
    musicindiaonline.com

  40. Vipul says:

    Manish, I remember Manna called mukesh sometmes going besura and It is still in my mind. I think Manna Da was correct.

    By the way, I am still sure that Mukesh just can’t sing laga chunri main daag as it is too difficult for him. The proof is “Have you heard any difficult song sung by Mukesh”? May be one semi classical “Jhumti Chali hawa” and in that song too Mukesh’s voice was not up to the mark at the end when he tried to go on high notes. It is just my observation and people have rights to differ.

    I am not trying to say that Mukesh was not a good singer. I am just saying that he had limite range and certain songs like i mentioned was not his cup of tea!

  41. ashu says:

    Manish,

    One thing i forgot to mention in my last blog:
    u wrote:

    {what Mehmood did is 100% correct, There is saying in HIndi…
    “Moika padne par Gadhhe ko bhi baap banana padta hai” so Mehmood did exactly what situation requires.}

    My reply:
    I think Manna Dey would have done samething if there is situation where he had to loose against Rafi.. (Sorry, I am little imaginative.)
    Manna Dey felt insult in loosing to Kishore before the song got recorded, but after recording he accpeted the truth, and that’s why he is great…

    feel free to disagree 🙂

  42. ashu says:

    Manish,

    Pls. read ur previous article…don’t divert the topic. How manna dey comes in the picture?
    I replied to ur previous blog where you guys told abt mukesh and Manna Dey.

    Everybody know what SDB think abt Kishore and Rafi.

    Evidence:
    1. He asked Kishore to sing for Dilip Kumar in “Sagina”
    2. He asked Kishore to sing for Raj Kapoor in “Bahar”
    3. He asked Kishore to sing Bengali version of “Gun guna rahe hai bhaware” in Aradhana (Bengali)

    What else proof you want? man….

    – I saw “K for Kishore” today. I hope you have heard abt Nagesh Kukunoor. He is planing to start movie on Kishore Kumar.

    Bhai mere….Heere ko pathhar bolane se Heera pathar nahi ho jaata.
    Manish, First be consistent urself and then ask me to be consistent….

  43. ashu says:

    Vipul bhai,

    “Tamhare view barobar nathhi”

    I already publish what Manna Dey spoke abt these 2 legends. There is no point in repeating samething again and again.

    When Manna sing “Laga chunari Me daag”, he become better singer than Mukesh, but when same guy sing “Mere bhains ko danda kyon mara”, you guys don’t acept him best than ur fav. Really funny.

    “Taki Taki…” or “CHOpdi me chhaar pai” was sung by Kishore because noone could have sung that song in better way.
    SJ used kishore as much as RDB used Rafi…(May be minor difference). I personally believe LP gave his best composition to Kishore….
    1. Ruk jaana nahi
    2. Mere nasseb main ye dost
    3. Mere dil me aaj kya hai
    4. E jeevan hai
    5. Zindagi ki yahi reet hai
    6. Ek ritu aaye
    7. dekho veer jawano

    All above songs sung by same person who sang “Taki Taki..” and “Jhopadi me chaar pai”..

    Mr. Vipul…Why did u sing “Taki Taki…” or “Chhopadi me chaar pai” ? Why did you not sing:
    1. Saagar Kinare
    2. Manzilen apni jagah hai
    3. Chhokar mere man ko
    4. Sheeshe ki umra
    5. kuchh log mohabbat karke
    6. Matlabi hai log yaha par, matlabi zamaana
    7. Nahi jeena, Nahi jeena, tere bina nahi jeena
    8. Sheshe ke gharo me dekho to
    and many more…..

    Above songs are few list of many songs of 80s sung by Kishore (early of ur teen age). I am sure if you had tried to sing above songs, your mother would have appreciated you.
    I am sure if you had sing “Boot Palish Tel maalish”,”Raamala murdabad”,”Thoda ruk jaayegi to..” songs, your mother would have told the samething what she told you after hearing “Taki Taki..”

    “Beta.. aa sangneet nathi.. Ghonghat chhe”.

  44. Manish Kumar says:

    Ashu:

    on the subject of mannade, people are unfair to him. it’s always questions about rafi or kishore. they always want him to praise rafi & kishore. what about manna himself? so long as manna “concedes” that rafi & kishore were superior to him than all the fans are happy and are like “what a humble spirit”. as soon as he says something otherwise (indeed, manna was a great singer himself) – people start calling him senile, bitter, etc. i’ve seen it happen many times.

    i think it is silly to compare rdb & sdb. if mannade chose to do so – my guess is it was more about personal matters than sheer music alone. sdb often had manna practice songs and then made manna teach the songs to rafi or kishore. how would manna feel about that? so manna has said some inconsistent things WHEN PRODDED. the article sudip gave to you was not a reporter putting manna on the spot with a lead in. manna wrote it with his own motivation. remember that manna was insulted to lose a classical match to kishore in padosan. i can certainly understand where manna was coming from (if he’s unwilling to see it was just a comedy movie). he has also made some direct & absolute (as opposed to comparative) remarks about kishore kumar and mukesh that fans wouldn’t be pleased. he never did anything like that with rafi.

    it is interesting that you conveniently write off the padosan remark and call manna a gaddhe when he says something you don’t like: {what Mehmood did is 100% correct, There is saying in HIndi…
    “Moika padne par Gadhhe ko bhi baap banana padta hai” so Mehmood did exactly what situation requires.}

    once again ashu – the inconsistency with your thinking! 🙁

  45. Manish Kumar says:

    Ashu:

    Rafi fans love SDB. Every large following will have a minority of clowns. Don’t take minority, extreme examples and use them to generalize. Those who know SDB best for Aradhana are obviously falling for superficial newspaper articles and not actually listening to music else they’d regard SDB as one of the best composers with Rafi. Likewise, anyone who has completely followed SDB’s career – will know that Rafi was one of his best & most frequently used singers. Don’t make baseless remarks like “50%”.

