On December 24, 1924, a boy was born in the Kotla Sultan Singh village of the Amritsar district in Punjab and was the second eldest of six brothers born to his parents, Haji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai. Soon the newborn baby had grown into a little boy and had started walking on his own. The kid used to sit in front of his house’s door to see people roaming on the streets. That was when one day he had seen a fakir singing some chants and had fallen instantly in love with his voice and had started imitating him in front of his family and relatives. The little boy’s melodious voice had shocked everyone, and at the age of 13, he had performed alongside the first superstar of Hindi cinema, K.L. Saigal in Lahore in 1941. Since then, there was no looking back for the kid and the teenager was none other than the greatest name in the history of Indian cinema and music fraternity, Mohammed Rafi, who had gone to record as many as 7,405 songs in both native and foreign languages. (Recommended Read: When Govinda Allegedly Caught With An Actress In A Hotel, His Wife, Sunita Ahuja Did This To Him)
However, not many people are aware of his huge popularity in foreign lands and aren’t aware that he had made a mark even in Hollywood. A short specimen of his modest nature is when popular Hollywood filmmaker, Michel Gondry had asked him and had used his famous song, Mera Mann Tera Pyasa from the iconic film, Guide in his film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is still regarded as one of the greatest romantic movies of all-time. But Rafi saab is not just admired for his exceptional singing talent only but also for the kind of human he was and most importantly the way he had taken care of his wife and children. Once in a rare interview of his late wife, Bilquis Rafi. The doting wife had revealed the things their children disliked about their father, and it tells everything about Rafi ji’s greatness. Scroll down to know it all!
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In September 1988, popular actor and writer, Patrick Biswas, interviewed Mohammed Rafi’s wife, Bilquis Rafi in a rare candid conversation. It was her confession about her children’s relationship with their father that had made everyone fall in love with Rafi saab once again. Bilquis ji had said, “The only thing the children disliked about their abba was that he didn’t encourage taking them to recordings, functions or movies. In fact, they hated going to the movies with their father, because it was always the case of, ‘Let’s enter after the film begins and we’ll leave before it ends’. The kids always complained that they didn’t know what the start and end was!” The doting wife had added that her husband never wanted any sort of publicity or fame. She had added, “All this stemmed from the fact that Rafi saab disliked publicity of any kind.”
However, going further in her interview, Bilquis Rafi ji had clearly mentioned that their children had respected, adored, and loved their father wholeheartedly and had always thanked God for having a father like Rafi saab. The reason for the same was the immense love that Rafi saab had in his heart for his kids, throwing some light on the same, Bilquis ji had said, “Rafi saab was a very simple human being. His life revolved around his children. His was a routine: a home-to-recording and back-home-schedule. After which, he’d promptly ask me if the children wanted anything. There was nothing he wouldn’t give them. Only the Almighty above knows how they didn’t grow up spoilt. They adored their father and were very proud of him.” (Don’t Miss: Jaaved Jaaferi And Adnan Sami's Common Ex-Wife Is A Famous Actress And Has Married Four Times)
There’s no doubt that Mohammed Rafi was a supremely talented singer, a doting husband, a responsible father, and above all, a super humble man. The iconic vocalist had won a lot of incredible titles in his illustrious career but had never taken his greatness seriously for a second. There’s a famous incident that defines his humble attitude and tells everything about him. Once a person had come to him during an event and had credited and congratulated him for the success of his song that had made its film’s director and actors celebrities overnight. But Rafi saab had said, “If it weren’t for the music director or that hero, I wouldn’t be singing that song. Inki vajay se mujhe kaam mila.” That’s Mohammed Rafi saab for you! (Also Read: Did You Know Kareena Kapoor Khan Wanted A Girl Child While She Was Pregnant With Her Son, Taimur?)
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