K L Saigal - A Journey from Salesman to the First Singing Star

K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, A drop out of school and started earning money by working as a railway timekeeper. Later he worked as a typewriter salesman; this later occupation gave him the opportunity to travel widely in India.
He used to sing in gatherings with friends and met many people.  On one occasion he met Meharchand Jain; he would become one of Saigal's early friends and supporters.  In his travels, he also met B.N. Sircar the founder of New Theatres.  It is said that it was Sircar, who persuaded Saigal to go to Calcutta.
In Calcutta, he briefly worked in a hotel as a manager but his interest was in music grew day by day.  Though he didn't receive formal training, he learned it listening to other classical singers of that era. He was a frequent participant in mehfils.  He also recorded a number of discs of songs written and arranged by Harishchandra Bali.  These were released through the Indian Gramophone Company.  His reputation as a singer was growing.
 While in Calcutta, Saigal was introduced to R.C. Boral.  It was Boral who signed Saigal to a contract with New Theatres. Those were the days when actors and actresses sang their own songs, and musical ability was considered an important prerequisite for a successful film career.
His first film was an Urdu film "Mohabbat Ke Ansoo" (1932).  Thereafter he had roles in "Subah Ke Sitare", and "Zinda Laash".  These were released in 1932 but were not successful.
During this period Saigal continued to work in films and continued to sing private songs. Out of many private disks, of which Jhulana jhulao attracted much attention from the public. In 1934 one of his films "Chandidas" made him famous as an actor.

The next year in 1935 Devdas was released. After the phenomenal success of "Devdas", there was no doubt that Saigal was a formidable entity in the film industry. His songs in the film Devdas (1935), "Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein" and "Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi", became popular throughout the country
While in Calcutta, Saigal became proficient in Bengali.  This allowed him to sing and act in a number of Bengali films.  He even had the distinction of being the first non-Bengali that Rabindranath Tagore would allow recording his work.
His association with New Theatres continued to bear fruit in the successful films Didi (Bengali), President (Hindi) in 1937, Desher Mati (Bengali), Dharti Mata (Hindi) in 1938, Saathi (Bengali), Street Singer (Hindi) in 1938, Dushman (1939), Jiban Maran (1939) and Zindagi in 1940, with Saigal in the lead. There are a number of songs of this era which form the rich heritage of film music in India. Also, in Street Singer, Saigal rendered the song "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye"

 He moved to Bombay in December of 1941, and there began to work with the Ranjit Movietone Company. There he did films such as "Bhakta Surdas", "Tansen", "Kurukshetra", "Omar Khayyam", "Tadbeer", "Shahjahan" and "Parwana".
In a career of fifteen years, Saigal acted in 36 feature films – 28 in Hindi, seven in Bengali, and one in Tamil. In addition, he acted in a short comedy Hindi film, Dulari Bibi (three reels), released in 1933., Saigal rendered 185 songs throughout his career which includes 142 film songs and 43 non-film songs. Of the film songs, there are 110 in Hindi, 30 in Bengali and two in Tamil. There are 37 non-film songs in Hindi, and two each in Bengali, Pashto, Punjabi and Persian. His non-film songs comprise bhajans, ghazals, and Lori. He has rendered the creations of poets such as Ghalib, Zauq, and Seemab.
Saigal lived a short life. He died at the age of 42 years. It is said that in the years before his death, he was unable to sing or perform without first having a drink.  This was affecting both his health as well as his work.  He developed cirrhosis of the liver. He passed away on January 18th, 1947 in Jalandhar. Before his death, he was able to churn out three more hits under the baton of Naushad Ali for the film Shahjehan (1946). These are "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani", "Ae Dil-e-Beqaraar Jhoom" and "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya". Parwana (1947) was his last film, released after his death,   
Immortal Songs of K L Saigal

Ghazal of K L Saigal

The first private song of K L Saigal

Song of Chandidas (1934)

Song of Devdas (1935)

Song of Pujarin (1936)

Song of President" (1937), 

Song of Street Singer (1938)

