The song became the singer, says Sonu Nigam as IFFI pays celebrates Rafi centenary.
PANAJI, Nov 28 (the CONNECT) – The 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) paid glowing tribute to legend prolific musician Mohammad Rafi as his centenary year is being celebrated by music lovers.
The session titled ‘Aasmaan se aaya farishta’ – Mohammad Rafi – The king of melody – was an exploration of the iconic musician’s life, works and legacy.
Remembering the influence of his legendary father, Shahid Rafi, said, “For us, he was our father, our guide, our anchor. We never realised him to be an iconic personality until much later in life. He was always a hands-on father for me and my siblings.” Rafi said fondly that his father was always affectionate towards everyone despite being such a big name in the Indian Music industry.
Mohammad Rafi, a Padmashree awardee, has sung over a thousand songs in various dialects and languages of the country.
Singer Sonu Nigam, citing the example of many songs sung by the Rafi, said, “For me, Mohammad Rafi is my Guru and the God of my music. Rafi’s repertoire is an institution in itself. Every time I listen to his music, I learn something new. He had excellent command over the language and tone of music.”
“We have so many reference points when we started our career in playback singing, but he had none. How he experimented and delivered his own brand of music, is a case study for generations”, he commented.
Talking about his expertise and legacy, Sonu Nigam said, “The song became the singer when Mohammad Rafi sang. He brought certain nuances to playback singing. He is the grandfather of playback singing. Even if you don’t know the language of the song, you would know if it is a happy, sad or edgy song when Mohammad Rafi sang”,
“When he did playback singing, it seemed the actors were singing in the film. Such was his expertise over his tone”, notes acclaimed singer Anuradha Paudwal.
Talking about his humble nature, Paudwal said, “I was very young when I first sang with Rafi saab. He was extremely down to earth, supportive and collaborative with a new singer like me. It was a great learning experience at the beginning of my career.”
Reflecting his experience of working with the maestro of music, filmmaker Subhash Ghai said, “For the song Dard e Dil in my movie Karz, I wanted Rafi saab to come aboard. He accepted my request and sang the song; the moment he sang the first line, I felt like I had a hit song for my movie.” But, soon after the movie, the musician passed away.
Ghai continued, “After karz, I searched for Mohammad Rafi in every movie I made. But hardly anybody can match up to what Mohammad Rafi did to playback singing in our music industry.”
“Singers can sing according to their own whim; however, playback singers have to sing which what will suit the mood and tone of the movie and also to suit the voice of the actor in the song. Mohammad Rafi was a master in this, he used to adapt to the setting of the movie perfectly” Ghai summed up.
When asked about a biopic on Mahammad Rafi in the question and answer session, Shahid Rafi revealed that a biopic on the musician is soon be announced by the celebrated filmmaker Umesh Shukla.
The 55th IFFI has honoured the four cinematic legends who have shaped the many facets of Indian cinema – Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), and Mohammed Rafi.
IFFI this year paid homage to their extraordinary legacy through a series of tributes, screenings, and interactive events.
