Colossus who looms over Hindi music to this day

Looking back at Mohammed Rafi's legacy, in an age of autotune, AI and meme culture, one cannot help but marvel at the era he belonged to - of poet-musicians and timeless classics, songs we can all still hum today, and a voice that can't be forgotten.

- Yasser Usman

In a world divided between Rafi and his great contemporary Kishore Kumar, it needed time for many from the then-younger generation to understand the unparalleled artistry of Rafi's voice, but they eventually came around to its fluid versatility and emotional depth.

He looms over the landscape of Hindi film music, a colossus even today.

Born 100 years ago, on December 24, 1924, Rafi had his debut as a singer at the age of 17. Over nearly four decades, from 1945 until 1980 (when he died of a massive heart attack, aged just 55), he would lend that rich, ache-filled voice to about 5,000 songs.

His silken timbre, a product of classical training and raw talent, would raise him to near-revered status across multiple generations.

"As Shailendra was jan kavi (poet to the people), Rafi was jan gaayak. He was the voice of the aam aadmi, the common man," says film historian and musicologist Pavan Jha. "For instance, there were great vocalists such as Kumar Gandharva and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The common person could appreciate their singing, but could not sing their songs. In contrast, Rafi's songs were accessible, allowing anyone to connect with them. That's the deep connection that endures across decades, generations, perhaps centuries."

What versatility that voice held. Rafi moved with effortless ease between the classical refinement of Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare (Chitralekha, 1964) and Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re (Kohinoor; 1960) to the vibrant energy of Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe (Junglee, 1961) and the tender melancholy of Tumne Mujhe Dekha Hokar Meherban (Teesri Manzil, 1966).

Through his career, he didn't just sing for actors; he turned them into stars.