Ahmad Rushdi

The current youth in Pakistan is unaware of the legendary musical figures, this country has produced. Melody Prince Ahmed Rushdi is one of them. When I grew up and started listening to music, Ahmed Rushdi had long gone from this world. Courtesy to PTV, one day I heard his song “Akelay na jana, hamain chor ker tum”, and I was hooked.

When I started exploring him, a new world opened to me. A world full of soft and delicate feelings. A world full of deep heart beats and a world full of elusive sweet songs. After his song “Tumhain kaisay bata doon, tum meri munzil ho”, “kash koi muj ko sumjhata” engulfed me, then came to me “Haan is mor per is jaga baith ker”, and it soon followed by “kisi chaman mien raho, tum bahar bun ker raho”, and then the song “lug rahi hai mujey aj sari fiza, very soon followed by the all time hit, “ko ko korina”.

Ahmed Rushdi is among those versatile play back singer, who single-handedly could ensure the success of a movie. They are the giants whose name is a synonym with success. In the Pakistans music heritage his voice is written with golden letters. He sits among the giants like Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar.

I wasn’t present in this world, when he was ruling on the hearts of billions of people in sub-continent, but what I read and hear, he was a maestro, and a class act. His songs were ubiquitous every where and lips of billions of people used to sing him.

After listening to the Pakistani singers of my age, and then comparing them with Indian singers, I was thoroughly surprised that Indian singers were decades ahead of us. Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet, Babul and others have become music icon in Pakistan, but most of youth didnt know that once we also had a man from us, who was better all of them, and his name was Ahmed Rushdi.


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9 responses to “Ahmad Rushdi”

  1. M. Z. Mashreque Avatar
    M. Z. Mashreque

    I grew up with Rushdi during 60s in Bangladesh (former East Pakistan). Those were also the days of Rafi, Mehedi Hasan, Talat, Masud Rana, Shyamal Mitra, Hemant Kumar and other finest voices of the Subcontinent. They were irreplaceable timeless voices. They enriched our world of tunes and melodies and having been in their midst, I feel so privileged to say the least.

    Among all those luminaries, Rushdi, for me, would come at the forefront. He still does. He has this unfathomable blend of softness and power. His versatile expressive voice would talk to me directly. He’s simply unparalleled!

  2. Dr.Khan Avatar
    Dr.Khan

    I have carefully observed the golden era of Pakistani and Indian music and remained a neutral critic for the last fifty years. No doubt Ahmed Rushdi has a very unique voice quality and he dominated the music world for good about thirty years(till his death).Once I heard Saleem Shahzad (the former playback singer) sayng that Rushdi got a much more melodious and rich voice quality than Kishore Kumar and Kishore has no comparison with Rushdi.I asked him why Kishore has a higher fan following than Rushdi?His answer was “Indians did not let Kishore die even till today and we burried Rushdi in his life”.Same is the case with Rafi.He was being ignored compeletely during 70s.Infact Rushdi has a better range and clearity of throw of words.After 1962,Mehdi Hassan also gained popularity but remained on second position inspite of his classical background and hard training.On the other side,this fact is on record that Ahmed Rushdi did not get any sort of formal training of classical singing but his God gifted tallents were extraordinary.Once Nisar Bazmi the famous music director said that Rushdi and Rafi are the two singers in subcontinent whom voices cannot form “cones” once they touch the higher notes.I am not a fan of Mohammad Rafi or Ahmed Rushdi but just writing facts about the great voices of south asia.Every singer has a place and singers of old times were very sensitive about their art,every name of those days is a milestone.Tallat Mehmood,Saleem Raza,Mukesh,Munir Hussain,Manna Dey,all have their places but Rafi and Rushdi both have a higher standing in terms of depth of emotions in their voices.This is also correct that Ahmed Rushdi along with eleven other singers recorded the official national anthem of pakistan in 1955.Pakistani music has not produced any other singer except Ahmed Rushdi who could sing every type of melody with so much perfection.No doubt he has done justice with the music of subcontinent.

