Mohammed Rafi and Shamshad Begum

Mohammed Rafi and Shamshad Begum sang almost 160 duets together in hindi films. Their first duet together was with Zohra Bai Ambala Wali Chotisee ek banayenge naiyya from Hamara Sansar (1945) with music scored by Pandit Govindram.

Some of their best known duets were composed by Naushad and O.P Nayyar. While Naushad gave them the folksy O ghadi wale ghadi dheere haank re (Mother India, 1957) and romantic Mohabbat chumme jinke haath (Aan, 1952), O.P Nayyar on the other hand gave them the westernized Thoda sa dil laga ke dekh (Musafirkhana, 1955) and heart-stopping Leke pehla pehla pyar (CID, 1956). Infact, Leke pehla pehla pyar arguably remains their most popular duet together.

This doesn’t mean Rafi-Shamshad combo was any less effective with other music directors. Chitragupta gave them one of their finest duets together in Sindbad the Sailor (1952) - Ada sai jhumte huwe. C. Ramchandra utilized the playfulness in Shamshad and Rafi voice to full extent when he composed the playful/naughty duets including Nanhee see jaan mein hai jawani ke sitam kyoon — from Nadiya ke Paar (1948), Ajee mera bheee koyee haal suno, fifty fifty bas fifty kya hai zaman chahata from Khidkee (1948), Namaste namaste, pahele tho ho gayee namaste, and Bolojee dil loge, bolo jee dil loge, tho kya kya doge – both from Patanga (1949).

Shamshad on Rafi

I was rendering a song La De Mohe Balamaa Aasmaani with Mohammed Rafi for Rail Ka Dibba (1953). There were about 8-10 lines that both of us had to sing breathlessly. I managed to do it, he couldn’t even after five takes. After the song was okayed he came to me and said Aapaji maan gaye aapko. (Source :- Shamshad Begum’s interview conducted by Rachana Dubey)

Rafi-Shamshad Duets

Note :- Song list provided above only gives approximate number of duets Rafi and Shamshad sang together and it only includes songs sung in Hindi Films (doesn’t include songs sung in regional languages).

Mohammed Rafi

From then on to the late 1960s, Rafi was the undisputed king of playback singing. He was the voice of almost every star in the 1950s and 1960s, notably Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, and Shammi Kapoor. Interestingly, he also lent his voice to Kishore Kumar in Rangoli and Shararat.

Rafi’s amazing range and brilliance as a singer is demonstrated in the variety of songs he rendered — from the ghazal Hum bekhudi mein in Kala Pani to the rock and roll strains of Aaja aaja in Teesri Manzil, to the heartbreaking Suhani raat dhal chuki in Dulari, and the romantic Khoya khoya chand in Kala Bazaar. While his classical training made it easy for him to render songs such as Madhuban mein Radhika (Kohinoor), Rafi was equally adept at the "yahoo" songs of Shammi Kapoor.

Rafi’s most notable association was with music director Naushad who refused to work with any other playback singer. Their association resulted in classics such as Deedar and Baiju Bawra, among others. If Naushad tapped Rafi’s talent as a classical singer, music directors Shanker-Jaikishen and O.P. Nayyar gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his range in light numbers particularly in films starring Joy Mukherjee, Rajendra Kumar, and Shammi Kapoor.

Rafi’s other major association was with S.D. Burman for whom he rendered the immortal classics in Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, arguably the zenith of his career, as also the musical hits under Dev Anand’s Navketan banner — Guide and Tere Ghar Ke Saamne.

With the increasing popularity of Kishore Kumar after Aradhana, Rafi yielded his position as the leading singer to him. However, he did sing some gems such as Dard-e-dil in Karz and Kya hua tera vaada in Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, which fetched him the National Film Award for the Best Playback Singer, in 1977.

Mohammed Rafi was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1965. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times, for the films Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Sasural, Dosti, Suraj, Brahmachari; and Hum Kisise Kum Nahin – (Source :- Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema)

Shammi Kapoor and Suraiya in Shama Parwana (1954)

Please listen to the two songs below. You will notice that the tunes are pretty similar.

The Indian song is from the film Shama Parwana (1954). It was sung by Suraiya (the charming singer-actress) and Mohammed Rafi and picturized on very young Shammi Kapoor and Suraiya herself. Music was by Husnlal Bhagatram (who were also brothers in real life).

As far as Egyptian song is concerned, it is from Madraset al-Banat (The Girls’ School, 1955), and was picturized on leading Egyptian actress and Belly Dancer Naima Akef. The Egyptian version came a year after the Indian version. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the tune was copied by Egyptian Composers – Ummer Siddique

Egyptian Song :-

Indian Song :-