Mohammed Rafi

Indian playback singer (1924–1980)

For the Kerala football player, see Mohammed Rafi (footballer). For the Indian cricketer, see Mohammad Rafi (cricketer). For the television actor, see Rafi DQ.

Mohammed Rafi

Rafi on a 2003 stamp of India

Born| (1924-12-24)24 December 1924

Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab, British India
(present-day Punjab, India)

Died| 31 July 1980(1980-07-31) (aged 55)

Bombay, Maharashtra, India

Occupation| Playback singer
Years active| 1944–1980
Spouses|

Bashira Bibi

(m. 1938⁠-⁠1942)​

Biliquis Bano

(m. 1945)​

Children| 7
Awards|

* Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer (6 times)
* BFJA Best Male Playback Award
* National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (1 time)

Honours| Padma Shri (1967)
Musical career
Genres|

* Filmi
* Bhajans
* Ghazals
* Qawwali
* Shabad[1]
* Na'at[2]
* Classical[3]
* Nazrul Geeti[4]
* Comedy Music

Instrument| Vocals

Musical artist

Signature

Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent.[5][6] Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice; his songs varied from fast, peppy numbers to patriotic songs, sad numbers to highly romantic songs, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans to classical songs.[7] He was known for his ability to mould his voice to the persona and style of the actor lip-syncing the song on screen in the movie.[8] He received six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award in India. In 1967, he was honored with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India. In 2001, Rafi was honoured with the "Best Singer of the Millennium" title by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine. In 2013, Rafi was voted for the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in a CNN-IBN poll.[9]

He recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and in many Indian languages as well as some foreign languages, though primarily in Urdu and Punjabi, over which he had a strong command. He recorded as many as 7,000 songs throughout his career, spanning several languages such as Konkani, Assamese, Bhojpuri, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Magahi, Maithili, etc. Apart from Indian languages, he also sang in some foreign languages, including English, Persian, Arabic, Sinhala, Mauritian Creole, and Dutch.[10]

## Early life

[edit]

Rafi's family tree.

Mohammed Rafi was the second eldest of six brothers born to Allah Rakhi and Haji Ali Mohammad in a Punjabi Bhatti Jat Muslim family.[11] The family originally belonged to Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near present-day Majitha in Amritsar district of Punjab, India.[12] Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, began singing by imitating the chants of a fakir who roamed the streets of his native village Kotla Sultan Singh. Rafi's father moved to Lahore in 1935, where he ran a barbershop in Noor Mohalla in Bhati Gate.[13] Rafi learnt classical music from Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo and Firoze Nizami.[14] His first public performance came at the age of 13, when he sang in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal. In 1941, Rafi made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet "Goriye Nee, Heeriye Nee" with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch (released in 1944) under music director Shyam Sunder.[15] In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio Lahore station to sing for them.[16]

He made his Hindi film debut in Gaon Ki Gori in 1945.[8]

## Early career in Bombay

[edit]

Rafi moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra in 1944. He and Hameed Sahab rented a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. Poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to film producers including Abdur Rashid Kardar, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer.[17] Shyam Sunder was in Bombay and provided the opportunity to Rafi to sing a duet with G. M. Durrani, "Aji dil ho kaabu mein to dildar ki aisi taisi...," for Gaon Ki Gori, which became Rafi's first recorded song in a Hindi film. Other songs followed.

Rafi's first song with Naushad was "Hindustan Ke Hum Hain" with Shyam Kumar, Alauddin and others, from A. R. Kardar's Pehle Aap (1944). Around the same time, Rafi recorded another song for the 1945 film Gaon Ki Gori, "Aji Dil Ho Kaaboo Mein". He considered this song to be his first Hindi language song.[16]

Rafi appeared in two movies. He appeared on the screen for the songs "Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha" in film Laila Majnu(1945) and "Woh Apni Yaad Dilane Ko" in the Film Jugnu (1947).[16] He sang a number of songs for Naushad as part of the chorus, including "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani, Roohi Roohi" with K. L. Saigal, from the film Shahjahan (1946). Rafi sang "Tera Khilona Toota Balak" from Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and a duet with Noor Jehan in the 1947 film Jugnu, "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka". After partition, Rafi decided to stay back in India and had the rest of his family flown to Bombay. Noor Jehan migrated to Pakistan and made a pair with playback singer Ahmed Rushdi.

In 1949, Rafi was given solo songs by music directors such as Naushad (Chandni Raat, Dillagi and Dulari), Shyam Sunder (Bazaar) and Husnalal Bhagatram (Meena Bazaar).

Besides K. L. Saigal, whom he considered his favorite, Rafi was also influenced by G. M. Durrani. In the early phase of his career, he often followed Durrani's style of singing, but later evolved his own, unique style. He sang with Durrani in some of the songs such as "Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai" and "Khabar Kisi Ko Nahiin, Woh Kidhar Dekhte" (Beqasoor, 1950).

In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi had overnight created the song "Suno Suno Ae Duniyawalon, Bapuji Ki Amar Kahani". He was invited by the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to sing at his house. In 1948, Rafi received a silver medal from Jawaharlal Nehru on Indian Independence Day.[18]

## Recording career in the 1950s and 1960s

[edit]

See also: List of songs recorded by Mohammed Rafi

In his early career, Rafi associated with many contemporary music directors, most notably Naushad Ali. In the late 1950s and 1960s, he worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan, S.D. Burman and Roshan.

### Work with Naushad

[edit]

As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father.[19] Rafi's first song for Naushad Ali was "Hindustan Ke Hum Hain" ("We belong to Hindustan") for the film Pehle Aap in 1944. The first song for the duo was the soundtrack of the movie Anmol Ghadi (1946).

Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi cinema.[16] Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials.[15] Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad. Before Rafi, Naushad's favorite singer was Talat Mahmood. Once Naushad found Talat smoking during a recording.[20][21][22][self-published source?] He was annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra.

### Work with S. D. Burman

[edit]

S. D. Burman used Rafi as a singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt.[23] Rafi worked with Burman in 37 films, including Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Kala Bazar (1960), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Kala Pani (1958), Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963), Guide (1965), Aradhana (1969), Ishq Par Zor Nahin (1970) and Abhimaan (1973).

### Work with Shankar–Jaikishan

[edit]

Rafi's partnership with Shankar–Jaikishan was among the most famous and successful in the Hindi film industry. He worked with them from their first film, Barsaat (1949). Under Shankar–Jaikishan, Rafi produced some of his songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. Out of six Filmfare awards, Rafi won three for S-J songs – "Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko", "Bahaaron Phool Barsaao" and "Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein." The song "Yahoo! Chaahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe" was sung by Rafi, matched by a fast-paced orchestra and composition by Shankar Jaikishan. S-J had Rafi give playback for Kishore Kumar in the film Sharaarat ("Ajab Hai Daastaan Teri Ye Zindagi"). Rafi sang a total of 341 numbers—216 solo—for Shankar–Jaikishan.[24] Among the films of this combination are: Awaara, Boot Polish, Basant Bahar, Professor, Junglee, Asli-Naqli, Rajkumar, Suraj, Sangam, Brahmachari, Arzoo, An Evening in Paris, Dil Tera Deewana, Yakeen, Prince, Love in Tokyo, Beti Bete, Dil Ek Mandir, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, Gaban and Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.