Song of  Dushman (1939),

Song of  Zindagi (1940)

Song of  Zindagi (1940)

Song of  Bhakta Surdas (1942)

Song of  Tansen (1943)

Song of  ShahJahan (1946),

Song of  ShahJahan (1946),

Song of Parwana (1947)

K L Sehgal-The Ultimate Zenith of the Singing Voices of Bollywood

K L Sehgal – the divine, the inimitable, the ultimate zenith of the singing voices. He came on right in the beginning of the age of talking cinema in India, and departed all too soon. This year, it is seventy years that he left this mortal existence. And to wit – no other singer since then, has ever been able to match his singing abilities, nor has been able to achieve the quality and the depth / breadth of renditions.  He was a class unto himself, with none other besides him.
Many singers tried to imitate Saigal’s style, tone and tenor. If Talat Mahmood’s first song ‘Sab din ek samaan nahin thha..’ reminds us of Saigal, so does Mukesh’s ‘Dil jalta hai to jalne de..’. C.H. Atma sounds like Saigal in ‘Preetam aan milo..’, Surrender in ‘Aawaaz de kahan hai..’ and Kishore Kumar in ‘Jagmag jagmag karta nikla chaand punam ka pyara..’ could not resist trying a Saigal style. The young Rafi virtually requested to Naushad to allow him to sing with Saigal the last lines of ‘Mere sapno ki Rani..’.

He appeared in 36 full length feature films (28 Hindi + 7 Bangla + 1 Tamil). The stature of his persona, and the standing of the production houses, has ensured that majority of the body of his work is available today in public domain. There are a few films in the period 1932 to 1935 – namely ‘Mohabbat Ke Aansoo’ (1932), ‘Subah Ka Sitaara’ (1932), ‘Zinda Laash’ (1932), ‘Daaku Mansoor’ (1934), ‘Rooplekha’ (1934), ‘Pooran Bhagat’ (1933), ‘Raajrani Meera’ (1933), ‘Yahudi Ki Ladki’ (1933), and ‘Kaarwaan e Hayaat’ (1935), which seem to have been lost forever. Of these nine films the first five have been erased, with even no music / songs / records traceable. A few songs of the remaining four films is the priceless legacy that has survived to attest a substantive existence of these films.
Sehgal was born in Jammu(11 April 1904), where his father Amarchand Saigal was a tehsildar at the court of the Raja of Jammu and Kashmir. Saigal dropped out of school and started earning money by working as a railway timekeeper. Later, he worked as a typewriter salesman for the Remington Typewriter Company, which allowed him to tour several parts of India.
Once on his travel to Lahore  he befriended Mehrchand Jain (who later went on to start the Assam Soap Factory in Shillong) at the Anarkali Bazaar. Mehrchand and Kundan remained friends when they both moved to Calcutta and had many a mehfil-e-mushaira. In those days Saigal was a budding singer and Mehrchand encouraged him to pursue his talent. His passion for singing continued and became more intense with the passage of time. 
In Calcutta he was introduced to R. C. Boral. who liked his talent of singing and acting. Those days all actors used to sing their own songs.Soon Sehgal was hired by B. N. Sircar's Calcutta-based film studio New Theatres on a contract of Rs. 200 per month. There he came into contact with contemporaries like Pankaj Mullick, K. C. Dey and Pahari Sanyal.
The first film in which Sehgal had a role was the film Mohabbat Ke Ansu, followed by Subah Ka Sitara and Zinda Lash, all released in 1932. However, these films did not do very well. Sehgal used the name Saigal Kashmiri for his first three films and used his own name Kundan Lal Sehgal (K. L. Sehgal) from Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933).In 1933, four bhajans sung by Saigal for the film Puran Bhagat created a sensation throughout India.
In 1935,he played the role that would come to define his acting career: that of the drunken title character in Devdas, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name and directed by P.C. Barua. His songs in the film Devdas (1935), "Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein" and "Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi", became popular throughout the country.
His association with New Theatres continued to bear fruit in the successful films Didi (Bengali), President (Hindi) in 1937, Desher Mati(Bengali), Dharti Mata (Hindi) in 1938, Saathi (Bengali), Street Singer (Hindi) in 1938, Dushman (1939), Jiban Maran (1939) and Zindagi in 1940, with Sehgal in the lead. In Street Singer, Sehgal rendered the song "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" live in front of the camera, even though playback was becoming the preferred method of singing songs in films.
In December 1941, Saigal moved to Mumbai to work with Ranjit Movietone. Here he acted and sang in a number of successful films. Bhukt Surdas (1942) and Tansen (1943) were hits during this period. The latter film is still remembered for Saigal's performance of the song "Diya Jalao" in Raga Deepak; in the same movie, he also sang "Sapta Suran" and "Tin .. Gaa-o Saba Guni Jan". In 1944, he returned to New Theatres to complete My Sister. This film contained the songs "Do Naina Matware" and "Ae Qatib-e-Taqdeer Mujhe Itna Bata De".
In 1945 his film Tadbeer with Suraiya released which was a hit.Its song Mein Panchhi Azad was a huge hit.When Suraiyya got a chance to act with Saigal in Parwana, she was so overawed that she could not sing even one duet with him. In a career of fifteen years, Saigal acted in 36 feature films – 28 in Hindi, seven in Bengali, and one in Tamil. In addition, he acted in a short comedy Hindi film, Dulari Bibi (three reels), released in 1933.
 Sehgal died in his ancestral city of Jalandhar on 18 January 1947, at the age of 42. However, before his death, he was able to churn out three more hits under the baton of Naushad Ali for the film Shahjehan (1946). These are "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani", "Ae Dil-e-Beqaraar Jhoom" and "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya". Parwana (1947) was his last film, released after his death, in which he sang under the baton of Khawaja Khurshid Anwar. The four songs which Saigal sang in Parwana are: "Toot gaye sab sapne mere", "Mohabbat mein kabhi aisi bhi haalat", "Jeene ka dhang sikhaae ja", and "Kahin ulajh na jaana"
.Sehgal's distinctive singing was revered and idolised by the first generation of post-independence Hindi Film playback singers, including Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh. Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar have even gone on record in an interview that they consider Kundan Lal Saigal to be their music Guru.  
However, the appeal of Saigal’s songs is eternal and enduring. The freshness of his songs is undiminished by time. Music lovers would cling to his memory for all time to come.

