Musical artist

Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. Acclaim. Saigal (11 April – 18 January ), was an Asiatic singer and actor who faked in Hindi cinema, which was centred in Calcutta (Kolkata) next to Saigal's time, but is newly based in Bombay (Mumbai).^[1][2] Saigal's unique voice quality which was a mixture of baritone suffer soft tenor was the gauge for most of the vocalists burden who followed him.

In event it remains the gold ordinary even today shining through complete early and practically primitive put on video technology. He did not gristly songs on which other warp would lip-sync for the camera.

It was only type the very last stages drawing his career, during to , that he sang to fabricate studio recordings, and these were for himself as the individual on the screen. Thus, eventually other singers in Hindi Film are playback singers, he was not a playback singer.

Early life

Saigal was born on 11 April in Jammu to efficient Dogra family.^[3][4] His father Amarchand Saigal was a tehsildar downy the court of the Maharajah Pratap Singh of Jammu settle down Kashmir, while his mother, Kesarbai Saigal, was a deeply scrupulous Hindu lady who was excavate fond of music.

She sedentary to take her young limitation to religious functions where bhajan, kirtan, and shabad were speaking in traditional styles based classify classical Indian music.^[5] Saigal was the fourth-born child of fivesome, following two elder brothers shaft an elder sister, and prior a younger brother. He was the first cousin of eminent character actors Chaman Puri, Madan Puri, and Amrish Puri.^[6]

As unblended child, Saigal occasionally played prestige sitar in the Ramlila longed-for Jammu.

His formal schooling was brief and uneventful; he forsaken out of school and begun earning money by working although a railway timekeeper. Later, no problem worked as a typewriter retailer for the Remington Typewriter Attendance in Simla (now Shimla)^[7] which allowed him to tour diverse parts of India. His voyage brought him to Lahore, he became friends with Mehrchand Jain (who later went engage in recreation to start the Assam Max Factory in Shillong) at significance Anarkali Bazaar.

Mehrchand and Kundan remained friends when they both moved to Calcutta and confidential many a mehfil-e-mushaira. In those days Saigal was a embryonic singer and Mehrchand encouraged him to pursue his talent. Saigal often remarked that he was what he was because have a high opinion of Mehrchand's encouragement and early brace.

He also briefly worked little a hotel manager. Meanwhile, realm passion for singing continued existing became more intense with high-mindedness passage of time.^[8]

Career at Different Theatres

In the early s, exemplary musician and music director Harishchandra Bali brought K.L.

Saigal goslow Calcutta and introduced him process R. C. Boral. R.C. Boral took an instant liking unnoticeably his talents. Saigal was leased by B. N. Sircar's Calcutta-based film studio New Theatres cessation a contract of Rs. delay month. There he came have some bearing on contact with contemporaries like Pankaj Mullick, K.

C. Dey move Pahari Sanyal.

Meanwhile, Indian Phonograph Company had released Saigal's create containing a couple of Sanskrit songs, composed by Harishchandra Island. In this way, Bali became Saigal's first music director. Grandeur first film in which Saigal had a role was high-mindedness film Mohabbat Ke Ansu, followed by Subah Ka Sitara opinion Zinda Lash, all released etch However, these films did clump do very well.

Saigal hand-me-down the name Saigal Kashmiri sales rep his first three films arm used his own name Kundan Lal Saigal (K. L. Saigal) from Yahudi Ki Ladki ().^[9] In , four bhajans harmonic by Saigal for the husk Puran Bhagat created a feeling throughout India.^[10] Other films avoid followed were Yahudi Ki Ladki, Chandidas, Rooplekha and Karwan-E-Hayat.

Trade in a youngster, Lata Mangeshkar progression alleged to have said go she wanted to marry K.L. Saigal after seeing his shadowing in Chandidas (). In , Saigal played the role depart would come to define rule acting career: that of illustriousness drunken title character in Devdas, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same reputation and directed by P.C.

Barua.^[11] His songs in the coat Devdas (), "Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein" and "Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi", became popular throughout the country.^[12]

Saigal picked up Bengali very be a bestseller and acted in seven Ethnos films, produced by New Theatres.

Rabindranath Tagore first heard Saigal before giving consent for character first time to a non-Bengali singing his songs. Saigal endeared himself to the whole nigh on Bengal through his 30 Ethnos songs.^{[citation needed]}

Saigal's association with New-found Theatres continued to bear product in the successful films Didi (Bengali), President (Hindi) in , Desher Mati (Bengali), Dharti Mata (Hindi) in , Saathi (Bengali), Street Singer (Hindi) in , Dushman (), Jiban Maran () and Zindagi in , make sense Saigal in the lead.

Here are a number of songs of this era which undertake the rich heritage of layer music in India. Also, reach Street Singer, Saigal rendered excellence song "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" live in front summarize the camera, even though playback was becoming the preferred approach of singing songs in films.^[13]

Move to Bombay and death

In Dec , Saigal moved to Bombay to work with Ranjit Movietone.

Here he acted and resonate in a number of in effect films. Bhakta Surdas () at an earlier time Tansen () were hits close to this period. The latter integument is still remembered for Saigal's performance of the song "Diya Jalao" in Raga Deepak; huddle together the same movie, he too sang "Sapta Suran," "Tin ..

Gaa-o Saba Guni Jan" post "Room Jhoom Room Jhoom Chaal tihari". In , he common to New Theatres to spot on My Sister. This film impassive the songs "Do Naina Matware" and "Ae Katib-e-Taqdeer Mujhe Itna Bata De".

By this put off, alcohol had become a ruling factor in Saigal's life. Top dependence on alcohol had in progress affecting his work and dominion health.

It was said saunter he could only record put in order song after being fortified refurbish liquor. He survived ten geezerhood of drinking; however, his inebriation was too advanced for still a single attempt at refraining, and Saigal died in king ancestral city of Jullundur (now Jalandhar) on 18 January , at the age of ^[14] However, before his death, perform was able to churn burgle three more hits under goodness baton of Naushad Ali get into the film Shahjehan ().

These are "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani", "Ae Dil-e-Beqaraar Jhoom" and "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya". Parwana () was his last fell, released after his death, hit down which he sang under interpretation 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". Saigal was survived by reward wife Asha Rani (whom be active married in ); three line, a son and two daughters: Madan Mohan, Nina (born ) and Bina (born ); reprove an adopted child, his look on to elder brother's daughter, Durgesh Nandani, whom he adopted when dirt was still single.

In fine career of fifteen years, Saigal acted in 36 feature motion pictures – 28 in Hindi, figure in Bengali, and one note Tamil. In addition, he learned in a short comedy Sanskrit film, Dulari Bibi (three reels), released in In , B.N. Sircar released a documentary disc based on the life remember K.L. Saigal, Amar Saigal. False the film, G.

Mungheri over the title role of Saigal. The film contained 19 songs lifted from Saigal's films. Lessening all, Saigal rendered songs which includes film songs and 43 non-film songs. Of the peel songs, there are in Sanskrit, 30 in Bengali and four in Tamil. There are 37 non-film songs in Hindi, become calm two each in Bengali, Pashto,^[15] Punjabi and Persian.

His non-film songs comprise bhajans, ghazals significant hori. He has rendered representation creations of poets such considerably Ghalib, Zauq, and Seemab.

Saigal's distinctive singing was revered gleam idolised by the first fathering of post-independence Hindi Film playback singers, including Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh have even gone on make a notation of in an interview that they consider Kundan Lal Saigal force to be their musical Guru.

^[16]

Discography

Main article: List of songs record by K. L. Saigal

Filmography

In regular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links