### Work with Ravi

[edit]

Rafi got his first Filmfare Award for the title song of Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), composed by Ravi. He received the National Award for the song "Baabul Ki Duaen Leti Jaa" from the film Neel Kamal (1968), also composed by Ravi. Rafi wept during the recording of this song, which he admitted in a 1977 interview with the BBC.[25]

Ravi and Rafi produced several other songs in the films China Town (1962), Kaajal (1965), Do Badan (1966) and Ek Phool Do Maali (1969)

### Work with Madan Mohan

[edit]

Madan Mohan was another composer whose favorite singer was Rafi. Rafi's first solo with Madan Mohan in Aankhen (1950) was "Hum Ishk Mein Burbaad Hein Burbaad Ruhenge".[16] They teamed up to produce many songs including "Teree Aankhon Ke Sivaa", "Yeh Duniyaa Yeh Mehfil", "Tum Jo Mil Guye Ho", "Kur Chale Hum Fida", "Meree Aawaaz Suno" and "Aap Ke Pehlu Mein Aakur".

### Work with O. P. Nayyar

[edit]

Rafi and O. P. Nayyar (OP) created music in the 1950s and 1960s. O. P. Nayyar was once quoted as saying "If there had been no Mohammed Rafi, there would have been no O. P. Nayyar".[26]

He and Rafi created many songs together including "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan". He got Rafi to sing for singer-actor Kishore Kumar – "Man Mora Baawara" for the movie Raagini. Later, Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in movies such as Baaghi, Shehzaada and Shararat. O. P. Nayyar used Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs. The team created many songs in the early 1950s and 1960s for movies such as Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). Rafi sang a total of 197 numbers (56 solo) for Nayyar.[27] The songs "Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast" and the title song "Yun to humne lakh hansee dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" of the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha were hits. They were followed by songs like "Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehera" from Kashmir ki Kali.

Rafi and OP had a falling-out during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata". As disclosed by OP during one of his interviews; Rafi reported late to the recording stating that he was stuck in Shankar Jaikishan's recording. OP then stated that from now on he too did not have the time for Rafi and cancelled the recording. They did not work together for the next 3 years.[28]

### Work with Laxmikant-Pyarelal

[edit]

The composer duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal (L-P) patronized Rafi as one of their singers, right from their first song by him from the film Parasmani (1963). Rafi and L-P won the Filmfare Award for the song "Chaahoonga Mein Tujhe Saanjh Suvere" from Dosti (1964). Rafi rendered the highest number of songs for this music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, as compared to all the music directors: 388.[24]

Once, when composer Nisar Bazmi, who once worked with Laxmikant-Pyarelal before he had migrated to Pakistan, didn't have enough money to pay him, Rafi charged a fee of one rupee and sang for him. He also helped producers financially. As Laxmikant once observed – "He always gave without thinking of the returns".

### Work with Kalyanji Anandji

[edit]

Kalyanji Anandji composed around 170 songs in the voice of Rafi. Kalyanji's relationship with Rafi started with the 1958 film, Samrat Chandragupta, his debut film as a solo composer.[29] Kalyani-Anandji and Rafi went on to work together for the music of the Shashi Kapoor-starrer Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968), which featured songs like "Bekhudi Mein Sanam" and "Chale The Saath Milke".[29]

### Work with contemporary singers

[edit]

Rafi associated with several of his contemporaries, singing duets with them and sometimes for them (as in case of Kishore Kumar who was also an actor). Rafi sang the highest number of duets with Asha Bhosle (female), Manna Dey (male) and Lata Mangeshkar (female).

In the song "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar" (Amar Akbar Anthony), Rafi sang one song with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mukesh, the most legendary singers in Bollywood. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song.[30]

### Work with other music directors

[edit]

Rafi sang frequently for all music directors during his lifetime, including C. Ramchandra, Roshan, Jaidev, Khayyam, Rajesh Roshan, Ravindra Jain, Bappi Lahiri, Sapan Jagmohan, T.V.Raju, S.Hanumantha Rao etc. He had a special and major association with Usha Khanna, Sonik Omi, Chitragupta, S.N. Tripathi, N. Datta and R.D. Burman. He also sang for many small time and lesser-known music directors. Many for whom he sang for free while making their compositions immortal; he selflessly believed in financially assisting producers and helping small-time projects who could not afford much. Many in the industry received regular financial help from Rafi.[31]

### Private albums

[edit]

Rafi sang several songs in Chris Perry's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro. He recorded many private albums in various genres and languages. Rafi recorded Hindi songs in English on 7" release in 1968. He also sang 2 songs in Mauritian Creole while on his visit to Mauritius in the late 1960s.

### Royalty issue

[edit]

In 1962–1963, the popular female playback singer Lata Mangeshkar raised the issue of playback singers' share in the royalties. Recognizing Rafi's position as the leading male playback singer, she wanted him to back her in demanding a half-share from the 5% song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. Rafi refused to side with her, stating that his claim on the film producer's money ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song. Rafi argued that the producer takes financial risk and the composer creates the song, so the singer does not have any claim over the royalty money. Lata viewed his stand as a stumbling block on the royalty issue and stated that it is because of the singer's name also that the records get sold. This difference of opinion subsequently led to differences between the two. During the recording of "Tasveer Teri Dil Mein" (Maya, 1961), Lata argued with Rafi over a certain passage of the song. Rafi felt belittled, as music director Salil Chowdhury sided with Lata. The situation worsened when Lata declared that she would no longer sing with Rafi. Rafi stated that he was only so keen to sing with Lata as she was with him.[32][33] The music director Jaikishan later negotiated a reconciliation between the two.[34] In an interview given to The Times of India on 25 September 2012, Lata claimed to have received a written apology from Rafi.[35] However, Shahid Rafi, Mohammad Rafi's son, rebuffs the claim, calling it an act to dishonour his father's reputation.[35]

## Early 1970s

[edit]

In the 1970s, Rafi suffered from a throat infection for an extended period of time.[36] During a brief period then, he recorded fewer songs.[32][37] Although his musical output was relatively low during this period, Rafi did sing some of his best and most popular numbers then, such as "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil", "Gulabi Aankhen", "Jhilmil Sitaron Ka Aangan Hoga", "Koi Nazrana Lekar Aaya Hu", "Aaya Re Khilonewala", "Tum Mujhe Yun Bhula Na Paaoge", "Re Mama Re Mama Re", "Nafrat Ki Duniya Ko", "Ye Jo Chilman Hai", "Kuchh Kehta Hai Ye Saawan", "Kitna Pyaara Wada", "Chalo Dildaar Chalo", "Aaj Mausam Bada Be-Imaan Hai", "Chura Liya Hai Tumne", "Yaadon Ki Baaraat Nikli Hai Aaj Dil Ke Dwaare", "Teri Bindiya Re", to name a few.[38][39]

## Later years

[edit]

Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in mid 1970s. In 1974 he won the Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teri Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Kadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974) composed by Usha Khanna.[24]

In 1976, Rafi sang all the songs for Rishi Kapoor in the blockbuster film Laila Majnu.[40][41] Rafi went on to sing many more songs for Rishi Kapoor in the subsequent hit films, including Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).[42] In 1977, he won both Filmfare Award and the National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the movie Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, composed by R. D. Burman.[23] He was nominated as the best singer at the Filmfare Awards for the qawwali "Parda Hai Parda" from Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).

Rafi sang for many successful films in the late 1970s and the early 1980s many of whose hit songs were dominating the charts in the late 70s on radio programs such as Vividh Bharati, Binaca Geetmala and Radio Ceylon.[43] Some of these include Pratiggya (1975), Bairaag (1976), Amaanat (1977), Dharam Veer (1977), Apnapan (1977), Ganga Ki Saugand (1978), Suhaag (1979), Sargam (1979), Qurbani (1980), Dostana (1980), Karz (1980), The Burning Train (1980), Abdullah (1980), Shaan (1980), Aasha (1980), Aap To Aise Na The (1980), Naseeb (1981) and Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981). In 1977, Rafi gave a performance at the Royal Albert Hall and in 1980 he performed at the Wembley conference centre. From 1970 until his death he toured around the world extensively giving concert performances to packed halls.

