After hearing the line “Mere khayalon pe chhaayi hai ek soorat matwali si [My mind is filled with thoughts of a beautiful face]” you would seldom find a living soul who would not be able to come up with the next line: “Nazuk si sharmeeli si, masoom si bholi bhali si [Delicate, shy, innocent and naïve].”

Considered an ageless song, only Pakistan’s national anthem can beat the popularity of music director Sohail Rana’s evergreen creation Ko Ko Korina for actor/producer Waheed Murad’s 1966 Urdu film Armaan.

The common factor between Ko Ko Korina and Pak Sarzameen is the voice of Ahmed Rushdi, who was not only the main attraction behind arguably the first pop song in Pakistan, but also a part of the original national anthem of Pakistan recorded in 1954.

Ahmed Rushdi’s ascent to stardom began in 1954, with the song Bunder Road se Keamari. The song written by Mehdi Zaheer was aired from Radio Pakistan Karachi and, despite being rendered for a children’s programme, the song made the then 19-year-old Rushdi a superstar.

April 11 marked the 40th death anniversary of celebrated playback singer Ahmed Rushdi, who gave life to the words he moulded into song and to whom many yesteryear leading men owed their careers

He soon found himself among the galaxy of stars present for the recording of the national anthem. With success at radio, Rushdi found his way into films and was considered irreplaceable throughout the 1960s and the ’70s. Actors such as Muhammad Ali (Main nahin maanta from the film Khamosh Raho), Waheed Murad (Akelay na jaana from Armaan) and Nadeem (Kabhi tau tumko from Chakori) owe their careers to the man who gave life to the words he rendered in song.

Rushdi lent his voice to both veteran actors such as Talish and Alaudin, and young turks like Rahat Kazmi and Usman Peerzada. Even the thespian Zia Mohyeddin lip-synced to Aaj main ne pee hai and Honton pe tabassum nazar sehmi sehmi in Mujrim Kaun (1970), songs that have been immortalised with time.

Be it singing Gol gappay wala aaya for Shahbab Kairanvi’s Mehtab or Aae abr-i-karam for Waheed Murad’s Naseeb Apna Apna, Rushdi had the perfect voice required for playback singing.

Apart from Ko Ko Korina, he rendered dozens of hit songs for films: Aisay bhi hain meherbaan for the film Jaisay Jaantay Nahin, Tujhay apnay dil se for Shehnai, Jaan-i-tamanna khat hai tumhara for Chand aur Chandni, Hello hello Mr. Abdul Ghani for Behen Bhai, Ek urran khatola aaye ga for Operation Karachi, and Kya pata zindagi ka for Jab Jab Phool Khilay, to name just a few. Sad and fast versions of the ever-famous Bhabhi meri bhabhi from the film Anjuman can be described as the pinnacle of Rushdi’s singing career.

With TV becoming part of our lives, Rushdi was the first singer who ‘danced’ his way into the hearts and minds of the viewers. His antics became a rage and his songs part of the local music scene.

He used to appear in TV shows Sunday ke Sunday, Sangeet Bahar and many others before having a programme titled Bazm-i-Rushdi all to himself in 1974. Equally popular as a voice for narration and jingles, Rushdi was the person who responded with Kaunsi janab in the classic ad Chai chahiye for a popular brand of tea. Old timers can still sing Yamaha Japani and Folks Own Cigarettes’ jingles as if it were aired yesterday.

Rushdi could alter his voice with ease. Pervez Malik, the maverick director of Armaan, Doraha and Pehchan, once said in an interview: “Our unit went to Europe for the first time to picture Mere Hamsafar [1972]. Sohail Rana had prepared the music score with Waheed Murad in mind but, due to certain issues, Muhammad Ali had to step in, in place of Waheed. He lip-synced to the song sung by Rushdi, who saved the day, as he had a flair for singing songs in such a manner that it would suit the specific actor who was to play the part.”

Listening to the song Yeh raahein ajnabi hain, one is left searching for Waheed Murad dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower in place of Muhammad Ali. The song could have been the Ko Ko Korina of the ’70s but was soon forgotten.

Musician/singer Bunny also shares the same opinion. Emerging on the music scene towards the end of the 1980s, he would raise his thumb at the very mention of Ahmed Rushdi. Being a fan of the veteran’s style of singing, Bunny had met Rushdi only a few times in Lahore.

“The man had all the expressions in the world, you could feel whether it was Muhammad Ali singing or Waheed Murad or Nadeem, without even watching the screen,” recalls Bunny, who was a regular with his band at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore, where Rushdi was a frequent visitor.

Although A. Nayyar (films) and Alamgir (TV) are known to be the heirs apparent to Rushdi’s throne, seasoned film director Javed Fazil called Tehseen Javed as Rushdi’s only true replacement. Like his mentor, Tehseen emerged on the scene as a teenager, had his own pop album by 1981, and got recognition after singing Ahmed Rushdi’s Bekal raat bitai in PTV’s Silver Jubilee Show in 1983.

He is the only singer after Rushdi to be just as successful on radio, television, films and stage and in jingles. Very few know about the close association they had. Tehseen remembers, “Rushdi bhai used to travel around with me on my Honda 110. I could still hear him singing Bekal raat bitai in my ears. Rushdi bhai’s voice overcame the heavy traffic at Bunder Road [later renamed M.A. Jinnah Road] while transporting me to a lonely place.”

The passing of the baton from Rushdi to Tehseen Javed on the same road which started the former’s career decades ago was a true filmi situation, and something very much out of the movies. One could sense the presence of Ahmed Rushdi in many of Tehseen Javed’s songs. Kyun tu ne mujhe pyar ka paigham diya hai from Sar Kata Insaan (1994), which also fetched Tehseen a Nigar Award, was sung under the heavy influence of Rushdi.

“It was an honour for newcomers like me to be in the company of Ahmed Rushdi. We could learn a lot by simply listening to him. When my first album appeared in the market, Rushdi bhai was very happy, as if he had achieved something. He was always backing me and literally guided me at every step during my initial days. Rushdi bhai especially used to enjoy my rendition of Kishore Kumar’s My name is Anthony Gonzalves in shows,” says the singer who rates Rushdi as equal to Kishore Kumar in every way.

Tehseen Javed is the only singer alive who performed at Rushdi’s benefit show, Shab-i-Naghma-i-Dil, in May 1982 at Karachi’s Taj Mahal Hotel. Tragically, the show failed to achieve the target set to collect funds for Rushdi’s open heart surgery in the US.

With the world of filmmaking grinding to a standstill in 1980/81 owing to General Ziaul Haq’s anti-film policies, Rushdi found himself suddenly out of work. But he never complained, even when some Radio Pakistan producers allegedly embezzled the royalty money they owed to Rushdi.

For survival, he tried to establish a music academy and turned to music direction, but a second heart attack kept him from achieving his goals. Even a failed attempt at film production went in vain and Rushdi died on April 11, 1983, after a third and fatal heart attack.

A man who lived his life to the full died just 13 days short of his 49th birthday. But his voice lives on even four decades later.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 16th, 2023