Mumbai, July 31: Veteran actress Saira Banu is remembering the late singer Mohammed Rafi on his death anniversary. On Wednesday, the actress took to her Instagram and dropped throwback images of the singer with her late husband, the cinema great Dilip Kumar.
She also penned a long note in the caption and shared how Dilip Kumar practised sitar for 7-8 months to do justice to the visuals of the song crooned by Mohammed Rafi. She wrote: “One of the greatest playback singers, Mohd Rafi Sahab, is a genius when it comes to varied styles of songs.
This great singer had an exquisite blend of melody, emotion, and energy, which always resulted in thousands of soulful songs.” She then quoted her husband in the caption and wrote: “There have been a number of highly talented playback singers, but with Rafi Bhai, it has been a mystical bonding as though he was part of me, practically my own voice, and a humble, unpretentious figure. Rafi Bhai had the God-given ability to mould and adapt his rendering of a number as per the given situation in the film, the characters, the mood of the time, and the overall nature of the character in the film.”
Dilip Kumar and Mohammed Rafi worked together on the song ‘Madhuban Mein Radhika Naache Re’ from the film ‘Kohinoor’. She further mentioned: “Sahib practised for 7-8 months on the sitar to be perfect. I would like to quote an incident from 1962, soon after the Indo-China conflict, which is fondly recalled by my husband, the legendary Dilip Sahab. Both legends of Indian cinema were on the border to entertain the Jawans of the Border Security Force, but suddenly Rafi Bhai developed a terrible throat infection and lost his voice.”
The actress shared that the singer was in tears and inconsolable at the thought of letting down the eager Jawans who were sending him little notes of requests on pieces of paper for their favourite songs, which they wished to hear live at the show.
She wrote: “Dilip Sahab kept giving him a concoction of ginger and honey, which was his mother’s remedy at home. Like a good boy, Rafi Bhai gulped it down obediently, and lo and behold! It worked wonders for him. Rafi Bhai could not believe it, and when he woke up the next day and cleared his throat to hear his own inimitable, velvety voice.”
“The Tragedy King Dilip Sahab said: ‘There was a feeling of elation and great relief for Rafi Bhai, for me, and for the Border Security Force Jawans. This simple mixture worked, while others were downing hard brandies in the cold weather, but Rafi Bhai, being a complete teetotaler, would not touch it’. There’s a cute personal anecdote with Rafi Bhai that I shall love to share with you tomorrow,” she added.
Saira also wished her fellow actress Mumtaz on her birthday, as she took to her Instagram Stories, and shared throwback pictures with her. She wrote: “At times, I look back on our journey and find myself, wondering, 60 years, really? Dear @mumtaztheactress, our friendship feels like it has spanned an eternity, and I can’t thank Allah enough for the blessing of your companionship and care.
On your birthday, I wish for us to enjoy another eternity of strong friendship and joyful moments, together until the end of time. Happy Birthday, Dearest! In the days to come, I’d love to share a few anecdotes that really capture the beauty of our friendship.”
IANS