Dharmender and Rafi.
Dharmender had a very long a struggling career in bollywoood cinema and at every stage of his career the playback of Mohammad Rafi had an impact on the viewers. Dharmender initially performed in romantic films where music was probably the major element which had contributed for the success of the films. In Mere Humdum ere Dost, all the songs of Rafi including "na ja", "hui shaam unka", were hits.
In Izzat, Laxmikant Pyarelal's composition for Rafi, namely "lute dil pe diya jalta nahi", picturisede on Dharmender created an aded attraction for the film. In Yakeen, Rafi's song for Dharmender tilted "ek hassen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya", became very big hit.
In the early 70s, Dharmender switched to action films, but there also music played a part. In Aaya Sawan Jhukme, LP's compostion and Rafi's songs like "majhi chal", "aya sawan jhumke", contributed a lot in the success of the film in adition to excellent choreography of Asha Parekh. Dharmender gave good lips in the song "aj mausam batra beimann hai" in the film Loafer, opposite Mumtaz.
Rafi had followed the diaglogue throwing and mannerism of a number of actors in his long career, and in respect of Dharmender, whenever he did sing any song it appeared to the audience that Dharmender was singing it himself. The songs of the film Jeevan Mrityu, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and sung by Rafi including "jhilmil sitaron" became very very successful.
The bond of Rafi and Dharmender was strong that the last song Rafi sung in his career, was dedicated to Dharmender in the film Aas Pas. The other succesful songs of Rafi which were picturised on Dharmender include "sare gama" from the film Chupke Chupke, composed by SD Burman, "aakhree geet muhabbat" composed by Madanmohan, "mai kahee kavi na banjayun", from film Pyar Hi Pyar, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, all the songs of Ram Balram, etc.
As Rafi had sung around 26000 songs within 35 years and Dharmender had acted in more than 200 films within period, it is not possible to mention all the successful songs sung by Rafi for Dharmender. But the songs and the films should be restored for the viewers and the musiclovers.
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If Devanand was the "evergreen hero", Rajesh Khanna "the first super star", Jeetendra "the Jumping Jack", it was Dharmendra who attained the title of "HE-MAN". His personality was that of a perfect Hero. Manly yet gentle, wise and farsighted. He looked very composed in most films mentioned in the article and which were in the golden decade of 1960s. Come the 1970s when Rajesh Khanna simply swept away all the other heroes, Dharmendra with a few hit films with his future wife Hema Malini, slowly buckled under the pressure. Sholay brought him to centre stage again but he was not the super star of that film. Rafi Sahab moulded into the voice of Dharmendra instantly. It suited him and only Rafi Sahab could express romance in the way a 'perfect hero' would. Together, they gave us several of the hit songs mentioned in your article and had it not been for the RK and KK bandwagon, perhaps the likes of Dharmendra would have reigned in for a longer period giving more of hit songs in the voice of Rafi Sahab.
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