I was blessed with a good voice but not a good life. We didn't have a radio at home, but when I'd hear Mohammad Rafi's voice emit from a neighbour's radio, I'd be mesmerised. I'd sing for 25 paise at small village fairs.
We were professional rivals, yes. But beyond that there was no acrimony. He was getting his films and I was getting mine. We weren’t eating into each other’s songs. And we’ve sung duets together like Yeh bandhan toh (Karan Arjun 1995) and Neend churai meri (Ishq 1997). So it wasn’t as if we never got along.
His struggle is different from mine. I had to start from complete anonymity. That isn’t so in his case. But he still has to strive because he will always be compared to his father. And that’s a bigger hurdle to clear, believe me.