Dr Md Shairul Mashreque :
Late Syed Ahmed Rushdi was a playback singer with a golden voice. Coincidently Rushdi was born and expired in the same month
(April 24 1934 and died April 11 1983 respectively).
Born in Hyderabad (Decan, India) Rushdi migrated to Pakistan in 1954 and started his singing career.
Earlier he appeared as playback singer in a Bombay movie titled Ebrat in 1954. This song helped him to be recognized as a playback singer. Since then hewas rising. Then his migration to Pakistan was a great loss to Bolywood and India lost a great son of the soil. Similarly Rafi brought up in Lahore, Pakistan recoding his first song in a film Gul Balooch shifted to Bollywood to build his singing career. Like Rafi Rusdi was a versatile singer and magician of voice. He was also reputed as master of stage with his command over pop song. Rafi and Rushdi i, both are regarded as two of the most influential playback singers in Soth Asdia with tremendous influences and popularity (Wikipedia).
Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in the
subcontinent and was a natural barintone yet could sing high tenor notes with ease. He is best known for his distinctive, melodious,
powerful voice, complex and dark emotional expressions, which led many critics to state his voice as the greatest and most distinctive, they had ever heard. “Ahmed Rushdi did not get any sort of formal training of classical music neither before nor after becoming a successful playback singer but he had an effective
command over high and low notes.” (Wikipedia). His family moved to Pakistan and settled in Karachi in 1954, where he began participating in variety shows, music programs, and children’s programs on radio. In 1954, he recorded his first non-film song, Bunder Road se Keemari, written by Mehdi Zaheer for the popular Radio Pakistan show Bachchon Ki Duniya; the song was a hit and became the steppingstone for Rushdi’s future. He won a number of Nigar awards given below:
1961 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Chand Sa Mukhra Gora Badan in film Saperan
1962 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Gol Gappey Wala in film Mehtaab
1963 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Kisi Chaman Mei Raho in film Anchal
1966 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Akeley Na Jana
in film Arman
1969 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Kabhi to tom to Yad Aegi film Chokori
1970 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Aey Abr-e-Karam in film Naseeb Apna Apna
2004 – Life Time Achievement Award
According to a celebrated music critic, the men hovering around that brilliant playback singer, Ahmed Rushdi, who played such important cameos in his career, like Parvez Malik, Waheed Murad, Suhail Rana and Masroor Anwar were all greats in their own capacity. They had all brought about a sort of revolution in our films, which could be called neo-romanticism in our cinema of the 60s, with films like Heera Aur Patthar, Arman, Ehsan and Doraha. Rushdi was inspired by such men. He was a world-class singer, who is recognised as one of the most popular male playbacks of the sub-continent in the last 50 years, along with Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Mehdi Hasan and Saleem Raza. Once Nisar Bazmi told me, “Rafi and Rushdi are amongst those few singers in the sub-continent, whose voices did not form ‘cones,’ as they rose up to touch the upper notes. Their volumes rose up without getting squeaky!” (Zulqarnain Shahid, Ineplot Music, 17 July 2010)
The film Anchal (1960) was well rememberd film in Rushdi’s career. Music director Khalil Ahmed recorded an extremely sad song Kisi chaman mei raho tum in singer Selim Raza’s voice but wanted Rushdi to re-record the song as he was not satisfied with Saleem Raza’s singing. Rushdi did so and the song recorded in his voice-satisfied composer Khalil. Raza’s career as a singer was affected and doomed
later on. Nevertheless Selim Raza once was most popular singer in Pakistan. He had voice full of tune coming from heaven like Talat
Mahmud, so sweet so and so
mesmerizing. Rushdi remained Khalil’s first choice when he composed film songs. “ The mid-1960s saw the rise of brilliant singers like Mehdi hasan and Masood Rana but it did not affect Rushdi’s career and he kept on leading the film music.”
