Mohammed Rafi

Indian playback singer

Born: December 24, 1924 · Died: July 31, 1980

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Who was Mohammed Rafi?

Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. In 2013, Rafi was voted for the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in a CNN-IBN poll. 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.

Historical significance

He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. 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. 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. He received six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award in India. In 1967, the Government of India honored him with the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri. In 2001, Rafi was honoured with the "Best Singer of the Millennium" title by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine.

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Mohammed Rafi.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/mohammed-rafi/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

Mohammed Rafi. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/mohammed-rafi/

Chicago

“Mohammed Rafi.” thisDay. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/mohammed-rafi/.

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