In December 1979, Rafi recorded six songs for the Hindi remake of Dilip Sen's Bengali superhit Sorry Madam; the film was never completed due to a personal tragedy in Dilip Sen's life. These songs, written by Kafeel Aazar and composed by Chitragupta, were released digitally in December 2009 by the label Silk Road under the title "The Last Songs".[44] The physical album was released only in India by Universal.[citation needed]

### Guinness World Records controversy

[edit]

During his last years, Rafi was involved in a controversy over Lata Mangeshkar's entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. In a letter dated 11 June 1977 to the Guinness Book of World Records, Rafi had challenged the claim that Lata Mangeshkar has recorded the highest number of songs ("not less than 25,000" according to Guinness). Rafi, according to his fans, would have sung more songs than Lata – he being the senior of the two. They estimated the number of songs sung by Rafi to be anything from 25,000 to 26,000. This prompted Rafi to write a letter, in protest, to Guinness.[45] After receiving a reply from Guinness, in a letter dated 20 November 1979, he wrote, "I am disappointed that my request for a reassessment vis-a-vis Ms Mangeshkar's reported world record has gone unheeded."[30] In an interview to BBC recorded in November 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then.[26]

After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records gave Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings" and stated, "Mohammad Rafi (d 1 August 1980)  [sic] claimed to have recorded 28,000 songs in 11 Indian languages between 1944 and April 1980."[46] The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were eventually deleted in 1991. In 2011, Lata's sister Asha Bhosle was given the title.[47]

Mohammed Rafi – Golden Voice of the Silver Screen, a 2015 book by Shahid Rafi and Sujata Dev, states that according to "industry sources", Rafi sang 4,425 Hindi film songs, 310 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 non-film songs between 1945 and 1980.[45] A 2015 Manorama Online article states that "researchers" have found 7,405 songs sung by Rafi.[48]

Among the prominent leading actors of his time, Rafi sung 190 songs for Shammi Kapoor, 145 for Johnny Walker, 129 for Shashi Kapoor, 114 for Dharmendra, 100 for Dev Anand, 79 for Sunil Dutt and 77 for Dilip Kumar.[49]

## Death

[edit]

Mohammed Rafi died at 10:25 pm on 31 July 1980, following a massive heart attack, aged 55.[50] The last song sung by Rafi was for the movie Aas Paas, with music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. One source says it was "Shaam Phir Kyun Udaas Hai Dost/Tu Kahin Aas Paas Hai Dost", recorded just hours before his death.[30][51][52] Another source says that the last song he sang was "Shehar mein charcha hai", from the same film.[53]

Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery and his burial was one of the largest funeral processions in India as over 10,000 people attended his burial.[54] The government of India announced a two-day public mourning in his honour.[30]

In 2010, Rafi's tomb along with many film industry artists such as Madhubala, was demolished to make space for new burials. Fans of Mohammed Rafi, who visit his tomb twice a year to mark his birth and death anniversaries, use the coconut tree that is nearest to his grave as a marker.[55]

## Legacy

[edit]

Rafi on a 2016 stamp of India

Rafi's style of singing influenced singers like Kavita Krishnamurti, Mahendra Kapoor, Mohammed Aziz, Shabbir Kumar, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam,[56] and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.[57][58] Anwar also imitated Rafi's voice.

On 22 September 2007, a shrine to Rafi designed by artist Tasawar Bashir was unveiled on Fazeley Street, Birmingham, UK. Bashir is hoping that Rafi will attain sainthood as a result.[59][60] The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburbs of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi.[61]

In the summer of 2008, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra released a double CD titled Rafi Resurrected, comprising 16 songs by Rafi. Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam provided the vocals for this project and toured with the CBSO in July 2008 at venues including the English National Opera in London, Manchester's Apollo Theatre, and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.[62]

There have been appeals[63] to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with the Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award).

In June 2010, Rafi, along with Mangeshkar, was voted the most popular playback singer in the poll, conducted by Outlook magazine.[64] The same poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na dheer dhare" (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi, as the No. 1 song.[65] Three songs were tied for the No. 2 spot; two were sung by Rafi. The songs were "Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain" (Guide, 1965) and "Din dhal jaye, hai raat na jaye" (Guide, 1965). The jury included people in the Indian music industry.[66]

In 2015, the UK-based newspaper Eastern Eye placed Rafi third in their "Greatest 20 Bollywood Playback Singers" list.[67]

An official biography was written on Rafi's life by Sujata Dev titled Mohammed Rafi – Golden Voice of the Silver Screen launched on his 91st birthday.[68] As well as an award winning documentary titled Dastaan-E-Rafi directed by Rajni Acharya and Vinay Patel (which took 5 years to make) was released to commemorate his 92nd birthday which was later released on DVD. It featured over 60 interviews of various Bollywood personas and closely recalled his story through his songs and the personal recounts.[69][70]

Lata Mangeshkar, his contemporary, has said that "Rafi bhaiya was not only India's greatest playback singer but also a wonderful person" and that "he was one singer whose vocal range could outclass any other singer, whether it was me, Asha, Mannada or Kishore bhaiya".[5]

When producer-director Manmohan Desai (who was a big fan of Rafi) and used him in numerous hit films, was asked to describe the voice of Rafi he remarked that "If anyone has the voice of god, it is Mohammed Rafi".[71]

Annually his birth and death anniversaries inspire several thousand musical tributes on stage, radio and television.[72][73]

Rafi's popularity today spans across the Indian subcontinent, having a reach to Indian communities in Singapore and Malaysia.[74][75][76]

Today, Rafi's popular songs continue to be remixed or recreated.[77]

Rafi's Baharon Phool Barsao was voted the most popular Hindi song in a BBC Asia Network poll commemorating 100 years of Hindi Cinema.[78]

In a CNN-IBN survey in 2013, he was voted the greatest voice of Hindi Cinema.[79]

In 2001, Rafi was named as the "best singer of the millennium" by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine.[80]

## In popular culture

[edit]

* Mohammed Rafi Academy was launched in Mumbai on 31 July 2010 on the 30th anniversary of the singer's death, started by his son Shahid Rafi to impart training in Indian classical and contemporary music.[81][82]
* After his death, numerous Hindi movies were dedicated to Rafi, including: Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.[80]
* A song in the 1990 Hindi film Kroadh "Na Fankar Tujhsa" picturised on actor Amitabh Bachchan and sung by singer Mohammed Aziz was also dedicated to the memory of Rafi.
* Rafi is one of the recording artists mentioned in the 1997 hit British alternative rock song "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop.[83]
* Rafi's song from the film Gumnaam (1965), "Jaan Pehechan Ho", was used on the soundtrack of Ghost World (2001). The film opens with the lead character dancing around in her bedroom to a video of Gumnaam.[84] The song has also been used for Heineken's 2011 "The Date" commercial.[85]
* Rafi was commemorated on his 93rd birth anniversary by Search Engine Google which showed a special doodle on its Indian home page for him on 24 December 2017.[86]
* His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding. His "Kya Mil Gaya" (Sasural, 1961) has been used in The Guru (2002), where Ramu and Sharonna sing a version of the song. His song "Mera Man Tera Pyasa" (Gambler, 1970) has been used as one of the soundtracks in the Jim Carrey-Kate Winslet starrer Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). This song is played in the background in Kate Winslet's character's home while the lead pair are having a drink (at approximately 00.11.14 runtime).[citation needed]

## Personal life

[edit]

Rafi married twice; his first marriage was to his cousin, Bashira Bibi, which took place in his ancestral village.[87][88][89] The marriage ended when his first wife refused to live in India following the killing of her parents during the riots of the Partition of India and moved to Lahore, Pakistan.[90] His second marriage was to Bilquis Bano.

