On the 34th Death Anniversary of the legendary Mohammed Rafi, we decided to celebrate his wonderful years and tell you a little about one of the most exceptional playback singers Indian cinema has ever known.
1) In his childhood years, he was fondly called “Pheeko”
2) Speaking of childhood, he was often caught following the village Rafi in his younger days. Musicians start early, eh?
3) Once he decided to become a singer, his father warned him not to return home till he had succeeded.
4) He made his acting debut in 1947 in Shaukat Rizvi’s Jugnu after which he acted in two others.
5) In his lifetime, Padmashree Mohammed Rafi sang 7405 songs.
6) Yes, he received a Padmashree in 1967.
7) He sang in over 14 indian languages and 4 foreign languages as well.
8) In total, he sang 162 songs in other languages.
9) One time, on the audience’s request, he performed an encore that lasted 25 minutes.
10) His friend and admirer, Shammi Kapoor, considers life incomplete without the legend.
11) Possibly his biggest compliment received was when a blind man told him he doesn’t need eyes as long as he had ears to hear him sing.
12) A family man, and a religious devotee but a simpleton in the way he thought, Rafi loved flying kites.
Loyal to his profession, Rafi died only a few hours after recording his last song, “Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost“. A true musician who won the hearts of people worldwide, Team MissMalini celebrates and pays respect to this music icon.