"I have beautiful memories with him."
Anuradha Paudwal recently attended a celebration of Mohammad Rafi’s birth centenary.
Rafi remains an icon within Indian playback singing. December 24, 2024, will mark his 100th birth anniversary.
The event involved Indian film personalities talking about Rafi in front of a live audience.
Along with Anuradha Paudwal, Rafi’s son Shahid Rafi, Sonu Nigam, Sharmila Tagore, and Subhash Ghai spoke at the ceremony.
During her speech, Anuradha revealed an interesting anecdote involving Mohammad Rafi.
She said: “It’s a big honour for me to speak about Mohammad Rafi Sahab.
“I consider it a blessing that I got to sing about 35 songs with him. I have beautiful memories with him.
“He was so humble, down-to-earth, and unassuming. He used to bow his head while learning the song from the composer.
“When concerts were a rage, Rafi Sahab had quite a lot of programmes and shows.
“The shows of Rafi Sahab always used to be sold out, and a lot of people could not afford the high ticket prices.”
Detailing the incident, Anuradha continued: “There was one show, and the next day, Rafi Sahab was due to return to India.
“When he reached the airport, he saw thousands of people were at the airport. He asked what such a crowd was for.
“The organisers told him that they had come for him and that the people were unable to attend his show the previous night.
“Rafi Sahab asked for a microphone and sang at the airport for those people.”
This incident was met with a round of applause from the audience.
Mohammad Rafi began his playback singing career in 1944. In the 1950s and 1960s, he reigned supreme as one of Bollywood’s leading singers.
He sang for many actors of his time, including Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Johnny Walker, and Shammi Kapoor.
In the 1970s, Rafi faced competition from Kishore Kumar, who had achieved a new lease of fame with Aradhana (1969).
Despite this, Rafi continued singing timeless numbers for actors, including Rishi Kapoor, Tariq Khan, and Mithun Chakraborty.
He passed away from a heart attack on July 31, 1980. He was 55 years old.
Rafi’s birth centenary is a monumental occasion for Bollywood and his fans.
Meanwhile, Anuradha Paudwal made her playback singing debut in Abhimaan (1973).
She was a leading female singer in the 1980s and 1990s.
Her final venture was in Jaane Hoga Kya (2006), where she sang her last songs, ‘Palkein Utha Ke Dekhiye‘ and ‘Dheere Dheere Dil Ko’.
Watch Anuradha Paudwal’s speech:
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