Rafi had four sons and three daughters; his first son, Saeed, was from his first marriage.[89] Rafi's hobbies included playing badminton, carrom, and flying kites.[91] He was a teetotaller and abstained from smoking and he stayed away from parties in the industry.[92]

According to Mohammed Rafi Voice of a Nation, a book authorised by Rafi's son Shahid, described him as "a gentle, and calm demeanour persona who remained humble, selfless, ego-less, devoted, God-fearing, and family-loving gentleman in his life." Rafi was noted for not sending anyone he met back empty-handed.[31] He contributed to the society by helping people through his charity and notable deeds.[93]

## Awards and recognition

[edit]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Mohammed Rafi

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Rafi, Yasmin Khalid (2012). Mohammed Rafi: My Abba - A Memoir. Westland Books. ISBN 9789381626856.
* Rafi, Shahid; Dev, Sujata (2015). Mohammed Rafi: Golden Voice of the Silver Screen. Om Books International. ISBN 9789380070971.

## See also

[edit]

* List of songs recorded by Mohammed Rafi
* List of Indian playback singers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Mohd. Rafi - Shabad Kirtan Songs, Mohd. Rafi - Shabad Kirtan Movie Songs MP3 Download | Saregama.com" https://www.saregama.com/album/mohd-rafi-shabad-kirtan_107964 Archived 11 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ "Waqyat Hamd Aur Naat Mohd Rafi Songs Download: Waqyat Hamd Aur Naat Mohd Rafi MP3 Urdu Songs Online Free on Gaana.com" https://gaana.com/album/amp/waqyat-hamd-aur-naat-mohd-rafi.html Archived 11 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ "Mohammad Rafi and the songs based on Classical Raagas". 10 June 2012. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
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## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mohammed Rafi.

* Mohammed Rafi at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer

1967–1980|

* Mahendra Kapoor (1967)
* Manna Dey (1968)
* S. D. Burman (1969)
* Manna Dey (1970)
* Hemant Kumar (1971)
* K. J. Yesudas (1972)
* K. J. Yesudas (1973)
* Mukesh (1974)
* M. Balamuralikrishna (1975)
* K. J. Yesudas (1976)
* Mohammed Rafi (1977)
* Shimoga Subbanna (1978)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1979)
* Anup Ghoshal (1980)

1981–2000|

* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1981)
* K. J. Yesudas (1982)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1983)
* Bhimsen Joshi (1984)
* Jayachandran (1985)
* Hemant Kumar (1986)
* K. J. Yesudas (1987)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1988)
* Ajoy Chakrabarty (1989)
* M. G. Sreekumar (1990)
* K. J. Yesudas (1991)
* Dr. Rajkumar (1992)
* K. J. Yesudas (1993)
* P. Unnikrishnan (1994)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1995)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1996)
* Hariharan (1997)
* Sanjeev Abhyankar (1998)
* M. G. Sreekumar (1999)
* Shankar Mahadevan (2000)

2001–2020|

* Udit Narayan (2001)
* Udit Narayan (2002)
* Sonu Nigam (2003)
* Udit Narayan (2004)
* Naresh Iyer (2005)
* Gurdas Maan (2006)
* Shankar Mahadevan (2007)
* Hariharan (2008)
* Rupam Islam (2009)
* Suresh Wadkar (2010)
* Anand Bhate (2011)
* Shankar Mahadevan (2012)
* Rupankar (2013)
* Sukhwinder Singh (2014)
* Mahesh Kale (2015)
* Sundarayyar (2016)
* K. J. Yesudas (2017)
* Arijit Singh (2018)
* B Praak (2019)
* Rahul Deshpande (2020)

2021–present|

* Kaala Bhairava (2021)
* Arijit Singh (2022)
* P V N S Rohit (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer

1960–1980|

* Mukesh (1960)
* Mohammed Rafi (1961)
* Mohammed Rafi (1962)
* No Award (1963)
* Mahendra Kapoor (1964)
* Mohammed Rafi (1965)
* No Award (1966)
* Mohammed Rafi (1967)
* Mahendra Kapoor (1968)
* Mohammed Rafi (1969)
* Kishore Kumar (1970)
* Mukesh (1971)
* Manna Dey (1972)
* Mukesh (1973)
* Narendra Chanchal (1974)
* Mahendra Kapoor (1975)
* Kishore Kumar (1976)
* Mukesh (1977)
* Mohammed Rafi (1978)
* Kishore Kumar (1979)
* K. J. Yesudas (1980)

1981–2000|

* Kishore Kumar (1981)
* Amit Kumar (1982)
* Kishore Kumar (1983)
* Kishore Kumar (1984)
* Kishore Kumar (1985)
* Kishore Kumar (1986)
* The Razzie Award for Worst Original Song (1987)
* No Award (1988)
* Udit Narayan (1989)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1990)
* Kumar Sanu (1991)
* Kumar Sanu (1992)
* Kumar Sanu (1993)
* Kumar Sanu (1994)
* Kumar Sanu (1995)
* Udit Narayan (1996)
* Udit Narayan (1997)
* Abhijeet (1998)
* Sukhwinder Singh (1999)
* Udit Narayan (2000)

2001-2020|

* Lucky Ali (2001)
* Udit Narayan (2002)
* Sonu Nigam (2003)
* Sonu Nigam (2004)
* Kunal Ganjawala (2005)
* Himesh Reshammiya (2006)
* Shaan and Kailash Kher (2007)
* Shaan (2008)
* Sukhwinder Singh (2009)
* Mohit Chauhan (2010)
* Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (2011)
* Mohit Chauhan (2012)
* Ayushmann Khurrana (2013)
* Arijit Singh (2014)
* Ankit Tiwari (2015)
* Arijit Singh (2016)
* Arijit Singh (2017)
* Arijit Singh (2018)
* Arijit Singh (2019)
* Arijit Singh (2020)

2021–present|

* Raghav Chaitanya (2021)
* B Praak (2022)
* Arijit Singh (2023)
* Bhupinder Babbal (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Recipients of Padma Shri in Art

1950s|

* Omkarnath Thakur (1955)
* Sthanam Narasimha Rao (1956)
* Sudhir Khastgir (1957)
* Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu (1957)
* Debaki Bose (1958)
* Shambhu Maharaj (1958)
* Nargis (1958)
* Satyajit Ray (1958)
* Devika Rani (1958)