Song from Yahudi Ki Ladki’ (1933)

Song from Devdas (1935)

Song from Street Singer (1938

Song from Zindagi (1940)

Song from Zindagi (1940)

Song from Tansen (1943)

Song from My Sister (1944)

Song from Shahjehan (1946)

Song from Shahjehan (1946)

DEVDAS-The Great Love Triangle of Bollywood

The 1935 classic DEVDAS by actor / director P.C.Barua , made in Bengali  later in 1936 Hindi  version played by K L Sehgal , gave Indian cinema its most recurrent theme : the love triangle.The story of Devdas touched millions of Indians in the 1930s who felt that his anguish would become their own if they dared marry against parental authority. This theme returns regularly every decade with the same name or different name.
When Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Devdas in 1917, he made an impression not only on Bengalis, but on the entire nation. Since then, the novel has lent itself to 12 official screen adaptations (10 completed and two abandoned), from the 1928 Naresh Mitra silent version produced by Eastern Film Syndicate to  Sanjay Leela Bhansali. and modern day Devdas by Anurag kashyap's Dev D in 2009.
K L Sehgal played the first Devdas in 1936  in Hindi version and P C Barua in Bengali version.Both the films were hit.Since then  Devdas became the most sought-after role for the idols of the Indian screen. Dilip Kumar, who had specialised in tragic roles earlier (Mela, 1948; Andaz, 1949; Deedar, 1951; Daag, 1952 and Amar, 1954) was considered the ideal choice when Bimal Roy planned a remake in the mid-1950s.

Devdas 1936

In 1936 the Tamil version directed by P V Rao,in 1953 a Telegu version was made later in 1974 another Devdas was released.Another remake in Bengali was made in 1979. In 1937 an Asamese version by P C Barua was made.

