K. L. Saigal

Overview

Kundan Lal Saigal (1904–1947), commonly known as K. L. Saigal, was an Indian singer and actor who is widely regarded as the first superstar of Hindi cinema and one of the most influential vocalists of the early Indian sound film era. Active primarily during the 1930s and 1940s, Saigal worked initially with New Theatres in Calcutta and later in Bombay, leaving behind a body of work in Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Tamil, Punjabi and Persian. His soft, introspective baritone shaped the singing style of an entire generation of playback singers, including Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, all of whom acknowledged his influence.

Key facts

Background

Saigal was born in Jammu, where his father served the Jammu and Kashmir state administration. His mother was a religious woman with a deep interest in devotional singing, and Saigal first encountered classical and devotional music through her and through bhajan and kirtan gatherings he attended with her. He had no formal training in classical music, a fact that his admirers and critics alike often noted, given the technical assurance of his later recordings.

Before entering the film industry, Saigal worked at a variety of jobs, including a stint as a railway timekeeper and as a salesman for the Remington Typewriter Company, travel that took him across north India. During this period he sought informal guidance from musicians and is said to have been influenced by the singing of artistes such as Pandit Jiwanlal Mattoo.

Career

New Theatres, Calcutta

Saigal's break came when he was introduced to B. N. Sircar's New Theatres in Calcutta, then the most prestigious film studio in India. He signed a contract with the studio and worked closely with the music director R. C. Boral, and later with Pankaj Mullick and Timir Baran. His first film appearances were in Mohabbat Ke Ansu, Subah Ka Sitara and Zinda Lash, all in 1932.

Saigal's singing in the Hindi film Puran Bhagat (1933) brought him wide recognition, and his rendition of Ghalib's ghazals on gramophone records made him a household name. He sang in P. C. Barua's bilingual Devdas (1935), playing the title role in the Hindi version; songs such as "Balam Aaye Baso More Man Mein" and "Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Nahin" became classics. He also acted and sang in Bengali cinema, working with directors including Barua and Nitin Bose, and recorded Bengali songs by Rabindranath Tagore — reportedly one of the few non-Bengali singers Tagore approved to record his compositions.

Bombay phase

In the early 1940s Saigal moved to Bombay and joined Ranjit Movietone. He starred in Bhakta Surdas (1942) and Tansen (1943) under director Jayant Desai, with music by Khemchand Prakash; the songs of Tansen, including "Diya Jalao" and "Sapt Suran Teen Gram", were among the biggest musical successes of the decade. His later films included Kurukshetra (1945), Tadbir (1945), Omar Khaiyyam (1946) and Shahjehan (1946). The Naushad-composed "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya" from Shahjehan remains one of his most enduring recordings; Saigal asked, by some accounts, that this song be played at his funeral.

Singing style

Saigal sang in his natural voice without the elaborate ornamentation typical of classical recital, and he insisted, against the convention of the time, on singing live before the microphone rather than mouthing pre-recorded songs. His diction in Urdu poetry, especially in ghazals of Ghalib, Zauq and Seemab Akbarabadi, set a benchmark for film ghazal singing. His repertoire ranged across ghazals, bhajans, thumris and Tagore songs.

Timeline

• 1904: Born in Jammu.
• 1932: Film debut at New Theatres, Calcutta.
• 1933: National recognition with Puran Bhagat.
• 1935: Plays Devdas in P. C. Barua's Devdas.
• 1937: Stars in President and Vidyapati.
• 1938: Street Singer, featuring the song "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye".
• 1941: Moves to Bombay.
• 1943: Tansen released.
• 1946: Shahjehan, his last major film, released.
• 18 January 1947: Dies in Jalandhar at the age of 42.

Death

Saigal's health declined in his last years, attributed to alcoholism. He returned to Jalandhar in his final months and died there on 18 January 1947, a few months before Indian independence. He was 42.

Significance and legacy

Saigal stands at the foundation of Hindi film music. The "Saigal style" — restrained, lyric-driven, melancholic — dominated male singing in Indian cinema until the rise of Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood and Kishore Kumar in the late 1940s and 1950s, each of whom began his career closely emulating Saigal. Lata Mangeshkar repeatedly described him as her first idol. He is also remembered as the first major star of New Theatres, the studio that defined the literary, music-led tradition of pre-Partition Hindi cinema.

His birthplace neighbourhood in Jammu has streets named after him, and his recordings, originally issued on the Hindustan Musical Products and HMV labels, continue to be reissued. The Government of India released a commemorative postage stamp in his honour.

Selected filmography

• Mohabbat Ke Ansu (1932)
• Puran Bhagat (1933)
• Chandidas (1934)
• Devdas (1935)
• President (1937)
• Vidyapati (1937)
• Street Singer (1938)
• Dushman (1939)
• Zindagi (1940)
• Bhakta Surdas (1942)
• Tansen (1943)
• Kurukshetra (1945)
• Tadbir (1945)
• Shahjehan (1946)
• Parwana (1947, released posthumously)

Related topics

• New Theatres
• Hindi Cinema
• R. C. Boral
• Pankaj Mullick
• Khemchand Prakash
• Naushad
• Devdas (1935 film)
• Tansen (1943 film)
• Lata Mangeshkar
• Mukesh
• Playback Singing in India

References

• Bhattacharya, Pran Nevile. K. L. Saigal: The Definitive Biography. Penguin Books India.
• Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema. British Film Institute / Oxford University Press.
• Bhaumik, Kaushik. The Emergence of the Bombay Film Industry, 1913–1936.
• Archives of the Saigal Foundation and HMV / Saregama recording catalogues.