1960s|

* K. K. Hebbar (1961)
* Bismillah Khan (1961)
* Raghunath Krishna Phadke (1961)
* Ashok Kumar (1962)
* Mehboob Khan (1963)
* Melville de Mellow (1963)
* Vinayak Pandurang Karmarkar (1964)
* Adi Pherozeshah Marzban (1964)
* P. C. Sorcar (1964)
* Guru Kunchu Kurup (1965)
* V. Nagayya (1965)
* Ravishankar Raval (1965)
* Mrinalini Sarabhai (1965)
* Sivaji Ganesan (1966)
* M. F. Husain (1966)
* Sumitra Charat Ram (1966)
* P. Bhanumathi (1966)
* Daji Bhatawadekar (1967)
* Vasant Desai (1967)
* Siddheshwari Devi (1967)
* Mohammed Rafi (1967)
* Sashadhar Mukherjee (1967)
* Vinjamuri Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha Rao (1967)
* M. R. Acharekar (1968)
* Begum Akhtar (1968)
* Sharan Rani Backliwal (1968)
* Nikhil Banerjee (1968)
* Sunil Dutt (1968)
* Durga Khote (1968)
* Yamini Krishnamurthy (1968)
* Shankar–Jaikishan (1968)
* Ayodhya Prasad (1968)
* Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1968)
* N. T. Rama Rao (1968)
* Devi Lal Samar (1968)
* Vyjayanthimala (1968)
* Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (1969)
* David Abraham Cheulkar (1969)
* N. S. Bendre (1969)
* S. D. Burman (1969)
* B. Saroja Devi (1969)
* Indrani Rahman (1969)
* Balraj Sahni (1969)
* S. N. Swamy (artist) (1969)

1970s|

* Sukumar Bose (1970)
* Prem Dhawan (1970)
* Ratna Fabri (1970)
* Gemini Ganesan (1970)
* Ritwik Ghatak (1970)
* Damayanti Joshi (1970)
* Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan (1970)
* Karl Jamshed Khandalavala (1970)
* Madhaviah Krishnan (1970)
* Rajendra Kumar (1970)
* Pankaj Mullick (1970)
* Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair (1970)
* Relangi (1970)
* Gummadi (1970)
* Vijay Raghav Rao (1970)
* V. Satyanarayana Sarma (1970)
* Maisnam Amubi Singh (1970)
* K. B. Sundarambal (1970)
* Avinash Vyas (1970)
* M. Balamuralikrishna (1971)
* Sankho Chaudhuri (1971)
* Manna Dey (1971)
* Tripti Mitra (1971)
* Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair (1971)
* Chenganoor Raman Pillai (1971)
* K. N. Dandayudhapani Pillai (1971)
* Shanta Rao (1971)
* Ravi (1971)
* Sahir Ludhianvi (1971)
* Siyaram Tiwari (musician) (1971)
* Chiranjeet Chakraborty (1972)
* Girija Devi (1972)
* Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1972)
* Sunil Janah (1972)
* Lalgudi Jayaraman (1972)
* Bhimsen Joshi (1972)
* Mahendra Kapoor (1972)
* Ram Kumar (artist) (1972)
* Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1972)
* Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai (1972)
* Samta Prasad (1972)
* M. K. Radha (1972)
* Raghu Rai (1972)
* Krishna Reddy (1972)
* Waheeda Rehman (1972)
* Juthika Roy (1972)
* Suchitra Sen (1972)
* Gubbi Veeranna (1972)
* Sitara Devi (1973)
* T. N. Krishnan (1973)
* Kishan Maharaj (1973)
* Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy (1973)
* Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (1973)
* Uma Sharma (1973)
* S. G. Thakur Singh (1973)
* Kaifi Azmi (1974)
* Pushkar Bhan (1974)
* Mani Madhava Chakyar (1974)
* Bindhyabasini Devi (1974)
* Naina Devi (1974)
* Girish Karnad (1974)
* Shriram Lagoo (1974)
* Kelucharan Mohapatra (1974)
* Nutan (1974)
* M. D. Ramanathan (1974)
* Som Nath Sadhu (1974)
* Emani Sankara Sastry (1974)
* Kripal Singh Shekhawat (1974)
* Manik Varma (1974)
* M. S. Gopalakrishnan (1975)
* Jasraj (1975)
* Amjad Ali Khan (1975)
* Gopi Krishna (1975)
* Sanjukta Panigrahi (1975)
* Basavaraj Rajguru (1975)
* Kalyanam Raghuramayya (1975)
* M. S. Sathyu (1975)
* K. G. Subramanyan (1975)
* Gitchandra Tongbra (1975)
* K. J. Yesudas (1975)
* Shyam Benegal (1976)
* Raghunath Mohapatra (1976)
* Ram Narayan (1976)
* K. V. Narayanaswamy (1976)
* R. Nagendra Rao (1976)
* S. Somasundaram (1976)
* Parveen Sultana (1976)
* Dhanraj Bhagat (1977)
* Bhupen Hazarika (1977)
* Sheik Chinna Moulana (1977)
* Alla Rakha (1977)
* Jehangir Sabavala (1977)
* Ghulam Rasool Santosh (1977)

1980s|

* B. V. Karanth (1981)
* Namagiripettai Krishnan (1981)
* Gambhir Singh Mura (1981)
* Dashrath Patel (1981)
* S. H. Raza (1981)
* Padma Subrahmanyam (1981)
* Allah Jilai Bai (1982)
* Ammannur Madhava Chakyar (1982)
* Jabbar Patel (1982)
* Virendra Prabhakar (1982)
* Gautam Vaghela (1982)
* Sirkazhi Govindarajan (1983)
* Gautam Vaghela (1982)
* Sirkazhi Govindarajan (1983)
* Sharafat Hussain Khan (1983)
* Nepal Mahata (1983)
* Handel Manuel (1983)
* Gulam Mohammed Sheikh (1983)
* Raghubir Singh (1983)
* Sobha Singh (1983)
* Habib Tanvir (1983)
* Ganga Devi (1984)
* Amitabh Bachchan (1984)
* Purushottam Das (1984)
* Adoor Gopalakrishnan (1984)
* Bhupen Khakhar (1984)
* Ben Kingsley (1984)
* Vinay Chandra Maudgalya (1984)
* Roshan Kumari (1984)
* Mavelikara Krishnankutty Nair (1984)
* N. Rajam (1984)
* Raja and Radha Reddy (1984)
* Nek Chand (1984)
* Ram Gopal Vijayvargiya (1984)
* Shanti Dave (1985)
* Asa Singh Mastana (1985)
* Laxman Pai (1985)
* Smita Patil (1985)
* Palghat R. Raghu (1985)
* Naseeruddin Shah (1985)
* Shankar Bapu Apegaonkar (1986)
* Kanika Banerjee (1986)
* Subrata Mitra (1986)
* Rajkumar Singhajit Singh (1986)
* Hisam-ud-din Usta (1986)
* K. Balachander (1987)
* Kumudini Lakhia (1987)
* Vijaya Mehta (1987)
* N. Ramani (1987)
* Aparna Sen (1987)
* Naresh Sohal (1987)
* Jitendra Abhisheki (1988)
* Shabana Azmi (1988)
* Teejan Bai (1988)
* Bikash Bhattacharjee (1988)
* Zakir Hussain (1988)
* Chindodi Leela (1988)
* Sudharani Raghupathy (1988)
* Sudarshan Sahoo (1988)
* Kudrat Singh (1988)
* Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (1988)
* Jitendra Abhisheki (1988)
* Adyar K. Lakshman (1989)
* Haku Shah (1989)
* L. Subramaniam (1989)
* Ratan Thiyam (1989)
* Upendra Trivedi (1989)

