MOHAMMED RAFI BIOGRAPHY - AGE, CAREER, SONGS & FACTS

Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was one of the most celebrated playback singers in the history of Hindi cinema. Blessed with an extraordinary vocal range, deep emotional expression, and unmatched versatility, he recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films during a career that stretched across nearly four decades.

Image: India Post, Government of India (GODL-India), via Wikimedia Commons

Early Life

Mohammed Rafi was born on 24 December 1924 in Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near Amritsar in Punjab, then part of British India. His elder brother noticed his love for music and arranged his training in Hindustani classical music under Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo, and Firoze Nizami — even though the family opposed the idea of a singing career. Rafi's talent showed itself early: at just thirteen, he sang at a public concert alongside the legendary K. L. Saigal.

Career & Rise

Rafi made his playback debut in 1941 with the Punjabi film Gul Baloch, singing "Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee". He moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1944 and quickly became a leading voice of the golden era of Hindi film music. Over the following decades he worked with the industry's finest composers — Naushad, S. D. Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, O. P. Nayyar, Madan Mohan, and R. D. Burman — and became famous for moulding his voice to the actor on screen, so that every song felt tailor-made for its star. From 1941 to 1980, he recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films, singing in Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi, many regional languages, and even some foreign languages.

Iconic Songs

A few of Rafi's timeless classics stand above the rest:

• "Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho" from Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) — composed by Ravi with lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni; the song that won him his first Filmfare Award. Read the Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho lyrics by Mohammed Rafi.
• "Baharon Phool Barsao" from Suraj (1966) — composed by Shankar-Jaikishan with lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri. Read the Baharon Phool Barsao lyrics by Mohammed Rafi.
• "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from Hum Kisise Kam Nahin (1977) — composed by R. D. Burman; this song earned him the National Film Award.
• "Teri Bindiya Re" from Abhimaan (1973) — a beloved duet with Lata Mangeshkar (read the Lata Mangeshkar biography), composed by S. D. Burman with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
• "O Haseena Zulfon Wali" from Teesri Manzil — a lively duet with Asha Bhosle (read the Asha Bhosle biography), composed by R. D. Burman.

Awards & Legacy

Rafi won the Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer six times — for "Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho" (1960), "Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko" from Sasural (1961), "Chahunga Main Tujhe" from Dosti (1964), "Baharon Phool Barsao" (1966), "Dil Ke Jharoke Mein" from Brahmachari (1968), and "Kya Hua Tera Wada" (1977). The last of these also brought him the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1977. He received the Padma Shri in 1967, was honoured as the "Best Singer of the Millennium" in a 2001 Hero Honda–Stardust poll, and was voted the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in a 2013 CNN-IBN poll. His output is commonly estimated at around 7,000 songs, though exact tallies vary — Scroll.in cites nearly 5,000. He died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 31 July 1980, at the age of 55. Along with contemporaries such as Kishore Kumar (read the Kishore Kumar biography), he remains a defining voice of Indian film music.

Watch the Official Video

Enjoy one of Rafi's immortal classics in the official Saregama lyrical video below:

The video above is the official Saregama lyrical video, featuring on-screen lyrics.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where was Mohammed Rafi born?
Mohammed Rafi was born on 24 December 1924 in Kotla Sultan Singh, near Amritsar in Punjab, British India.

How many songs did Mohammed Rafi sing?
His total output is usually estimated at around 7,000 songs, though exact counts differ — Scroll.in puts the figure at nearly 5,000.

Which awards did Mohammed Rafi win?
He won six Filmfare Awards for Best Playback Singer, the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1977, and the Padma Shri in 1967, among many other honours.

Which song won Mohammed Rafi his first Filmfare Award?
"Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho" from the 1960 film Chaudhvin Ka Chand earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer.