Mohd. Rafi

Celebrated for his versatile voice, Mohammed Rafi was a revered Hindi playback singer, whose legacy extends across and beyond the Indian subcontinent. ∙ From 1944’s Pehle Aap to 1981’s Aas Paas, he sang thousands of songs for over 70 films in many Indian languages—as well as in English and Farsi. ∙ Along with receiving high government honors, such as the Padma Shri, he won a prestigious National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards for his singing. ∙ British alt-rock band Cornershop name-checked Rafi in “Brimful of Asha,” their celebration of Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle that was No. 1 UK hit in 1998. ∙ In the opening credits of the 2001 cult classic Ghost World, Thora Birch’s character dances in her bedroom to Rafi’s song “Jaan Pehechaan Ho” from the 1965 thriller Gumnaam. ∙ On the 30th anniversary of Rafi’s death, in July 2010, his son Shahid opened the Mohammed Rafi Academy, an Indian classical and contemporary music school in Mumbai. ∙ In 2013, Rafi was voted the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in a viewers’ poll held by the Indian English-language TV channel CNN-IBN.