Rafi@100: Mohammed Rafi is my musical father, says Sonu Nigam

In spite of everything, no matter he sings, he can by no means be fairly just like the grasp himself, mentioned Nigam forward of Rafi’s a hundredth beginning anniversary on December 24.

“Rafi sahab was the prime reference level. It was like ‘Be like him, he can sing a qawwali, a bhajan, a tragic music, a high-pitch music, a semi-classical’. So that is what a singer ought to be like. He was my inspiration,” Nigam advised PTI.

It started proper in childhood itself.

Nigam’s singer dad and mom – Agam and Shobha – inspired him to emulate the good Rafi who lined the spectrum of each style and emotion by means of his effortlessly versatile voice.

“He has helped me be what I am as we speak and I nonetheless continue to learn from him. He’s my musical father,” Nigam mentioned.

The 51-year-old, generally in comparison with Rafi, gave his profession’s first efficiency when he was simply 4. The music was “Kya Hua Tera Vada” from the 1977 movie “Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin”.

And on Tuesday, Nigam can pay tribute to his guru with a particular live performance in Mumbai to rejoice Rafi’s a hundredth beginning anniversary.

Regarded maybe as the best playback singer of Hindi cinema, Rafi lent his voice to evergreen songs comparable to “Important Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya”, “Kaun Hai Jo Sapnon Mein Aaya”, “Aaja Aaja”, “Parda Hai Parda”, “Gulabi Aankhein” and “Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya” amongst many thousand others.

Nigam, in style for tracks comparable to “Suraj Hua Madham”, “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, “Saathiya” and “Abhi Mujhmein Kahin”, will not be apprehensive about comparisons with Rafi.

“They’ll examine however they have to perceive however he’s my father. You can’t examine a father and son. The daddy will all the time be the daddy. It doesn’t matter what I sing, I’ll by no means be capable to be like him,” he added.

Rafi, the voice behind the film greats like Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Dharmendra and lots of different main stars, handed away on the age of 55 in 1980 because of a coronary heart assault. Nigam was solely seven on the time.

“I’ve performed a whole lot of canopy variations of his songs. That has been my web observe. I used to make notes from his songs and add pointers. I’ve studied Rafi sahab correctly. I’ve gone into the detailing of Mohammed Rafi like no one else.

“Rafi sahab was an incredible versatile singer. I’ve tried to imbibe that high quality in me. I’ve additionally tried to sing every kind of songs. Rafi sahab was an introvert, I am not an introvert, I communicate. Rafi sahab would not communicate that a lot,” the self-confessed fan mentioned.

He mentioned he might by no means meet his idol nevertheless it doesn’t matter.

“He lives inside me so I do not actually miss not assembly him,” he added.

“I am touched and humbled that I am getting this opportunity to carry out his songs on his a hundredth birthday.”

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