  3. shakil ahmed Avatar
    shakil ahmed

    Ahmed Rushdi is really great singer of subcontienent 4 his unique style.He is king of his style, he was unique in his style.He is called Elis Presly of sub contienent. He has given many varieties & variation in his singing, no other singer of indo-Pak match him. His unique expression in singing,.. make him No.1 film singer of Subcontienent. He is also good performer during singing in audience or in stage.We are proud Of Ahmed Rushdi that he is Pakistani& I salute him 4 such great singing style. I can prove, if someone one challenge me that “He is No. 1 singer of film songs of indo-Pak”

  4. Asjad Khan Avatar
    Asjad Khan

    Thats very nice that we all have gathered here to pay a tribute to the most successful and unique playback singer of subcontinent Ahmed Rushdi.Rushdi sahab remains an unbeatable singer during last 60 years and still there is no chance of his replacement in Indo-Pak music industry. Here I would like to bring Ahmed Rushdi’s fans attention to an issue which Indians are creating on a website to undermine Rushdi’s importance by declaring him Mohammad Rafi’s imitation and copier which is not true and amused me a lot. Ahmed Rushdi sahab had his own unique style of singing and he never copied anyone.Infact many Indian singers copy Rushdi sahab. When Rushdi sahab was ruling film industry,some Pakistani singers were trying to copy Rafi sahab including Masood Rana and Akhlak Ahmed, but Rushdi’s uniqueness was one of the factors(other than his amazing voice quality,grip over the sur and versatility)which brought him on number one position. I want all Rushdi fans to visit this site and defend this great Pakistani singer, we all are proud of.Thanks

  5. Shakil Ahmed Avatar

    Ahmed Rushdi is really Great Singer Of sub-contienent. His main quality is his unique style,which cn not b copy. He sang every style of songs. His unique quality is delivering expression / dialogues between the song. If we select top 5 singer of Pak-o-hind, Ahmed Rushdi place second position after Mohd. Rafi. We really miss u Rushdi. Slam to Great Singer of Pakistan Ahmed Rushdi

  6. Muskan Avatar

    Ahmad Rushdi was a great singer

  7. Umair Avatar
    Umair

    Syed Ahmed Rushdi is a real leagend of Play back singing.His voice had a unique quality of changing scales and turning into expressions without leaving the perameters of “Sur”.His voice was not only tailor made for Waheed Murad but also suitable to every actor,comedian and character actor of film industry.This is on record that Ahmed Rushdi is the only singer of asia who has not got any sort of formal training of classical singing.But once it comes for difficult songs with classical touch or happy songs or sad songs,last word for music directors was Ahmed Rushdi.He has sung the greatest number of songs and there is no chance of breaking this record as far as Pakistani film industry is concerned.

  8. Umair Avatar
    Umair

    Ahmed Rushdi is such a great singer of subcontinent with whom Kishore Kumar,Mukeash and Talat Mahmud could not able to compete.Critics are unanimous that Rushdi has no match in giving expressions and taking voice to high notes.Other than Ahmed Rushdi,only Mohd Rafi qualifies this criterian.In last sixty years nobody is able to copy his style even,copying his voice is a big job.He also holds the title of”Awaz ka jadugar”Its our badluck that now a days our media is promoting indian and local nonworthy singers.But Indians have a well recognition of Ahmed Rushdi s talents.Sonu Nigam came to Karachi and started his concert with a tribute to Ahmed Rushdi.Its being now more than 25 years of his death,but Ahmed Rushdi s Legend still travels.

  9. mansoor tirmizi Avatar
    mansoor tirmizi

    yes i absolutely agree with you that ahmad rushdi was undoubtedly the greatest singer pakistan has ever produced. to me as far as his voice and expertise are concerned he was simply the best after mohd. rafi.

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