Key facts
- Known for: Playback singer
- Born: 24 Dec 1924, Kotla Sultan Singh, Amritsar district, Punjab
- Age: 55 at death
- Died: 31 Jul 1980, Bombay (now Mumbai)
- Spouse: Bashira Bibi (first marriage); Bilquis Bano
A village boy called Pheeko
Mohammed Rafi was born on 24 Dec 1924 in Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near Majitha in Amritsar district, Punjab. He was the second of six brothers born to Haji Ali Mohammad and Allah Rakhi, and his family called him Pheeko. The story he and his family told was that he began singing by imitating a fakir who sang his way through the village lanes.
In 1935 his father moved to Lahore, where he ran a barber's shop near Bhati Gate. In Lahore Rafi trained in classical music with Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo and Firoze Nizami. He's said to have sung in public for the first time at about 13, at a show in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal, the singer he admired most.
First recordings in Lahore
His first film song was the Punjabi duet "Goriye Nee, Heeriye Nee", with Zeenat Begum, for the composer Shyam Sunder in Gul Baloch, recorded in 1941 and released in 1944. All India Radio's Lahore station also invited him to sing.
Career milestones
- 1941
First recording, Gul Baloch, in Lahore
- 1944
Moves to Bombay
- 1952
Baiju Bawra with Naushad
- 1961
First Filmfare award, Chaudhvin Ka Chand
- 1967
Padma Shri
- 1977
National Award, Kya Hua Tera Wada
- 1980
Dies in Bombay on 31 July
Bombay, 1944
Rafi moved to Bombay in 1944 and shared a tiny rented room in Bhendi Bazaar. Shyam Sunder gave him his first Hindi film song, a duet with G. M. Durrani, "Aji Dil Ho Kaabu Mein", for Gaon Ki Gori. The composer Naushad used him in a chorus number, "Hindustan Ke Hum Hain", for Pehle Aap (1944), and he sang a duet with Noor Jehan, "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka", in Jugnu (1947). He even appeared on screen briefly in Laila Majnu (1945) and Jugnu.
At Partition, Noor Jehan went to Pakistan. Rafi stayed in India and brought his family to Bombay. After Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in 1948 he recorded "Suno Suno Ae Duniyawalon, Bapuji Ki Amar Kahani", and Jawaharlal Nehru invited him to sing at his home.
Naushad and Baiju Bawra
His partnership with Naushad made him a star. The songs of Baiju Bawra (1952), including "O Duniya Ke Rakhwale" and "Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj", showed what his voice could do with classical music, high notes and devotion. He went on to sing for Naushad in films including Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Ganga Jamuna (1961).
The voice of every hero
Through the 1950s and 1960s Rafi worked with nearly every major composer: S. D. Burman on Pyaasa (1957) and Guide (1965), Shankar–Jaikishan on Junglee (1961) and Suraj (1966), O. P. Nayyar on Naya Daur (1957) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Madan Mohan, Roshan, Ravi, and later Laxmikant–Pyarelal, for whom he sang more songs than for anyone else.
His great skill was changing his voice to suit the actor on screen. He could sound wild for Shammi Kapoor in "Yahoo! Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe", tender for Guru Dutt, playful for Johnny Walker and heroic for Dilip Kumar. He sang for Kishore Kumar the actor too, in films such as Ragini and Shararat. Many of his best-known duets were with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
| Year | Song | Film | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | O Duniya Ke Rakhwale | Baiju Bawra | Naushad |
| 1957 | Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye | Pyaasa | S. D. Burman |
| 1960 | Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho | Chaudhvin Ka Chand | Ravi |
| 1961 | Yahoo! Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe | Junglee | Shankar–Jaikishan |
| 1964 | Chahunga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere | Dosti | Laxmikant–Pyarelal |
| 1965 | Din Dhal Jaye | Guide | S. D. Burman |
| 1966 | Baharon Phool Barsao | Suraj | Shankar–Jaikishan |
| 1968 | Baabul Ki Duayen Leti Ja | Neel Kamal | Ravi |
| 1977 | Kya Hua Tera Wada | Hum Kisise Kum Naheen | R. D. Burman |
The 1970s: Kishore Kumar's rise and Rafi's return
After Aradhana (1969), Kishore Kumar became the voice of Rajesh Khanna and of the new decade, and Rafi's share of hit songs fell for several years. He came back strongly in the late 1970s. R. D. Burman's "Kya Hua Tera Wada" in Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) won him the National Film Award, and Laxmikant–Pyarelal kept using him in films such as Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Sargam (1979) and Karz (1980). He also toured widely and performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1977.
