It was the discovery of a sepia-tone cassette in the house that blew open my world to Indian cinema's original rockstar Shammi Kapoor and his avaaz (voice), legendary singer Mohammed Rafi. My discovery was way after the silver-screen had adoringly captured the enchanting hero — his chocolate-box looks and daring ability to carry off with elan, even a sack-like outfit that looked like it had been stitched from a blanket!
Rafi's brilliance
And taking the Shammi experience to heady and electrifying heights were his songs — where Rafi's musical brilliance matched ever so perfectly the actor's irrepressible
Did someone actually choreograph Shammi's uninhibited dance or the tumble down mountains of snow? Did the actor and his
Magical moments
But the magical moments they created transcend their generation and continue to entertain fans, exposed to their brilliance, well after many of these movies and songs were created in the first place. On his movies, Shammi candidly admitted in a television interview that he was not an actor of the calibre of Dilip Kumar or Raj Kapoor. In fact, there is no message too, he says, adding that his movies just made the viewer happy and comfortable — he could leave “with a tune in your heart”. And that certainly is what the Shammi-Rafi magical duo do — leave you with a spring in your step and a song on your lips, never-mind if you heard it from an old-world cassette or watched it on the Net through youtube.