Bollywood Retrospect: Top 10 film albums of Hindi film superstar KL Saigal

Kundan Lal Saigal was the first Hindi film superstar. Two things made this possible. First, he entered the film industry right when talkies were on the rise and music was  becoming an important element in films. Second, his talent was unparalleled. No Hindi film playback singer in 80 plus years has matched the virtuosity of Saigal’s singing. What made his talent really stand out was his limited training and the ease with which he sang even the most difficult songs. Submitting to his genius, some of his peers (Surendra, CH Atma) and the next generation of singers (Mukesh, Kishore Kumar) modelled their singing after K.L. Saigal.

Although Saigal sang less than 200 songs – he died of liver cirrhosis when he was only 42 - discovering them can be a long and ongoing process for people who are generations removed from him. Saigal’s talent is evident but the music made in the Saigal’s talent is evident but the music made in the 1930s and 1940s was for an audience with a different musical sensibility than ours. Appreciating music of that era requires an open mind and a little patience.

To commemorate his 112th birth anniversary on April 11, here’s my pick of K.L. Saigal’s top 10 film albums – the essentials before you go to the deep cuts.

Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933)

Saigal’s first hit wasn’t a film song. It was Jhulna Jhulao Ri, a non-film song released in 1932. Like many prominent artists of his era, K.L. Saigal started his film career in Calcutta with New Theatres. New Theatres’ star musical team comprising of R.C. Boral and Pankaj Mullick played an important role in Saigal’s rise as a singer. After three films in 1932, Saigal got his first hit in Yahudi Ki Ladk”. The standout Saigal got his first hit in Yahudi Ki Ladki. The standout song from the film, Nukta Cheen Hai Gham-E-Dil remains one of the finest renditions of Ghalib in film history.

Devdas (1935)

Devdas was the film that catapulted KL Saigal to the position of a superstar. While Saigal did very well in his role as Devdas, it was his songs that won everyone’s hearts. Saigal sang three songs for the film – Baalam Aaye Baso More Man Mein, Dukh Ke Din Ab Beetat Naahin and Piya Bin Nahi Aavat Chain. While Balam Aayo.. was a romantic song that came closest to the format of the modern-day film song, Duk Ke Din… and Piya Bin Nahi… were heart-rending melodies that Saigal put his heart and soul into. With minimal instrumentation, a slow tempo and featuring the disconcerting, demented laugh of a heart-broken lover rendered by Saigal, both Dukh Ke..” and “Piya Bin..” are not easy listens but very rewarding in the end. “Piya Bin…”, which appeared in the film but not on audio records, had an interesting back-story. It was a song Saigal picked up from the man who made the Raag Jhinjhoti thumri famous – Ustad Abdul Karim Khan. It is said that when the film released, the Ustad went to check out the much talked about “Piya Bin..” “Piya Bin..” rendition by Saigal and was moved to tears by it. My pick from the film is the mellifluous “Baalam Aaye Baso More Man Mein”.

President (1937)

“President” featured one of the most iconic songs of K.L. Saigal – “Ek Bangla Bane Nyara”. Once again, it was R.C. Boral who delivered the winning composition for Saigal. Since, I’ve already listed the song in this series in the post on R.C. Boral, I’ll pick a different song from the film here – “Na Koi Prem Ka Rog Lagaye”. That a thoroughly competent tune like “Na Koi…” faded to obscurity gives us an indication of how big a song “Ek Bangla Bane Nyara” was.

Street Singer (1938)

“Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Hi Jaye” was undoubtedly the heart and soul of “Street Singer” and one of the most significant milestones in Hindi film music. Since it’s already been listed in a previous post, I’ll pick another extremely pretty song from the film – “Jeevan Been Madhur Naa Baaje”. Musicologist Ashok Da. Ranade likened this R.C. Boral composition to a “lakshangeet” – a song whose lyrics describe the raag it is set in. In the case of “Jeevan Madhur…”, it’s the case of the song’s lyrics describing its lovely musical characteristics.
 

Dharti Mata (1938)

This was the last of my pick and the most difficult. Although Saigal has a limited discography, it had plenty of songs worth recommending. In the end, I picked the song with the highest fun factor, “Duniya Rang Rangeeli Baba”. The great innovator of Hindi film music, Pankaj Mullick, brought in elements of Western music like clarinet, piano and superb harmonies in this song. In this superbly constructed song, three singers take turn singing one after the other – starting with Pankaj Mullick, followed by Uma Shashi and ending with K.L. Saigal. The hand-off from one singer to another happens through lovely harmonies.