How many songs did he sing?
The number has been argued over for decades. In 1977 Rafi wrote to the Guinness Book of World Records to challenge its claim that Lata Mangeshkar had recorded the most songs, and he told the BBC he had sung 25,000 to 26,000. Later research put the figure far lower. Mohammed Rafi: Golden Voice of the Silver Screen, a 2015 biography by his son Shahid Rafi and Sujata Dev, counts 4,425 Hindi film songs, 310 non-Hindi film songs and 328 non-film songs between 1945 and 1980. He sang in many Indian languages, including Punjabi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu and Konkani, and a few foreign ones.
Death in 1980
Rafi died of a massive heart attack at his home in Bombay on the night of 31 Jul 1980. He was 55. Accounts differ on his last recording; one widely cited version is that he recorded a song for Laxmikant–Pyarelal's Aas Paas hours before he died. He was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery, and thousands of people joined the funeral procession. The government announced two days of public mourning.
Family
Rafi married twice. His first marriage, to his cousin Bashira Bibi, ended after Partition, when she chose to live in Lahore. He later married Bilquis Bano. He had four sons and three daughters; his eldest son, Saeed, was from his first marriage. His son Shahid Rafi has led much of the work on his legacy, including the Mohammed Rafi Academy, launched in Mumbai in 2010.
He didn't drink or smoke and avoided film parties. Colleagues and his family describe a shy, gentle man who was generous with money and often sang for little or nothing for composers who couldn't pay.
Awards and honours
Rafi received the Padma Shri in 1967 and the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Kya Hua Tera Wada" (1977). He won six Filmfare Awards. In 2001 Hero Honda and Stardust named him "Best Singer of the Millennium", and in 2013 a CNN-IBN poll voted him the greatest voice in Hindi cinema. India Post issued stamps in his honour in 2003 and 2016.
| Ceremony year | Song | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho | Chaudhvin Ka Chand |
| 1962 | Teri Pyari Pyari Surat Ko | Sasural |
| 1965 | Chahunga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere | Dosti |
| 1967 | Baharon Phool Barsao | Suraj |
| 1969 | Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein | Brahmachari |
| 1978 | Kya Hua Tera Wada | Hum Kisise Kum Naheen |
The centenary and new projects
His birth centenary on 24 Dec 2024 was marked across India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to him, fans gathered in Kotla Sultan Singh, and the International Film Festival of India in Goa held a centenary tribute in November 2024. Shahid Rafi said there that the family had signed with the director Umesh Shukla for a biopic.
In June 2026 Eros Innovation announced a partnership with the Rafi family for new rights-cleared recordings, a live concert experience and a music academy in his name. Shahid Rafi said the deal was built "on the right consents".
Legacy
Rafi's influence runs through almost every male playback singer who came after him, from Mohammed Aziz and Shabbir Kumar to Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam. "Baharon Phool Barsao" was voted the most popular Hindi film song in a BBC Asia Network poll for the centenary of Indian cinema. Four and a half decades after his death, his songs are still the default choice at weddings, in film tributes and on late-night radio, and his name still comes up first when Indians argue about the greatest voice in their cinema.
Frequently asked questions
When did Mohammed Rafi die?
He died on the night of 31 Jul 1980 in Bombay (now Mumbai), aged 55.
How did Mohammed Rafi die?
He died of a massive heart attack at home. He was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery.
How many songs did Mohammed Rafi sing?
Estimates vary. Rafi himself claimed 25,000 to 26,000 in 1977, but a 2015 biography by his son Shahid Rafi and Sujata Dev counts 4,425 Hindi film songs plus several hundred others.
Who was Mohammed Rafi's wife?
His first marriage, to his cousin Bashira Bibi, ended after Partition. He then married Bilquis Bano. He had four sons and three daughters.
Which was Mohammed Rafi's last song?
Accounts differ. One widely cited version is that he recorded a song for Laxmikant–Pyarelal's film Aas Paas hours before he died.
Did Mohammed Rafi win a National Award?
Yes. He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977). He also received the Padma Shri in 1967.
Sources
- The Hindu / ANI: Mohammed Rafi honoured at IFFI 2024, biopic in the works
- PIB: Prime Minister pays tribute to Mohammed Rafi on his 100th birth anniversary
- The Hindu: Fans throng Rafi's village in Amritsar on his birth centenary
- Deadline: Eros Innovation's partnership with the Mohammed Rafi family, 23 Jun 2026
- Wikipedia: List of awards received by Mohammed Rafi
- Wikipedia: Mohammed Rafi (cross-checked life, career and song counts)