1990s|

* Mohan Agashe (1990)
* G. Aravindan (1990)
* Prabha Atre (1990)
* Asgari Bai (1990)
* Gulab Bai (1990)
* Balwantrai Bhatt (1990)
* Diwaliben Bhil (1990)
* Raj Bisaria (1990)
* S. M. Ganapathy (1990)
* Kamal Haasan (1990)
* Bishamber Khanna (1990)
* Krishen Khanna (1990)
* Allu Ramalingaiah (1990)
* Tarun Majumdar (1990)
* Madhavi Mudgal (1990)
* Om Puri (1990)
* Kanak Rele (1990)
* Leela Samson (1990)
* Maharajapuram Santhanam (1990)
* Kapila Vatsyayan (1990)
* Ranbir Singh Bisht (1991)
* Bharat Gopy (1991)
* Ghulam Mustafa Khan (1991)
* Hafeez Ahmed Khan (1991)
* Shanno Khurana (1991)
* Pratima Barua Pandey (1991)
* Manu Parekh (1991)
* Shivkumar Sharma (1991)
* Gurcharan Singh (painter) (1991)
* Sharda Sinha (1991)
* Alarmel Valli (1991)
* Jaya Bachchan (1992)
* Pankaj Charan Das (1992)
* Biren De (1992)
* Srirangam Gopalaratnam (1992)
* Sabri Khan (1992)
* Sunita Kohli (1992)
* Madurai N. Krishnan (1992)
* Manoj Kumar (1992)
* Meera Mukherjee (1992)
* Asha Parekh (1992)
* Nataraja Ramakrishna (1992)
* Bhagaban Sahu (1992)
* Anandji Virji Shah (1992)
* Kalyanji Virji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji) (1992)
* Sundari K. Shridharani (1992)
* Tapan Sinha (1992)
* Muthiah Sthapati (1992)
* K. Viswanath (1992)
* Chitra Visweswaran (1992)
* Dipali Barthakur (1998)
* Mammootty (1998)
* Kunja Bihari Meher (1998)
* Krishnarao Sable (1998)
* Zohra Sehgal (1998)
* K. Ibomcha Sharma (1998)
* U. Srinivas (1998)
* Javed Akhtar (1999)
* Saryu Doshi (1999)
* Sulochana Latkar (1999)
* Sumati Mutatkar (1999)
* Shobha Deepak Singh (1999)
* Jagmohan Sursagar (1999)
* Ram V. Sutar (1999)

2000s|

* Kanhai Chitrakar (2000)
* Shekhar Kapur (2000)
* Hema Malini (2000)
* Anjolie Ela Menon (2000)
* Shubha Mudgal (2000)
* Alyque Padamsee (2000)
* A. R. Rahman (2000)
* Ramanand Sagar (2000)
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (2001)
* Aamir Raza Husain (2001)
* Padmaja Phenany Joglekar (2001)
* Mohammed Tayab Khan (2001)
* Sunil Kothari (2001)
* Nerella Venu Madhav (2001)
* Mohanlal (2001)
* Shobha Naidu (2001)
* D. V. S. Raju (2001)
* Avadhanam Sita Raman (2001)
* Siramdasu Venkata Rama Rao (2001)
* Thota Tharani (2001)
* W. D. Amaradeva (2002)
* Raj Begum (2002)
* Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (2002)
* Pushpa Bhuyan (2002)
* Rajan Devadas (2002)
* Darshana Jhaveri (2002)
* Abdul Latif Khan (2002)
* Mani Krishnaswami (2002)
* Fazal Mohammad (2002)
* Manorama (2002)
* Govind Nihalani (2002)
* Mani Ratnam (2002)
* Kiran Segal (2002)
* Navaneetham Padmanabha Seshadri (2002)
* Saroja Vaidyanathan (2002)
* T. H. Vinayakram (2002)
* Jahnu Barua (2003)
* Danny Denzongpa (2003)
* Kshetrimayum Ongbi Thouranisabi Devi (2003)
* Rita Ganguly (2003)
* Ranjana Gauhar (2003)
* Sadashiv Vasantrao Gorakshkar (2003)
* Rakhee Gulzar (2003)
* Nemi Chandra Jain (2003)
* O. P. Jain (2003)
* Aamir Khan (2003)
* Shafaat Ahmed Khan (2003)
* T. M. Soundararajan (2003)
* Sukumari (2003)
* Satish Vyas (2003)
* Bharathiraja (2004)
* Maguni Charan Das (2004)
* Manoranjan Das (2004)
* D. K. Datar (2004)
* Kadri Gopalnath (2004)
* Hariharan (singer) (2004)
* Purshottam Das Jalota (2004)
* Krishn Kanhai (2004)
* Heisnam Kanhailal (2004)
* Anupam Kher (2004)
* Sikkil Sisters – Kunjumani & Neela (2004)
* Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair (2004)
* Sudha Ragunathan (2004)
* Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel (2004)
* Veernala Jayarama Rao (2004)
* Bharati Shivaji (2004)
* Singh Bandhu (2004)
* Bhajan Sopori (2004)
* Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (2004)
* Muzaffar Ali (2005)
* Shameem Dev Azad (2005)
* M. Boyer (2005)
* K. S. Chithra (2005)
* Yumlembam Gambhini Devi (2005)
* Shah Rukh Khan (2005)
* Ghulam Sadiq Khan (2005)
* Kavita Krishnamurti (2005)
* Chaturbhuj Meher (2005)
* Kumkum Mohanty (2005)
* Punaram Nishad (2005)
* Kedar Nath Sahoo (2005)
* Sougaijam Thanil Singh (2005)
* Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (2005)
* Komala Varadan (2005)
* Puranchand Wadali (2005)
* Ileana Citaristi (2006)
* Mehmood Dhaulpuri (2006)
* Shree Lal Joshi (2006)
* Surinder Kaur (2006)
* Rashid Khan (musician) (2006)
* Vasundhara Komkali (2006)
* Yashodhar Mathpal (2006)
* Madhup Mudgal (2006)
* Kavungal Chathunni Panicker (2006)
* Shyama Charan Pati (2006)
* Gayatri Sankaran (2006)
* Prasad Sawkar (2006)
* Aribam Syam Sharma (2006)
* Shobana (2006)
* Kanaka Srinivasan (2006)
* Pankaj Udhas (2006)
* Mohan Babu (2007)
* Geeta Chandran (2007)
* Astad Deboo (2007)
* Neelamani Devi (2007)
* Remo Fernandes (2007)
* P. Gopinathan (2007)
* Pushpa Hans (2007)
* Shanti Hiranand (2007)
* Ananda Shankar Jayant (2007)
* Govardhan Kumari (2007)
* Sonam Tshering Lepcha (2007)
* Balachandra Menon (2007)
* Shashikala (2007)
* Gajendra Narayan Singh (2007)
* Thingbaijam Babu Singh (2007)
* Pannuru Sripathy (2007)
* Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam (2007)
* Waman Thakre (2007)
* P. R. Thilagam (2007)
* Tom Alter (2008)
* Moozhikkulam Kochukuttan Chakyar (2008)
* Jonnalagadda Gurappa Chetty (2008)
* Meenakshi Chitharanjan (2008)
* Madhuri Dixit Nene (2008)
* Kekoo Gandhy (2008)
* Helen Giri Syiem (2008)
* Jatin Goswami (2008)
* Hans Raj Hans (2008)
* Sabitri Heisnam (2008)
* Gokulotsavji Maharaj (2008)
* P. K. Narayanan Nambiar (2008)
* Gennadi Mikhailovich Pechinkov (2008)
* Gangadhar Pradhan (2008)
* M. Night Shyamalan (2008)
* Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram (2008)
* Jawahar Wattal (2008)
* Ameena Ahmad Ahuja (2009)
* Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (2009)
* Hemi Bawa (2009)
* Brahmanandam (2009)
* Devayani (dancer) (2009)
* Suresh Dutta (2009)
* Kalamandalam Gopi (2009)
* Niranjan Goswami (2009)
* Geeta Kapur (2009)
* Nirmal Singh Khalsa (2009)
* Hashmat Ullah Khan (2009)
* Helen (2009)
* S. Krishnaswamy (2009)
* Akshay Kumar (2009)
* Iravatham Mahadevan (2009)
* Hridaynath Mangeshkar (2009)
* Penaz Masani (2009)
* Shaoli Mitra (2009)
* Udit Narayan (2009)
* Govind Ram Nirmalkar (2009)
* Leela Omchery (2009)
* Pratapaditya Pal (2009)
* Aruna Sairam (2009)
* Mattannoor Sankarankutty (2009)
* Kumar Sanu (2009)
* Kiran Seth (2009)
* Gurumayum Gourakishor Sharma (2009)
* Skendrowell Syiemlieh (2009)
* Thilakan (2009)
* K. P. Udayabhanu (2009)
* Vivek (actor) (2009)

