Similarity between Kishore Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan

by Amrit Hallan on June 14, 2008

This thought came to me when I was listening to Darde dil, darde jigar, dil mai jagaya aapne – a Rafi song from the film Karz that became a hit in the  mid-70s. This song explains why Mohammad Rafi’s career had begun to recede while Kishore Kumar was still doing great. Rafi not at all sounds good in this song. Listen to the song:

He sounds bland especially in the lower notes (not to sound boastful I can sing this song better). Compared to that listen to this Kishore Kumar song from Mr. India:

Kishore Kumar must have sung Kaate nahi kat-te almost after 15 years Rafi sang Darde dil and still, he sounds sizzling, just like Roop tera mastana from Aradhna. Kishore Kumar knew how to adapt and still sound classy. Although I’m a die-hard Rafi fan I think after a certain period his singing lost relevance and he was still trapped in the golden age of Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj and Kuhu-kuhu bole koyaliya – renditions that only Rafi could deliver, of course. Savor both the songs:

Rafi was no doubt the playback god of Indian cinema but his singing style couldn’t adapt to the changing times. Kishore Kumar did this with great ease and was a successful singer till his last breath. He even sang exceptionally well for those cheap Jitendra flicks produced by south Indian producers.

This is exactly what Amitabh Bachchan does when all his contemporaries have vanished into the oblivion. In the 70s and 80s he hit the right cord and became a mega star. Even these days his roles are as contemporary as it gets. So what’s common between Kishore Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan? The ability to adapt.

Adaptability can help you in any sphere of life. When you can easily and quickly adapt, you can survive under any condition.

  • kcp

    I agree with you that Rafi and the song were jarring to the ears ( I simply cannot stand the interlude music and ohh the full song arrangement )…Pyare bhai spoilt Laxmi’s wonderful tune. I think LP created amazing tunes ( I consider them to be one of the best in the industry ) but the orchestration took a beating in most of them.

    Only correction is that Rafi sang this song only 8 years prior to Kaante Nahin – and Rafi saab was elder to Kishore by 3.8 years.

    I always like to keep facts straight.

  • http://www.writingcave.com Amrit Hallan

    Thanks for the corrections :-)

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  • ANIL

    Yes u are correct! rafi could not render this perfectly alsothe orchestration is bad. Similarly rafi rendered “maine pucha chandse” rom abdulla also very badly (worse than this).
    rafi also renerd very badly from maitabh ” are he oonchi oonchi bato se kisika pet bharata nahi” trying to mitate Kishore. but even kishore though renderd o sathi re very good could n’t make it his est rendition.similarly the enditionof kishore for “salame ihshq ” is not very good. but he sooden realized and imroved by superb renditions in “kab tak andhere chalate ahenge”, “manzile apni jagah ai etc”

  • kripal

    These guys assume they R great exponents of film music.LP,Rafi Sahir, all worked beyond their capacity to render soulful music. Rafi cannot be simply compared. To savour his voice one has to know god. Thats it.

  • Anil

    Nobody denies that especially for rafi, sahir. but the facts are there with the song. Maine pucha is rendere3d very badly. Sd would not have tolerated it( tune is of s d burman recorded by R d burman))

  • http://vidooshak.blogspot.com Vidooshak

    Not sure I agree that Rafi sounds any less in the Karz song, but yes, I totally agree that AB and KK had an uncanny ability to adapt. More than that, they both appeared to be the director’s actor/singer and gave themselves up to the director’s vision with FULL conviction. This allowed them to look convincing even in the most anal/banal roles. When the audience sees the performer enjoying himself, they love the performance more.

    Oddly enough, a similar disconnect seems to mark Shaan versus Sonu Nigam where one cannot help but sway to Shaan’s infectious excitement while performing. Sonu Nigam (a Mohd Rafi clone) is visibly into himself when performing.

  • Vikas Saklani

    I simply fail to understand why people like to make comparisons between these two legends. Both were extraorinary and unique. Raf Sahab’s voice was soulful and soothing to ears and well suited the songs that were sad, emotional and classical.. He had a great versatality and he has sung countless songs.. He had the ability to bring tears in eyes.. While, Kishore Da had a great energy level and developed his own style of singing. In spite of not being a trained singer, he developed such a style which is simply not possible to immitate. He also had great versatality. He sang songs for mostly of all types. Nobody could incorporate things in songs that Kishore Da used to in his songs. He was very creative. I like his style of singing and his energy level and the way he used to sing any song.. Rafi was reserved and shy. I am a huge fan of Rafi but I like Kishore Da a lot and especially because of his unique style. I believe, it is not possible for anyone to have Rafi’s voice and Kishore Da’s style. No comparison could be made between these two. Rafi Sahab’s voice sounds extemely unmatchable and good in sad songs and Kishore Da’s voice sounds unmatachable and good in energetic and fun type songs. No singer could touch these two. Both were legends and will remain legends.. Hats off to them..

  • http://love aradhna kumar

    hi

  • Rfikss

    For me , Dard dil Dard Jigar is one of the best Rafi songs and he made perfect.The music by LP was great. Why compared singers when they are not the director of the songs. The Music Director and the singer gave the best of theirs. Rafi is the king of singing and no one could touch his level. Kishoreda was unique in his stail. I love Rafi when he sing and so do i love Kishoreda when he is singing. To compare a great legends is one of the most stupid things to do. In my opinion, Mukesh is the most energetic singer between all three. Listen Hum Ko Tumse Pyar of Amar Akbar Anthony, you will be able to JUDGE who is the most energetic and whisker even though his version was not as fast as Kishore and Rafi.

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