Devdas 1979 bengali

The year 1953 witnessed the filming of the novel in Tamil and Telugu by the Kuchipudi dancer-choreographer-turned-filmmaker, Vedantham Raghavaiah (1919-1971) with the superstar, Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Devadas (Devadasu in Telugu) in both versions. That brilliant actress and multi-lingual star, K. Savithri was Paro while the dancer-actress, Lalitha played Chandramukhi. Both versions were major hits thanks to three factors. The excellent portrayal of Nageswara Rao who reached the heights of histrionics, the empathy-rich acting of Savithri and the memorably melodious music.Devadasu was released on 26 June 1953, and the Tamil version was released three months later, on 11 September 1953. Both versions were critically and commercially successful. 

Devdasu 1953

 The multi-lingual star and filmmaker, Vijayanirmala made a Telugu version in 1974 with her star husband Krishna as Devadas. She was Paro and the buxom multi-lingual star, Jayanthi played Chandramukhi. The film had excellent music (Ramesh Naidu) but it did not do as well as expected. Interestingly when this film was released, the 1953 version (``Devadasu") was also released in competition and it attracted large crowds! The prominent filmmaker, Dasari Narayana Rao made ``Devadasu Malli Puttadu!" (Telugu, 1978) in which Devadas is born again while Paro is old and alive!

In Tamil came another re-hash of the tale, ``Vaazhvey Maayam" (1982) with Kamal Hassan as the hero.The film was a blockbuster and completed 200-day run at the box office. This film was dubbed into Malayalam in the same title as that of its original.

In 2002 Sanjay Leela Bhansali made Devdas ,Shahrukh Khan played the role.Bhansali has taken further liberties. Perhaps, in keeping with his hero Shah Rukh's overseas appeal, he sends Devdas to Oxford, instead of Calcutta, for his education. And for his Oxford-returned look he has made him wear vintage suits from London. 

Dev D released on 6 February 2009. Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, it was a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Bengali novel Devdas,The film is set in contemporary Punjab and Delhi, where familial ties are negotiated by the traditions of patriarchy and marriages are reduced to a game of power and "honour".
Now a 3D version of Devdas is in making.It will be an added perk to watch Devdas-Paro-Chandramukhi saga again, but only this time we will literally be in the world of Devdas with its 3D release.
Songs From All the Hindi Devdas

Song from Devdas 1936

Song from Devdas 1955

Song from Devdas 2002

Song from Dev D 2009

The Story of Babul mora naihar chhooto hi jaye-The Queen of Thomris

We all have heard this famous song of K L Sehgal.After close to nearly 80 years of it being released (for the 1938 movie, Street Singer), this still remains a favorite of the discerning listener of vintage Indian film music. This is being one of my favorites of K l Sehgal songs.
A thought came in my mind why not write a blog on this Immortal song.Very few  would know that this Bhairavi thumri, was composed by Wajid Ali Shah,when he was expelled to Calcutta, he wrote the parting song Babul Mora,picturing the mind of a heart broken man. He expressed his pain of parting in the lyrics of ‘Babul mora naihar chhuto jaye’, It has been one of the favorite thumris of many a singers over generations—from Ustad Faiyaz Khan—the most well-known singer of Agra Gharana and arguably one of the best voices on record—to Alisha Chinoy. 
The most famous version of Wajid Ali Khan’s Babul Mora was sung by Kundan Lal Saigal in the movie Street Singer in 1938. The music was composed by Rai Chand Boral, who is considered as a father figure among  cine-music composers.  
The list of luminaries who sang ‘Babul Mora’ includes-  Bhim Sen Joshi, Kesarbai Kerkar, Siddheshwari Devi, Rasoolan Bai, Khadim  Hussain Khan, Mushatq Hussain Khan, Girija Devi, Kishori Amonkar, Jagmohan, Padma Talwalkar, Shanti Vaidyanathan Sharma, Mahender Chopra (son-in-law of K.L.Saigal) and none other than Ghazal queen Begum Akhtar.
Thumri arose in popularity during the 19th century in the Lucknow court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. At that time it used to be a sung by courtesans accompanied by dance. It is said that Thumri is a short piece of semi-classical rendition usually sung at the conclusion of a classical music concert. 
The Saigal version is set in Raag Bhairavi – Bhairavi had traditionally been performed in the early morning hours.  However, due to the fact that performances lasted all night, it has now become common to consider Bhairavi to be the finale.
To my readers I have taken the videos of various version of this immortal song sung by the great singers of their time In fact the latest version with modern instruments by Rajesh Panwar at New Jersey in 2015. 