    I am a music lover first and as a consequence of that – a Rafi fan. I welcome the Aradhana wave. I too like variety. As I’ve said repeatedly, one voice is not enough for me. So I was glad Kishore Kumar got his due break. And let me add to my last post when I talked about Kishore for lighter songs and Rafi for the heavenly songs – there are exceptions of course. I too listen to Rafi in my room and Kishore in the car.

    Why did SJ or LP use Kishore for select songs? VARIETY! Heck, even I would go to other MDs to to listen to Kishore if MDs used only one voice! Second, why WOULDN’T they make use of Kishore who was a very good singer? NEVER a matter of thinking he was better than Rafi or that Rafi couldn’t do justice. Jaikishan & LP especially always regarded Mohammed Rafi as the best. Why did RDB ask Rafi to sing Rekha O Rekha (not one of my favorites). Certainly NOT because he felt Kishore couldn’t do justice but for the above two reasons I described for Kishore. That was a silly argument.

    You don’t compare Roshan (who composed songs for Rafi) with Bappi (who composed songs for Kishore) yet you go on to compare Rafi’s songs to Kishore’s songs? That’s illogical.

  46. Vipul says:

    I will mention one more song… “Ek ankh maru to parda hat jaye… Duji maru to zamana jhuk jaye… dono maru to chhori pat jaye…. Aaye banko……. ”

    Wow.. what lyrics! what a song? now this is quality dear…. (popular). I still remember these types of songs were major hit in 80’s and I was in my early teen. When I recorded my first casstte (Those days.. you can select your siongs and record in a small casstte . many shops were doing that) , I had all these songs and my mom used to get very upset whenever I used to play them.

    She told me “Beta.. aa sangneet nathi.. Ghonghat chhe”. (in Gujjju).. meaning this is not music but is just “shor” of kishore. I realised that she was right when I became 18.

    But still lets stick to definition of quality. Quality means popular 🙂

  47. Manish Kumar says:

    Sumit: I think the best judge of quality is the TEST OF TIME. Will Himesh’s songs maintain their current “appeal” 100 years from now as they are today? I doubt it. Rafi’s appeal will always remain intact as they have for the past 60 years.

  48. Sumit Dogra says:

    Dear All,
    Lets not fight over things. May be the best never go the chance to sing. And the one’s who got is Himesh G, who has rocked people all around the world. Some one may come up and say Himesh G is the best. And yes he is th best cos he sells the most. What sells the most is the best and that is y people buy it. The world has changed. Now evn u and I can sing. It is just a matter of going to the Studio.

    Thanks
    Sumit

  49. Sudip says:

    “U wrote abt “Taki Taki..”, I feel this is what versatility mean, Kishore is capable of singing any song.”

    -Versatility does not mean singing junk. And such versatility does not lead to better singing.. If so, then Rakhi Sawant would be a better actor than Waheeda Rahman because she can act is tons of “various” scenes…”Taki o Taki” would equivalent to Rakhi Sawant in music.

    BTW, forget Rafi. Even I can sing “Taki o Taki” in my bathroom. I’ll send you a copy of the recording if you want 🙂

  50. ashu says:

    Vipul and manish,

    I dont’ understand you guys. I am sorry. You said i m biased, pls. let other to read ur article and decide, they will know what exactly bias mean.

    You said Mukesh sang all song except “Laga chunari me daag” because it was not his cup of tea.
    If this is true, then pls. answer my few question:
    1. Why Manna Dey sang “Mere bhains ko danda jyon mara” for Shaami Kapoor. Though all songs were sung by Rafi in “PAGLA KAHIN kA”
    2. Why Kishore sang “Mere Naseeb me e dost tera pyaar nahi” in Mehboob ke Mehmendi” though all songs were sung by Rafi

    Is it mean above songs were not cup of Rafi’s tea. If is it so then you guys are completely wrong. 🙂

    Manish, i never think abt Roshan vs. bappi..Because i always keep them in different class. U wrote abt “Taki Taki..”, I feel this is what versatility mean, Kishore is capable of singing any song.
    When i wrote abt “Aaajjjjjjjjjjjaaaaa” and “Tak tak..” from “Jeene ki Raah” 🙂 and “Zamane ko dhikhana hai, you people wrote that is not actual singing. If Rafi was not able to sing those songs, how can you say that he was versatile.

    Mere dost, like and dislike varies from people to people. If you remember, few days ago i posted one link in which Manna Dey’s said RDB was much better than SDB. How many people will agree to it? I am sure you will not. Is it mean you know music better than Manna?
    Half of the Rafians hate SDB and RDB and they blame them for Kishore’s popularity.

    Aap log ka view, is like our indian law which modifies as per the class(poor and rich) of the people.

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