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the-south-asian.com May/June 2003 |
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May/June 2003 The
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K.L.SAIGAL - A CENTURY OF INDIA’S CINEMATIC LEGEND by Gyan Marwah
K. L. Saigal was no ordinary actor-singer. He created the grammar of film singing in the nascent Indian talkie era. Now, in the year-long celebrations to mark the century of the singer, there are plans for a retrospective of Saigal’s films, research projects and release of a complete set of CDs of his songs. Long before Shah Rukh Khan was born and when Amitabh Bachchan was still an infant, a colossus ruled the silver screen of India. Going by the name of Kundan Lal Sehgal, he was India’s first legendary superstar whose aura and charisma still remains intact.. K. L. Saigal was no ordinary actor-singer. He created the grammar of film singing in the nascent talkie era in the thirties, setting standards that are nearly impossible to improve. He was the original Devdas. Besides he played a vast range of characters including Surdas and Tansen. He worked in Calcutta and the Bombay film industry and was the supreme singing star of the thirties and forties decade. The range of Saigal’s recorded music is vast. Besides film songs, he has sung khayal, bandish, ghazals, geets, bhajans, hori and dadra in numerous Ragas. He sang in Hindi, Urdu, Pushto, Punjabi, Bengali and Tamil. Born on April 4, 1904 Saigal created magic till his untimely alcohol-related death on January 18, 1947. To mark the 100 years of the singer, Saigal Sangeet Sarita an organisation dedicated to propagate his music is spearheading year-long celebrations which will include a retrospective of Saigal’s films, research project on his musical style and voice culture, a website and the release of a complete set of CDs of his songs. " A genius like Saigal comes once in generations," says Amarjeet Singh Kohli, impresario and organizing secretary of the Saigal Sangeet Sarita. " It is but natural that we pay our homage to such a gifted artist." Saigal was born in Jammu where his father Amar Chand was a tehsildar at the court of the Raja of Jammu & Kashmir. His mother Kesar Bai was a deeply religious lady who was very fond of music. She used to take her young son to religious functions where bhajan, kirtan and shabad were sung in traditional styles based on classical music. The young Saigal also accompanied his father to the interior parts of the state where he listened intently to the folk music of Punjab and Kashmir straight from the shepherds and wandering minstrels. He did not have a formal training in classical music nor a Guru but his extraordinary musical perception made him absorb the notes that went into his ears and respond to all technical musical needs as a singer. His formal schooling was brief and uneventful. He got a job in the railways as a timekeeper and later in Remington Typewriters as a salesman where he toured several parts of India. Meanwhile, the passion for singing became more intense with the passage of time. A friend introduced Saigal to Raichand Boral, the highly respected music director of the pioneering film company New Theatres of Calcutta. He was employed at a salary of Rs 200 per month. There, he came in contact with stalwarts like Pankaj Mallik, K C Dey and Pahari Sanyal and in a short time he stood tallest among them with his brilliant singing and popularity. There was a certain pain in his voice that left listeners bewitched. Mohabbat Ke Ansoo was the first film in which Saigal had a very minor role. This was followed by Subah ka Sitara and Zinda Laash in 1932. These films did not do well. It was in 1933 that his two bhajans in Puran Bhagat created a sensation. These were, Radhe Rani De Daaro Na Bansari Mori and Bhajun Mai To Bhaav Se Shri Girdhari. Thereafter, Saigal never looked back. Films that followed included some of the all-time greats like Chandidas, Yahoodi Ki Ladki and Rooplekha.The real breakthrough came soon thereafter with Devdas in 1935 which established him as the first superstar of the Indian Cinema. It created history and continued to haunt film lovers for years to come. In Devdas, Paro was played by Jamuna and Chandramukhi by Rajkumari both top actresses of their time. The songs of this film, like Baalam Aye Baso More Man Mein, Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahin and Piya Bin Nahin Aavat Chaen were sung in all corners of India. Interestingly, Saigal picked up Bengali and acted in seven films produced by New Theatres of Calcutta. Rabindranath Tagore first heard Saigal before giving consent to a non-Bengali singing his songs. He endeared himself to the whole of Bengal with his 50-odd Bengali songs. Success followed success and he went on a signing spree acting in great hits like Crorepati, Karwan-e-Hayat, Dharti Mata, President, Pujarin, Dushman, Lagan, My Sister, Zindagi and Street Singer. Needless to say they were lapped by viewers mainly for Saigal’s songs. There are a number of immortal songs of this era which form the heritage of film music in India. Do Naina Matwaare Tihaare, Main Kya Jaanoo Kya Jaadu Hai, Preet Me Hai Jeevan Jokhon, Ek Bangla Banay Nyara, Tarpat Beete Din Raen, Soja Rajkumari and the unforgettable Babul Mora. In December 1940, Saigal shifted to Bombay where he did more memorable films like Bhakta Surdas, Tansen, Kurukshetra, Omar Khayyam, Tadbeer, Shahjahan and Parwana. The songs which took him to greater heights were: Diya Jalao Jagmag Jagmag, Rumjhum Rumjhum Chaal Tihari, Baag Laga Doon Sajani, Chah Barbaad Karegi, Ai Dil-e-beqarar Jhoom, Gham Diye Mustaqil, and the immortal Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya. Saigal acted in 36 films of which 29 were in Hindi and seven in Bengali. He sang 150 film songs and 110 non-film songs and lent his voice to the creations of Ghalib, Zauk and others. Saigal had one son, Madan and two daughters, Nina and Bina. None of his children are now alive, the younger daughter Bina Chopra expired in October 2001 in Delhi.
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