Even as India attained independence in its aftermath came the aftermath of partition - the partition resulted in a mass migration from the Film Industry as well to Pakistan; stalwarts like Khursheed, Master Ghulam Haider and Noorjehan chose to make Pakistan their new home. But though somewhat crippled by their departure, the Indian Film Industry more than survived as much new talent had entered it in the early 1940s and was to provide it with its golden age in the 1950s and 1960s. We saw the late 30s and early 40s responsible for the entry of singers such as GM Durrani, Arun Kumar, Parul Ghosh, Zohra Ambala, Amirbai Karnataki, Rajkumari, Shamshad Begum and Suraiya. Now a newer generation of singers followed them. Among the male singers, Shankar Rao Vyas introduced Manna Dey with Ram Rajya in 1943, Naushad introduced Mohd. Rafi to Hindi films with Pehle Aap in 1944 and Anil Biswas introduced Mukesh in Pehli Nazar in 1945. Of these perhaps the most important talent was undoubetly Mohd. Rafi.

Born in Kotta Sultansingh village in 1924, he moved to Lahore when he was 14. There he studied music under Khan Abdul Waheed Khan, Jeevanlal Matto and Ghulam Ali Khan. He was introduced to radio Lahore by composer Feroz Nizami and made his film debut as playback singer in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch in 1944.He moved to Bombay the same year where Pehle Aap happened. Rafi began his career being influenced by GM Durrani with songs like Tera Khilona Toota in films like Anmol Ghadi before attracting notice with his duet with Noorjehan in Jugnu (1947), Yahaan Badla Wafaa Ka Bewafaiee ke Siva Kya Hai. If Mohd. Rafi owes his break to Naushad with Pehle Aap, then he also also owes his breakthrough to the top courtesy Naushad. The film was Dulari (1949) and the song, the all time favourite Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki. From then on Rafi ruled as the undisputed top male playback singer of Hindi films right till 1969 when Aradhana saw him overtaken by Kishore Kumar.

Rafi's advantage was he could sing anything for anyone. At one stage in the 1960s Rafi was the voice of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Johnny Walker, Sunil Dutt, Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Raaj Kumar! From the classical Madhuban mein Radhika Nachi re to the swinging Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera, from the soulful Hum Bekhudi Mein Aapko Pukarein to the comic Sar jo Tera Chakraye, from the philosophical Dekhi Zamaane ki Yaari to the frivolous Aiaiya Karoon Main Kya Sookoo Sookoo, he could sing anything! In fact Rafi was blessed with such a range that he could easily sing in three octaves without veering out of control.

If Mohd. Rafi was the undisputed top male playback singer of the day, few equalled Mukesh for his ability to breathe a thousand shades of despair and distill a lifetime of heartache in the few minutes it took to record a song. No other singer was capable of projecting emotions in their raw, unfurnished state the way he could. His was a voice that could on one hand be deeply melancholic and on the other hand exude a profoundly innocent and mellifluous sweetness. It was an exquisite blend of torment and anguish, tenderness and joy.

Mukesh came from a middle class family in Delhi. The first person that noticed him from the film Industry was Motilal, a distant relative.Motilal brought him to Bombay and kept him at home and groomed him as a singer under Pundit Jaganath Prasad. His first break as mentioned was in the film Pehli Nazar when Anil Biswas used him for the song Dil Jalta Hai. Though a popular song, it sounded as if Mukesh was just another Saigal imitator. It was finally under Naushad and Anil Biswas in the 1948-9 period that Mukesh discovered his own identity as a singer with Mela, Anokha Pyaar and Andaaz. Andaaz was a major triumph for Mukesh. All his songs in the film were raging hits and interestingly though he was identified later as the voice of Raj Kapoor, Naushad used his voice on Dilip Kumar while Rafi known later as the voice of Dilip Kumar.

But it is impossible if you think of Mukesh and don't remember Raj Kapoor. The partnership with Raj Kapoor started with Aag in 1948 where Raj's feelings of despondency and despair were vividly caught by Mukesh in Ram Ganguly's composition Zinda Hoon Is Tarah, and ended with R.D. Burman's Ek Din Bik Jaayega in the film Dharam Karam in 1975. In its course was an endless list of hits.

The other most important male playback singer introduced in the forties was Kishore Kumar. Kishore Kumar Ganguly was born in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 1929. At the age of 18 he came to Bombay where elder brother Ashok Kumar was a major star with Bombay Takies and Filmistan. His first break as a singer came in the Bombay Talkies film Ziddi in 1948 where he sang for Dev Anand. Like Mukesh being an ardent fan of Saigal, the song was sung in Saigal's style.

Ziddi was a major success at the box office and made Dev Anand into a star. But Kishore Kumar found few offers forthcoming as a singer. Ziddi's music director Khemchand Prakash gave him another assignment with the film Rhim Jhim in 1949 and S.D. Burman utilized his services the following year in the Nargis-Raj Kapoor starrer Pyaar (1950). Kishore struggling on his own approached Burmanda. Burmanda gave him the song Qusoor Aapka in Bahar (1951) which became a hit. Gradually Kishore got more singing offers as well as acting offers as well. However apart from singing for himself, Kishore Kumar chose to do playback only for Dev Anand and for no other hero! However in spite of a rising acting career, Kishore Kumar however was taken lightly as a singer and it was not until Dukhi Man Mere from Funtoosh released in 1956 that music directors took him seriously as a singer.

While Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar went on to rule the Hindi Film Industries from the 1950s, there were other male playback singers whose contribution could not be denied - Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood and Hemant Kumar but more about them later. Meanwhile the 1940s had also thrown up some of the best female talent in playback singing - Meena Kapoor, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt and of course the one and only Lata Mangeshkar…