K L Sehgal

Song from Street Singer 1938

Kanan Devi

Song from Street Singer 1938

Kesar Bai Kerkar

                                                 kesarbai kerkar sings 'babul mora' 

MALKA JAAN

Ustad Khadim Husain Khan

Begum Akhtar

                           Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaaye - Beghum Akhtar version

Girija Devi

                                  Jugalbandi babul mora shobha gurtu & girija devi 

Sidheshwari Devi

                                       Babul Mora - Thumri in Bhairavi - Girija Devi

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

                                 Pt Bhimsen Joshi -Babul Mora Raga Bhairavi, 1960s

Kishori Amonkar

                               Kishori Amonkar - Raag Bhairavi Thumri - Babul Mora Naihar Chhuto Hi Jai

Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh 

Song from Avishkar

Alisha Chinoy

Ruchira Kedar

                                      Ruchira Kedar Live "Babul Mora" Bhairavi Thumri

 Rajesh panwar 

                               Babul mora naihar by Rajesh panwar At New jersey 2015

Remembering K L SEHGAL on his Death Anniversary

Today on his 70th Death Anniversary we remember him as the greatest Singer of Hindi Cinema. In his era there was no playback singing A hero or a heroine has to sing his or her own song.He was the first Super Star of Bollywood.
Saigal's distinctive singing was revered and idolised by the first generation of post-independence Hindi Film playback singers, including Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh. Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar have even gone on record in an interview that they consider Kundan Lal Saigal to be their musical guru.
In a career of fifteen years, Saigal acted in 36 feature films– 28 in Hindi, seven in Bengali, and one in Tamil. In addition, he acted in a short comedy Hindi film, Dulari Bibi (three reels), released in 1933. In 1955, B.N. Sircar released a documentary film based on the life of K.L. Saigal, Amar Saigal. In the film, G. Mungheri performed the title role of Saigal. The film contained 19 songs lifted from Saigal's films. In all, Saigal rendered 185 songs which includes 142 film songs and 43 non-film songs. Of the film songs, there are 110 in Hindi, 30 in Bengali and two in Tamil.
 His dependence on alcohol had begun affecting his work and his health. It was said that he could only record a song after being fortified with liquor. He survived ten years of drinking; however, his alcoholism was too advanced for even a single attempt at abstinence, and Saigal died in his ancestral city of Jalandhar on 18 January 1947, at the age of 42.
My TRIBUTE to the First Super Star of Bollywood-K L SEHGAL
Prem Nagar Mein Banoungi

Song from 1934 film Chandidas

Balam Aaye Baso More Man Mein

Song from 1936 film Devdas

Ek Bangla bane Nyara

Song from 1937 film President

Mein kya Janoo kya Jadu Hai

Song from 1940 film Zindagi

So Ja Rajkumari Soja

Song from 1940 film Zindagi

Kahe Ko Raad Machai

Song from 1941 film Lagaan

Diya Jalao Jagmag

Song from 1943 film Tansen

Do Naina Matware

Song from 1944 film My Sister

Thukra Rahi Hai Duniya

Song from 1944 film Bhanwaraa

Mere Sapnon Ki Rani Ruhi

Song from 1946 film Shenshah

Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya

Song from 1946 film Shenshah

Aye Dil e Bekraar Jhoom

Song from 1946 film Shenshah

Mohabbat Mein Kabhi Aisi

Song from 1947 film Parwaana