There was a time when being skilled in singing was a requirement to be a star in cinema. The coming of playback singing heralded the separation of the two professions. While the days of the legendary singing stars (K L Saigal, Kanan Devi, Noor Jehan, Pahadi Sanyal) are gone, the practice of actors stepping into the recording studio to sing a ditty or two is not uncommon. Of course it helps when you have a master in the form of Mohammed Rafi singing along with you. There were numerous occasions when Rafi sang a duet with an actor. This list is a snapshot of such memorable numbers from his storied career.
Nanda - Ek tha gul aur ek thi bulbul - Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965)
Composed by: Kalyanji Anandji
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Saira Banu - Aaj ki raat ye kaisi raat – Aman (1967)
Composed by: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh - Meri duniya mai - Heer Ranjha (1970)
Composed by: Madan Mohan
Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi
Tina Munim - Logo ka dil agar jeetna hai – Man Pasand (1980)
Composed by: Rajesh Roshan
Lyrics: Amit Khanna
Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor - Chal mere bhai tere – Naseeb (1981)
Composed by: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Shatrughna Sinha - Kaise jeete hai bhala – Dost (1974)
Composed by: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Johny Walker - Ye duniya gol hai – Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960)
Composed by: Ravi
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Sharmila Tagore - Aasman se aya farista - An Evening In Paris (1967)
Composed by: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri
Mehmood - Hum kale hai to kya hua – Gumnaam (1965)
Composed by: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Hema Malini - Nagin sa roop tera – Baghaawat (1982)
Composed by: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Deven Verma (with music director Ravi) - Aaj mere yaar ki shadi hai - Aadmi Sadak Ka (1977)
Composed by: Ravi
Lyrics: Verma Malik
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About the Author
Haresh Joshi is a presently retired Manager (Quality Control) at Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd. Vadodara. He has been a life long Mohammed Rafi afficionado and has written the book Mohammed Rafi - His Voice, My Choice.