According to Shahid Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle tried to sabotage Mohammed Rafi’s career out of jealousy and insecurity.
Published: September 7, 2025 7:46 AM IST
Shahid Rafi, son of legendary singer Mohammmed Rafi, has made some serious allegations against iconic playback legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. He accused that the sisters actively tried to sabotaged his father’s career and reputation, claiming that it was due to jealousy and insecurity.
In a conversation with journalist Vickey Lalwan, Shahid said that his father used to maintain very cordial relations with the male singers of his time, but the matters were different when it came to female singers. “They were jealous that Rafi saab was on top of them; they wanted everyone to be below. People were calling him number one, and they didn’t like that. I heard somewhere that he was sitting at home for nine years and was depressed. Please! Just listen to any song he sang in the 1970s.” He said. According to Shahid, his father’s brief break from singing was self-imposed after a cleric labelled him a sinner. However, he later rejoined the industry a few years later.
Shahid also recalled Asha Bhosle’s remarks claiming Rafi lacked vocal range. Denying these claims, he said, “I’ve said this to Lata ji’s face before her passing. She once claimed my father apologised to her, but that never happened. In fact, people came to him asking him to forgive her. She was insecure. Tell me, who was actually facing a downfall?.”
Shahid also accused that Lata Mangeshkar intervened when his father was about to secure a Guinness World Records honour, adding that he opted to stay away from the matter.
Mohammed Rafi was considered one of the most iconic singers in the history of Indian music industry. He sang over 7000 songs in various languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and more. Honoured with the Padma Shri in the year 1967, Rafi passed away in 1980 due to diabetes and heart ailments. He was 55.
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