Zindagi (1940)

R.C. Boral may have brought the best out of Saigal, but Pankaj Mullick also created some winners with him like “Zindagi”. The film’s most popular song was “So Ja Rajkumari So Ja” by far. However, simply for the breath-taking ease with which Saigal sang a fairly challenging tune, my pick from the film is “Main Kya Janoon Kya Jadu Hai”. One of the reasons why this song appeals to generations beyond Saigal’s is that it’s set in a perky up-tempo unlike most other songs of that era. But the awe-inspiring centrepiece of the song is Saigal’s taan on the word “kya”. There isn’t even a hint of strain in his rendition of this taan – it’s not hard to imagine Saigal rendering it just as well while talking a walk in the park as he literally did singing “Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Hi Jaye” while shooting for “Street Singer”. Other than his staggering talent, it was the almost casual manner in which he performed brilliant art that set K.L. Saigal heads and shoulders above other playback singers.

Bhakt Surdas (1942)

By the late 1930s, Calcutta’s film industry was on the decline and Bombay became the new tinsel town. Many prominent film personalities migrated to Bombay during this period as did Saigal. After New Theatres’ “Lagan” (1941), Saigal began a glorious new phase of his career with Ranjit Movietone’s “Bhakt Surdas”. Saigal’s transition from the geniuses of New Theaters – R.C. Boral and Pankaj Mullick - to a new set of Bombay music directors was smooth and a testament to his contribution in the success of his songs. The highlight of "Bhakt Surdas” for me was the bhajan “Madhukar Shyam Hamare Chor”, composed beautifully by Gyan Dutt and rendered with a lot of heart by K.L. Saigal.

Tansen (1943)

It’s hard to think of anyone else pulling off this hyperbolic biopic of the legendary singer in Akbar’s court, Mian Tansen, with the ease that K.L. Saigal did. Khemchand Praskash’s authentic music for the film also played an important role in the film’s success. The film delved into the various legends associated with Tansen and as fantastic as these stories are, Saigal’s singing makes them almost believable. His renditions of two such legends are things of beauty - the Raag Deepak based “Diya Jalao Jagmag Jagmag” – the song that lit lamps in Akbar’s court; and Raag Shankara based “Rumjhum Rumjhum Chaal Tihari” – the song that Tansen sings to calm down a rampaging elephant which is about to attack a damsel in distress. For its exuberance and the delightful banter between Saigal’s Tansen and Khursheed’s Tani that follows it, my pick from the film is “Rumjhum Rumjhum Chaal Tihari”.

Meri Bahen (1944)

Saigal had one last outing with Pankaj Mullick and New Theatres in “Meri Bahen” and the result was a stellar soundtrack reminiscent of their magical collaborations from the previous decade. Two songs in particular, “Do Naina Matware” and “Aye Qatib-E-Taqdeer”, were immensely popular and are counted amongst Saigal’s best. “Aye Qati-E-Taqdeer” is brilliant but just for its off-the-charts joy quotient, “Do Naina Matware” gets my vote.

Shahjehan (1946)

There was something about “Jab Di Hi Toot Gaya” that made it a song that future generations associated the most with K.L. Saigal. In a way it acted as a bridge between the different generations of Hindi film music. The film’s music director, Naushad and the song’s lyricist, Majrooh Sultanpuri, were young upstarts who went on to be regarded as legends in their own right in the years to come and with their rise, the song’s stature rose as well. There’s a lovely, if poignant, story behind this song. By this time in his career, Saigal was an alcoholic and believed that a drink or two before recording a song helped him to do a better job. Naushad challenged this notion and asked him to record “Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya” twice, once when he was sober and once after drinking his favorite “kali paanch”. When Naushad played the two versions for Saigal and asked him to pick the better one, Saigal picked the one he had recorded when he was sober. When Naushad revealed this to him, Saigal ruefully told Naushad that he wished they had met sooner. By 1946, it was indeed too late for Saigal to mend his ways and his body to recover from years of abuse. He passed away in 1947 succumbing to liver cirrhosis. “Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya” became an iconic song and the symbol for Saigal’s short-lived life and career.

K.L. Saigal’s complete film discography can be found here.