Saurav Kishan (Chhota Rafi) Wiki, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More

Saurav Kishan is an Indian singer, and he is popular as “Chhota Rafi.” He came into the limelight with his rendition of Bollywood song “Teri Aankhon Ke Siva Duniya Mein Rakha Kya Hai” from the Hindi film ‘Chirag’ (1969) originally sung by the legendary Indian singer Mohammed Rafi.

Wiki/Biography

Saurav Kishan was born in 1997 (age 24 years; as of 2021) in Kozhikode, Kerala. He did his schooling at Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, Chevayur in Kerala. He attended Xinjiang Medical University in China to study medicine. ^[1]The Indian Express

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 6″

Eye Colour: Black

Hair Colour: Black

Family & Caste

He was born in a South Indian Hindu family.

Parents & Siblings

His father’s name is Sunil P Nedunghat, and he has one younger brother, Vaibhav Kishan, who is 19 years old and is a medical student. His grandfather was a homoeopathy doctor.

Career

He started learning music at the age of 3. His grandfather used to play the songs of the legendary Indian singer Mohammed Rafi on his gramophone, and Saurav inclined towards music through these songs.

When he was three and a half years old, he performed his first concert on Doordarshan. While he was a contesting in the TV singing reality show ‘Gandharva Sangeetam’ in 2008, the late Indian music director Johnson, after listening to his song, realised that Saurav’s voice was quite similar to the legendary Indian singer Mohammed Rafi and nicknamed Saurav as “Chhota Rafi.” In an interview, Saurav said,

Music is my passion; I remember singing at a music reality show when I was 10, where late Johnson Master (music composer who worked in Malayalam cinema) said my singing sounded like listening to a Chhota Rafi sa’ab! I happened to sing the song at Gandharva Sangeetam and after listening to me, Johnson sir asked me to focus only on Mohammad Rafi songs and nicknamed me Chhota Rafi.”

 

He is a versatile singer and can sing a range of songs like fast numbers, patriotic songs, romantic numbers, qawwalis, bhajans, and classical songs. He has been performing at Mohammed Rafi Foundation’s events at Tagore Hall on Kozhikode beach since he was studying in 12th standard. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, he returned from China to India. While he was at home, he uploaded a video on his social media account in which he was singing the Hindi song “Teri Aankhon Ke Siva Duniya Mein Rakha Kya Hai” from the Hindi film ‘Chirag’ (1969).

 

His rendition of Mohammed Rafi’s song was admired by various Indian celebrities like Anand Mahindra, Shankar Mahadevan, and Niti Aayog CEO and former Kozhikode Collector Amitabh Kant. 

Favourite Things

• American Singer(s): Elvis, Jim Reeves, Kenny Rogers, and Don Williams

• Indian Singer(s): Mohammed Rafi, Arijit Singh, and Sonu Nigam

• Song: ‘Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar’ from ‘Hum Dono’ (1961)

Facts/Trivia

• He was trained in various music forms including Carnatic and Hindustani. He is trained in the Carnatic music form under his guru Pratapan, and he did his training in the Hindustani music under his guru Bijai Sursain.

• Once the eldest son of Mohammed Rafi, Shahid Rafi, listened to his song and said,

You sound so much like my father!”

• He cannot speak Hindi fluently still he has memorised the lyrics of 800 Late Mohammed Rafi’s songs.

• He has received many awards for his singing.
  

• He is an avid animal lover and owns two pet dogs, and one of his dogs’ name is Brownie.
  

  Saurav Kishan’s Pet Dog