Ahmed Rushdi recorded many songs for Waheed. His voice best suited to Waheed Murad. After his death Waheed Murad became highly shocked saying, I lost my voice. Although he sang for every film heroes in Pakistan, his pairing with Waheed Murad proved to be the most popular, in movies like Arman, Do raha, Hira aur pathar, Andalib, Jaha Tum Uha Hum. Salgirah, ehsan, to name a few. Eventhen he sang for other heroes like Santosh, Darpan, Mohammed Ali,Shakil, Nadeem, Habi etc. His song in Arman Jabe pyar me do dil milti hae mai chota hun. It is a sad song touchy and awesome. The way Rushdi performed with sweet rendition no other among greats woud perform it.
Actor Nadeem appeared in first film Chokori (1967). Rushdi recorded four songs for this film in the composition of music director Robin Ghosh Kabhi toe tum ko yaad ayen gi, Pyare pyare yar humare and Tujhe chahein meri bahein. Clearly speaking Rusdi sang a lot of Songs for East Pakistani films like Mala, Chokori, anari, Pyasa, Jalte Suraj ki Niche, Kuli to mention a few.
In late seventies Ahmed Rushdi became a heart patient and his
doctors advised him to abstain from singing but Rushdi refused by saying that music was his life. When he had a second heart attack in 1981, he was composing a musical album in the voice of singer Mujin Alam On the night of April 11, 1983; he had a third heart attack. He was immediately taken to the hospital but
pronounced dead by the doctors. He was 48. Rushdi was buried at Sakhi Hassan Graveyard, Karachi. Indian playback singer Kishore Kumar paid tribute to him. He was an admirer of Ahmed Rushdi. Kishore sang Rushdi’s song at Roya Albert Hall, London like Aik urran khattola aye ga kisi lal pari ko laye ga. Muhammed Rafi was Rushdi’s favorite singer. Ahmed Rushdi wiped when Muhammed Rafi died in harness succumbed to all on a sudden massive hear attack.
Rafi also was impressed by
Rushdi’s voice. Once Masood rana after performining Hajj in Saudi Arab came across Muhammed Rafi overthere. Rafi exchanging views with Rana expressed words of
admiration for Ahmed Rushdi saying tells him (Rushdi) his was
a nice and attractive singing voice.
Late Syed Ahmed Rushdi was a playback singer with a golden voice. Coincidently Rushdi was born and expired in the same month
(April 24 1934 and died April 11 1983 respectively).
Born in Hyderabad (Decan, India) Rushdi migrated to Pakistan in 1954 and started his singing career.
Earlier he appeared as playback singer in a Bombay movie titled Ebrat in 1954. This song helped him to be recognized as a playback singer. Since then hewas rising. Then his migration to Pakistan was a great loss to Bolywood and India lost a great son of the soil. Similarly Rafi brought up in Lahore, Pakistan recoding his first song in a film Gul Balooch shifted to Bollywood to build his singing career. Like Rafi Rusdi was a versatile singer and magician of voice. He was also reputed as master of stage with his command over pop song. Rafi and Rushdi i, both are regarded as two of the most influential playback singers in Soth Asdia with tremendous influences and popularity (Wikipedia).
Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in the
subcontinent and was a natural barintone yet could sing high tenor notes with ease. He is best known for his distinctive, melodious,
powerful voice, complex and dark emotional expressions, which led many critics to state his voice as the greatest and most distinctive, they had ever heard. “Ahmed Rushdi did not get any sort of formal training of classical music neither before nor after becoming a successful playback singer but he had an effective
command over high and low notes.” (Wikipedia). His family moved to Pakistan and settled in Karachi in 1954, where he began participating in variety shows, music programs, and children’s programs on radio. In 1954, he recorded his first non-film song, Bunder Road se Keemari, written by Mehdi Zaheer for the popular Radio Pakistan show Bachchon Ki Duniya; the song was a hit and became the steppingstone for Rushdi’s future. He won a number of Nigar awards given below:
1961 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Chand Sa Mukhra Gora Badan in film Saperan
1962 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Gol Gappey Wala in film Mehtaab
1963 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Kisi Chaman Mei Raho in film Anchal
1966 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Akeley Na Jana
in film Arman
1969 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Kabhi to tom to Yad Aegi film Chokori
1970 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song Aey Abr-e-Karam in film Naseeb Apna Apna
2004 – Life Time Achievement Award
According to a celebrated music critic, the men hovering around that brilliant playback singer, Ahmed Rushdi, who played such important cameos in his career, like Parvez Malik, Waheed Murad, Suhail Rana and Masroor Anwar were all greats in their own capacity. They had all brought about a sort of revolution in our films, which could be called neo-romanticism in our cinema of the 60s, with films like Heera Aur Patthar, Arman, Ehsan and Doraha. Rushdi was inspired by such men. He was a world-class singer, who is recognised as one of the most popular male playbacks of the sub-continent in the last 50 years, along with Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Mehdi Hasan and Saleem Raza. Once Nisar Bazmi told me, “Rafi and Rushdi are amongst those few singers in the sub-continent, whose voices did not form ‘cones,’ as they rose up to touch the upper notes. Their volumes rose up without getting squeaky!” (Zulqarnain Shahid, Ineplot Music, 17 July 2010)
The film Anchal (1960) was well rememberd film in Rushdi’s career. Music director Khalil Ahmed recorded an extremely sad song Kisi chaman mei raho tum in singer Selim Raza’s voice but wanted Rushdi to re-record the song as he was not satisfied with Saleem Raza’s singing. Rushdi did so and the song recorded in his voice-satisfied composer Khalil. Raza’s career as a singer was affected and doomed
later on. Nevertheless Selim Raza once was most popular singer in Pakistan. He had voice full of tune coming from heaven like Talat
Mahmud, so sweet so and so
mesmerizing. Rushdi remained Khalil’s first choice when he composed film songs. “ The mid-1960s saw the rise of brilliant singers like Mehdi hasan and Masood Rana but it did not affect Rushdi’s career and he kept on leading the film music.”
Ahmed Rushdi recorded many songs for Waheed. His voice best suited to Waheed Murad. After his death Waheed Murad became highly shocked saying, I lost my voice. Although he sang for every film heroes in Pakistan, his pairing with Waheed Murad proved to be the most popular, in movies like Arman, Do raha, Hira aur pathar, Andalib, Jaha Tum Uha Hum. Salgirah, ehsan, to name a few. Eventhen he sang for other heroes like Santosh, Darpan, Mohammed Ali,Shakil, Nadeem, Habi etc. His song in Arman Jabe pyar me do dil milti hae mai chota hun. It is a sad song touchy and awesome. The way Rushdi performed with sweet rendition no other among greats woud perform it.
Actor Nadeem appeared in first film Chokori (1967). Rushdi recorded four songs for this film in the composition of music director Robin Ghosh Kabhi toe tum ko yaad ayen gi, Pyare pyare yar humare and Tujhe chahein meri bahein. Clearly speaking Rusdi sang a lot of Songs for East Pakistani films like Mala, Chokori, anari, Pyasa, Jalte Suraj ki Niche, Kuli to mention a few.
In late seventies Ahmed Rushdi became a heart patient and his
doctors advised him to abstain from singing but Rushdi refused by saying that music was his life. When he had a second heart attack in 1981, he was composing a musical album in the voice of singer Mujin Alam On the night of April 11, 1983; he had a third heart attack. He was immediately taken to the hospital but
pronounced dead by the doctors. He was 48. Rushdi was buried at Sakhi Hassan Graveyard, Karachi. Indian playback singer Kishore Kumar paid tribute to him. He was an admirer of Ahmed Rushdi. Kishore sang Rushdi’s song at Roya Albert Hall, London like Aik urran khattola aye ga kisi lal pari ko laye ga. Muhammed Rafi was Rushdi’s favorite singer. Ahmed Rushdi wiped when Muhammed Rafi died in harness succumbed to all on a sudden massive hear attack.
Rafi also was impressed by
Rushdi’s voice. Once Masood rana after performining Hajj in Saudi Arab came across Muhammed Rafi overthere. Rafi exchanging views with Rana expressed words of
admiration for Ahmed Rushdi saying tells him (Rushdi) his was
a nice and attractive singing voice.
(Dr Md Shairul Mashreque, Professor, Department of Public Administration, Chittagong
University)
