Rafi started his career in the era of extraordinary composers and lyricists like - composer Madan Mohan, lyricist Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Shankar Jaikishan, Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni, SD Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi among others.
He sang for Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Dev Anand with equal ease befitting each actor and his style.
Rafi sang over 4,516 songs in Hindi films alone. He was born in Kotla Sultan Singh, a village in Punjab, in December 1924, gave his first public performance at the age of 13, in Lahore . In 1941, he made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet 'Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee' with Zeenat Begum in 'Gul Baloch'.
Rafi's first song with Naushad was 'Hindustan Ke Hum Hain' from the film 'Pehle Aap' (1944). In 1945, the singer was seen on the screen for the song 'Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha' in the film Laila Majnu.
Rafi passed away on July 31, 1980 following a heart attack. His last song was 'Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost' from 1981 film 'Aas Paas'. Though he is not with us, his songs are just as popular as they were during his lifetime.
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mohd rafi