‘Kishore Kumar held my father’s feet at his funeral, cried like a child’: Mohammed Rafi’s son Shahid dismisses reports of their feud

Around 1969, singer Kishore Kumar suddenly surged ahead of another music legend, Mohammed Rafi, in terms of popularity. While both were contemporaries, Rafi was often considered the more celebrated artiste. However, things changed dramatically after the release of Rajesh Khanna’s Aradhana. Songs like “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” and “Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera” catapulted Kishore to the top, earning him the title of Bollywood’s new number one playback singer. But alongside his rise came a narrative of rivalry. Film magazines at the time eagerly pitted the two greats against each other, spinning stories of jealousy and competition.

Now, Mohammed Rafi’s son, Shahid Rafi, has set the record straight: “Their bonding was excellent,” he said, quashing all rumours. Kishore Kumar and dad were very good friends. Every rumour about their rift and jealousy is untrue. Kishore Kumar used to respect my father. Their bonding was close,” Shahid explained.

ALSO READ | Karisma Kapoor’s lawyer says Sunjay Kapur’s Rs 30,000 cr estate not final; she refused Portuguese citizenship offer for this reason: ‘Sunjay wanted it for…’

Story continues below this ad

He went on to share how much Rafi enjoyed working with Kishore: “He liked him so much that he looked forward to singing duets with him. He would say, ‘Maza aayega!’ The reason was that Kishore Kumar was a very jolly man, always making people laugh. My dad used to enjoy his company and often said, ‘It is always fun to work with Kishore Kumar. He makes me laugh.’”

The friendship was so deep that Kishore’s grief was overwhelming when Rafi passed away in 1980. Shahid recalled: “When my dad passed away, you won’t believe me, Kishore Da was crying like a child. He was sitting next to me, holding my dad’s feet and crying: ‘My friend has left me.’ That was Kishore Kumar for you. If there was any rivalry between them, do you think he would ever do any of these things? Never. It was all rumours. People told lies for views. They didn’t know the facts.”