Seventy years ago, K.L. Saigal, the renowned musical genius of the 20th Century passed away in the prime of his life on 18th January, 1947. It is a pity that we have not set up any befitting memorial in his honour. The Saigal fans were, however, elated with his recognition at the national level when the Ministry of Culture paid tribute to his genius by organising an official function on his centenary celebrations in 2004.
Hailed as the “Shehansha-e-mausiqi’ or Sangeet Samrat (King-emperor of music) Saigal continues to be adored and admired as the true ‘Tansen’ of our age not only in the sub-continent but equally by its diaspora in foreign lands. No wonder, the eminent composer Naushad was inspired to pay his homage to Saigal in the following verses:
“Ye kisne kiya desh mein nagmon se ujala/Ye kisne har aik sher ko awaz mein dhala/Saigal ko faramosh koi kar nahin sakta/Wo aisa amar hai ke kabhi mar nahin sakta”
(Who was that illuminated the land with his melodies, embellishing every verse with his golden voice; No one can ever forget Saigal, an artiste who defies death and is immortal).
Kundan Lal Saigal, the legendary singer and first superstar of Indian cinema appeared on the music map of India in early 1930s when B.N. Sircar, the founder of New Theatres Calcutta, presented him to the Indian audience. His talent for both acting and singing was fully recognized after the success of “Yahudi ki Ladki” a costume epic-based on Aga Hashr Kashmiri’s famous play “Misar Kumari” with 19 songs including Saigal’s ever popular Ghalib number “Nuktachin Hai Gham-e-Dil”. It was around this time that Hindustan Records Company of Calcutta brought out Saigal’s famous recording “Jhulna Jhulao” which blazed a new trail in Indian music.
Saigal’s film music style was largely shaped at the New Theatres which had then a galaxy of music directors like R.C. Boral, Timir Baran and Pankaj Mullick who composed most of the songs which remain among the most popular hits of Indian cinema. Saigal attained stardom with the release of New Theatres’ “Chandidas” in 1934. Saigal’s outstanding and histrionic performance in P.C Barua’s masterpiece “Devdas” set the standard for musical melodrama acting. With his stunning portrayal of Devdas, Saigal brought the author Sarat Chandra’s desperate character to life. His brooding looks, that drooping lock of hair and his mournful singing “Dukh Ke Ab Din Bitat Nahin” made him a cult figure.
Saigal was a bilingual artist and his mastery over the Bengali language was recognized even by Gurudev Tagore when he allowed him, the first non-Bengali artiste, to sing Rabindra Sangeet. He also played leading roles in several Bengali films which made him the darling of Bengali fans. In 1937, Saigal appeared in “President” which was again a runaway success. In the following year, New Theatres came out with three reputed films starring Saigal, that is, “Dharti Mata”, “Dushman” and “Street Singer”. The last song elevated Saigal to a new pinnacle of glory along with Kanan Bala for that immortal melody, “Babul Mora Naihar Chhuto Jaye” which enraptured countless millions of his listeners in the country. Then followed Barua’s “Zindagi” (1940) with Saigal’s evergreen lullaby “So Ja Raj Kumari Soja” and “Lagan” (1941) with Kanan Bala, an Indian version of the romantic stereotype of the artist, a forerunner of Guru Dutt’s “Pyaasa”.
With the collapse of the old studio system during the 1940s New Theatres lost its supremacy with the appearance of many new producers in Bombay. Saigal was persuaded by Chandulal Shah of Ranjit Studios of Bombay to work in three films for a remuneration of over a lakh of rupees, a fabulous sum compared to his monthly salary of two thousand rupees. Ranjit Studios produced two outstanding films with Saigal, “Bhakt Surdas” (1942) and “Tansen” (1943) when he co-starred with another highly talented singer actor Khurshid and both these films were box office hits.
Saigal’s popularity reached new heights with great songs like “Nain Heen Ko Rah Dikha Prabhu”, and “Diya jalao”. In 1944, Saigal returned to work for New Theatres’ production “My Sister” whose success was entirely attributed to Saigal and his singing. No fan of his can forget the film’s heart-rending number “Ai Katib-e-taqdeer”. A.R. Kardar cast Saigal in his masterpiece “Shahjahan”, the last great musical hit that keeps alive the memory of Saigal with the all time favourite number “Jab dil hi toot gaya”.
Saigal’s last film was “Parwana” with Suraiya, directed by J.K. Nanda, which was a nominal success largely due to its release after Saigal’s premature death in January 1947. Multitudes of Saigal fans crowded the theatres everywhere to see it merely to pay homage to the legendary singer, their icon.
Saigal’s non-film music including ghazals, geets and bhajans won for him an equally lasting fame and popularity with the connoisseurs of music who seldom went to cinema. Saigal was not only the first superstar but also the first ghazal king whose rendition of verses of the great poets like Zauk, Dard, Seemab, Arzoo and above all Ghalib gave a new form and content to their poetry. Without any formal training in music, Saigal married music to poetry and gave a totally new dimension to the music of his time.
As a man Saigal was humane, modest, gracious, overgenerous and full of compassion. According to the illustrious artist, Jaimani Roy who knew Saigal from his earliest days in New Theatres said, “Saigal was such a pure character, so simple, that it is hard to describe him in simple words. He was like somebody who had stepped out of an icon, so unaffected, totally oblivious of himself, like a line drawing.”
A great artiste, a great man, Saigal belongs to the class of human beings who defy death. He is immortal!