2010s|

* Gul Bardhan (2010)
* Carmel Berkson (2010)
* Wasifuddin Dagar (2010)
* Haobam Ongbi Ngangbi Devi (2010)
* Nemai Ghosh (2010)
* Sumitra Guha (2010)
* Ulhas Kashalkar (2010)
* Saif Ali Khan (2010)
* Mukund Lath (2010)
* Ram Dayal Munda (2010)
* Arundathi Nag (2010)
* Raghunath Panigrahi (2010)
* Resul Pookutty (2010)
* Arjun Prajapati (2010)
* Rajkumar Achouba Singh (2010)
* Shobha Raju (2010)
* Mayadhar Raut (2010)
* Rekha (2010)
* Ajoy Chakrabarty (2011)
* Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry (2011)
* Makar Dhwaja Darogha (2011)
* Mahasundari Devi (2011)
* Gajam Govardhana (2011)
* Sunayana Hazarilal (2011)
* S. R. Janakiraman (2011)
* Jayaram (2011)
* Kajol (2011)
* Shaji N. Karun (2011)
* Girish Kasaravalli (2011)
* Irrfan Khan (2011)
* Tabu (2011)
* Kalamandalam Kshemavathy (2011)
* Peruvanam Kuttan Marar (2011)
* Jivya Soma Mashe (2011)
* Dadi Pudumjee (2011)
* M. K. Saroja (2011)
* Khangembam Mangi Singh (2011)
* Prahlad Tipanya (2011)
* Usha Uthup (2011)
* Satish Alekar (2012)
* Satish Alekar (2012)
* Vanraj Bhatia (2012)
* Nameirakpam Ibemni Devi (2012)
* Gopal Prasad Dubey (2012)
* Gundecha Brothers (2012)
* Chittani Ramachandra Hegde (2012)
* Anup Jalota (2012)
* Moti Lal Kemmu (2012)
* Shahid Parvez (2012)
* Mohanlal Chaturbhuj Kumhar (2012)
* Sakar Khan (2012)
* Joy Michael (2012)
* Minati Mishra (2012)
* Na Muthuswamy (2012)
* R. Nagarathnamma (2012)
* Kalamandalam Sivan Namboodiri (2012)
* Priyadarshan (2012)
* Priyadarshan (2012)
* Vijay Sharma (2012)
* Laila Tyabji (2012)
* Yamunabai Waikar (2012)
* S. Shakir Ali (2013)
* Gajam Anjaiah (2013)
* Bapu (2013)
* Pablo Bartholomew (2013)
* Purna Das Baul Samrat (2013)
* G. C. D. Bharti (2013)
* Apurba Kishore Bir (2013)
* Ghanakanta Bora (2013)
* B. Jayashree (2013)
* Hildamit Lepcha (2013)
* Madhu (actor) (2013)
* Sudha Malhotra (2013)
* Kailash Chandra Meher (2013)
* Brahmdeo Ram Pandit (2013)
* Nana Patekar (2013)
* Rekandar Nageswara Rao (2013)
* Ghulam Mohammad Saznawaz (2013)
* Jaymala Shiledar (2013)
* Ramesh Sippy (2013)
* Sridevi (2013)
* Suresh Talwalkar (2013)
* Mahrukh Tarapor (2013)
* Balwant Thakur (2013)
* Rajendra Tiku (2013)
* Mohammad Ali Baig (2014)
* Vidya Balan (2014)
* Musafir Ram Bhardwaj (2014)
* Sabitri Chatterjee (2014)
* Biman Bihari Das (2014)
* Sunil Das (2014)
* Elam Endira Devi (2014)
* Supriya Devi (2014)
* Vijay Ghate (2014)
* Nayana Apte Joshi (2014)
* Elam Endira Devi (2014)
* Supriya Devi (2014)
* Vijay Ghate (2014)
* Nayana Apte Joshi (2014)
* Rani Karnaa (2014)
* Bansi Kaul (2014)
* Moinuddin Khan (musician) (2014)
* Geeta Mahalik (2014)
* Paresh Maity (2014)
* Ram Mohan (2014)
* Sudarsan Pattnaik (2014)
* Paresh Rawal (2014)
* Kalamandalam Satyabhama (2014)
* Anuj Sharma (actor) (2014)
* Santosh Sivan (2014)
* Sooni Taraporevala (2014)
* Naresh Bedi (2015)
* Sanjay Leela Bhansali (2015)
* Rahul Jain (2015)
* Ravindra Jain (2015)
* Prasoon Joshi (2015)
* A. Kanyakumari (2015)
* Prafulla Kar (2015)
* Tripti Mukherjee (2015)
* Neil Nongkynrih (2015)
* Kota Srinivasa Rao (2015)
* Shekhar Sen (2015)
* Pran Kumar Sharma (2015)
* Mahesh Raj Soni (2015)
* Malini Awasthi (2016)
* Madhur Bhandarkar (2016)
* Tulsidas Borkar (2016)
* Mamta Chandrakar (2016)
* Priyanka Chopra (2016)
* Ajay Devgn (2016)
* Bhikhudan Gadhvi (2016)
* Laxma Goud (2016)
* Saeed Jaffrey (2016)
* Venkatesh Kumar (2016)
* Naresh Chander Lal (2016)
* Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe (2016)
* Nila Madhab Panda (2016)
* Michael Postel (2016)
* Pratibha Prahlad (2016)
* S. S. Rajamouli (2016)
* Gulabo Sapera (2016)
* Prakash Chand Surana (2016)
* Basanti Bisht (2017)
* Baua Devi (2017)
* Jitendra Haripal (2017)
* Kailash Kher (2017)
* Sadhu Meher (2017)
* Aruna Mohanty (2017)
* T. K. Murthy (2017)
* Mukund Nayak (2017)
* Anuradha Paudwal (2017)
* Parassala B. Ponnammal (2017)
* Bharathi Vishnuvardhan (2017)
* Purushottam Upadhyay (2017)
* Doddarangegowda (2018)
* Manoj Joshi (actor) (2018)
* Pran Kishore Kaul (2018)
* Vijay Kichlu (2018)
* Prabhakar Maharana (2018)
* Sisir Mishra (2018)
* Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan (2018)
* Gobardhan Panika (2018)
* R. Sathyanarayana (2018)
* Bhajju Shyam (2018)
* Ibrahim Sutar (2018)
* Rudrapatnam Brothers (2018)
* Baba Yogendra (2018)
* Anup Ranjan Pandey (2019)
* Manoj Bajpayee (2019)
* Pritam Bhartwan (2019)
* Jyoti Bhatt (2019)
* Swapan Chaudhuri (2019)
* Dinyar Contractor (2019)
* Thanga Darlong (2019)
* Prabhu Deva (2019)
* Godawari Dutta (2019)
* Joravarsinh Jadav (2019)
* Fayaz Ahmad Jan (2019)
* K. G. Jayan (2019)
* Waman Kendre (2019)
* Kader Khan (2019)
* Abdul Gafur Khatri (2019)
* Shankar Mahadevan (2019)
* Narthaki Nataraj (2019)
* Milena Salvini (2019)
* Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (2019)
* Rajeev Taranath (2019)
* Hiralal Yadav (2019)
* Rajeshwar Acharya (2019)

