Golden Era Bollywood Review: Mohammed Rafi - Kya Hua Tera Vada (What Happened to Your Promise)

By 1977, the (generally considered) Golden Era of Bollywood movies was long gone, but the golden era for songs was still on. In my mind though, 1977 was the last year of the golden era for music. And for that year, Kya Hua Tera Vada was the peak of that year. In many ways, it was the true end of the golden era.

Rafi by this point was in his 50s, and would pass away in a matter of years, but still sounds remarkably sharp still. The verses have a unique cascading melody. I have fond memories, this was the first pop song I learned to play on my own. Even without that, Rafi stretching his notes in this section would remain iconic.

Let us also appreciate the arrangment, flute breaks, violin breakdowns, and children singing, R.D. Burman was known for his breakdowns between vocal sections in the song, and this is one of the best examples. Kudos also to the guitar which holds each and every section of the song together.

Every good thing must go, and the quality of Bollywood music certainly has declined in recent years, and the golden era has ended. Still, it left with a bang.

Rating: 10/10