2020s|

* Shashadhar Acharya (2020)
* Indira P. P. Bora (2020)
* Bombay Sisters (2020)
* Vajira Chitrasena (2020)
* Puru Dadheech (2020)
* Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh (2020)
* Sarita Joshi (2020)
* Kangana Ranaut (2020)
* Ramzan Khan (2020)
* Manilal Nag (2020)
* Dalavai Chalapathi Rao (2020)
* Adnan Sami (2020)
* Suresh Wadkar (2020)
* V. K. Munusamy (2020)
* Yadla Gopalarao (2020)
* Dulari Devi (2021)
* Bombay Jayashri (2021)
* KC Sivasankaran (2021)
* Rewben Mashangva (2021)
* Sanjida Khatun (2021)
* Annavarapu Rama Swamy (2021)
* Nidumolu Sumathi (2021)
* Biren Kumar Basak (2021)
* Narayan Debnath (2021)
* Bhuri Bai (2021)
* Vinayak Khedekar (2021)
* Manjamma Jogathi (2021)
* Gosaveedu Shaik Hassan (Posthumous) (2022)
* Lalita Vakil (2022)
* H. R. Keshava Murthy (2022)
* Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (2022)
* Arjun Singh Dhurve (2022)
* Ram Sahay Panday (2022)
* Durga Bai Vyam (2022)
* Sulochana Chavan (2022)
* Sonu Nigam (2022)
* Lourembam Bino Devi (2022)
* Konsam Ibomcha Singh (2022)
* Shyamamani Devi (2022)
* Thavil Kongampattu A V Murugaiyan (2022)
* Chandraprakash Dwivedi (2022)
* Ram Dayal Sharma (2022)
* Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia (2022)
* S. Ballesh (2022)
* Sowcar Janaki (2022)
* R Muthukannammal (2022)
* A. K. C. Natarajan (2022)
* Darshanam Mogilaiah (2022)
* Sakini Ramachandraih (2022)
* Gaddam Padmaja Reddy (2022)
* Kamalini Asthana and Nalini Asthana (duo) (2022)
* Shivnath Mishra (2022)
* Sheesh Ram (2022)
* Ajita Srivastava (2022)
* Madhuri Barthwal (2022)
* Kaajee Singh (2022)
* Jodhaiya Bai Baiga (2023)
* Premjit Baria (2023)
* Usha Barle (2023)
* Hemant Chauhan (2023)
* Bhanubhai Chitara (2023)
* Hemoprova Chutia (2023)
* Subhadra Devi (2023)
* Hem Chandra Goswami (2023)
* Pritikana Goswami (2023)
* Ahmed and Mohammed Hussain (2023)
* Dilshad Hussain (2023)
* Mahipat Kavi (2023)
* M. M. Keeravani (2023)
* Parshuram Komaji Khune (2023)
* Maguni Charan Kuanr (2023)
* Domar Singh Kunvar (2023)
* Risingbor Kurkalang (2023)
* Rani Machaiah (2023)
* Ajay Kumar Mandavi (2023)
* Nadoja Pindipapanahalli Munivenkatappa (2023)
* Ramesh and Shanti Parmar (2023)
* Krishna Patel (2023)
* K Kalyanasundaram Pillai (2023)
* Kapil Dev Prasad (2023)
* Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadri (2023)
* C. V. Raju (2023)
* Pareshbhai Rathwa (2023)
* Mangala Kanti Roy (2023)
* K.C. Runremsangi (2023)
* Ritwik Sanyal (2023)
* Kota Satchidananda Sastry (2023)
* Neihunuo Sorhie (2023)
* Moa Subong (2023)
* Raveena Tandon (2023)
* Coomi Nariman Wadia (2023)
* Ghulam Muhammad Zaz (2023)
* Khalil Ahamad (2024)
* Badrappan M (2024)
* Kaluram Bamaniya (2024)
* Rezwana Choudhury Bannya (2024)
* Naseem Bano (2024)
* Ramlal Bareth (2024)
* Gita Roy Barman (2024)
* Som Dutt Battu (2024)
* Takdira Begum (2024)
* Drona Bhuyan (2024)
* Ashok Kumar Biswas (2024)
* Smriti Rekha Chakma (2024)
* A Velu Ananda Chari (2024)
* Ghulam Nabi Dar (2024)
* Mahabir Singh Guddu (2024)
* Anupama Hoskere (2024)
* Jankilal (2024)
* Ratan Kahar (2024)
* Dasari Kondappa (2024)
* Jordan Lepcha (2024)
* Binod Maharana (2024)
* Uma Maheshwari D (2024)
* Ram Kumar Mallick (2024)
* Surendra Mohan Mishra (2024)
* Ali Mohammed & Ghani Mohammed (2024)
* Kiran Nadar (2024)
* Narayanan E P (2024)
* Bhagabat Padhan (2024)
* Sanatan Rudra Pal (2024)
* Binod Kumar Pasayat (2024)
* Silbi Passah (2024)
* Shanti Devi Paswan & Shivan Paswan (2024)
* Romalo Ram (2024)
* Nirmal Rishi (2024)
* Pran Sabharwal (2024)
* Gaddam Sammaiah (2024)
* Machihan Sasa (2024)
* Omprakash Sharma (2024)
* Godawari Singh (2024)
* Seshampatti T Sivalingam (2024)
* Urmila Srivastava (2024)
* Nepal Chandra Sutradhar (2024)
* Gopinath Swain (2024)
* Laxman Bhatt Tailang (2024)
* Jagdish Trivedi (2024)
* Balakrishnan Sadanam Puthiya Veetil (2024)
* Babu Ram Yadav (2024)
* Adwaita Gadanayak (2025)
* Achyut Ramchandra Palav (2025)
* Arijit Singh (2025)
* Ashok Saraf (2025)
* Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande (2025)
* Barry Godfray John (2025)
* Batool Begam (2025)
* Bharat Gupt (2025)
* Bheru Singh Chouhan (2025)
* Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara (2025)
* Durga Charan Ranbir (2025)
* Farooq Ahmad Mir (2025)
* Gokul Chandra Das (2025)
* Guruvayur Dorai (2025)
* Harchandan Singh Bhatty (2025)
* Harjinder Singh Srinagar Wale (2025)
* Hassan Raghu (2025)
* Jaspinder Narula (2025)
* Joynacharan Bathari (2025)
* K. Omanakutty (2025)
* Madugula Nagaphani Sarma (2025)
* Mahavir Nayak (2025)
* Mamata Shankar (2025)
* Miriyala Apparao (2025)
* Naren Gurung (2025)
* Nirmala Devi (2025)
* P Datchanamoorthy (2025)
* Pandi Ram Mandavi (2025)
* Parmar Lavjibhai Nagjibhai (2025)
* Purisai Kannappa Sambandan (2025)
* Radhakrishnan Devasenapathy (2025)
* Ranendra Bhanu Majumdar (2025)
* Ratan Parimoo (2025)
* Rebakanta Mahanta (2025)
* Ricky Kej (2025)
* Shyam Bihari Agrawal (2025)
* Tejendra Majumdar (2025)
* Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi (2025)
* Vasudeo Kamath (2025)
* Velu Aasaan (2025)
* Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar (2025)

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