View source for K. L. Saigal

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name             = K.L. Saigal
| image            = K. L. Saigal.jpg
| caption          =
| image_size       =
| background       = solo_singer
| birth_name       = Kundanlal Saigal
| alias            =
| birth_date       = {{birth date|df=yes|1904|4|11}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1947|1|18|1904|4|11}}
| birth_place      = [[Jammu]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br />{{small|(present-day [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]])}}
| death_place      = [[Jalandhar]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br />{{small|(present-day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India)}}
| instrument       =
| genre            = Playback singing
| occupation       = Playback singer, Actor
| years_active     = 1932–1947
}}
'''Kundan Lal Saigal''', often abbreviated as '''K. L. Saigal''' (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian singer and actor who worked in [[Hindi cinema]], which was centred in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] (Kolkata) during Saigal's time, but is currently based in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] (Mumbai).<ref name=Nevile>{{cite book |last1=Nevile |first1=Pran |title=K L Saigal: Immortal Singer and Superstar |date=2004 |publisher=Nevile Books |location=India |isbn=9788190116619 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfZkAAAAMAAJ&q=Mohabbat+Ke+Aansu+1932++film |access-date=29 January 2015}}</ref><ref name=Chaudhuri>{{cite web |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Shantanu Ray |title=Cinema of Bengal: A Historical Narrative (Part I) |url=http://www.projectorhead.in/archives/six/cinema-of-bengal-a-historical-narrative-part-i/ |website=projectorhead.in |access-date=29 January 2015}}</ref>
Saigal's unique voice quality which was a mixture of baritone and soft tenor was the benchmark for most of the singers who followed him. In fact it remains the gold standard even today shining through very early and practically primitive recording technology. He did not sing songs on which other actors would lip-sync for the camera. It was only towards the very last stages of his career, during 1945 to 1947, that he sang to make studio recordings, and these were for himself as the actor on the screen. Thus, while other singers in Hindi Cinema are playback singers, he was not a playback singer.
== Early life ==
Saigal was born on 11 April 1904 in [[Jammu]] to a [[Dogras|Dogra]] family.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author=Saṅgīt Mahābhāratī |encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India |title=Saigal, K.L |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195650983.001.0001/acref-9780195650983-e-4289 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9780195650983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.101039/page/n99/mode/2up?q=Cinema |title=The Sound of Saigal's Music |last=Jagannathan |first=Maithily |date=13 January 1980 |magazine=The Illustrated Weekly of India |publisher=The Times Group |volume=101 |issue=1–13 |page=35}}</ref> His father Amarchand Saigal was a [[tehsildar]] at the court of the [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Maharaja Pratap Singh]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], while his mother, Kesarbai Saigal, was a deeply religious [[Hindu]] lady who was very fond of music. She used to take her young son to religious functions where [[bhajan]], [[kirtan]], and [[Shabad (hymn)|shabad]] were sung in traditional styles based on [[classical Indian music]].<ref>{{cite web |title=K.L. Saigal, a musician of the masses |website=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/news-and-interviews/K-L-Saigal-a-musician-of-the-masses/articleshow/7897496.cms |access-date=7 April 2011}}</ref> Saigal was the fourth-born child of five, following two elder brothers and an elder sister, and preceding a younger brother. He was the first cousin of famous character actors [[Chaman Puri]], [[Madan Puri]], and [[Amrish Puri]].<ref name="Nevile2">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=9352141601 |title=K. L. Saigal: The Definitive Biography |first=Pran |last=Nevile |publisher=Penguin UK |year=2011}}</ref>
As a child, Saigal occasionally played the [[sitar]] in the [[Ramlila]] of Jammu. His formal schooling was brief and uneventful; he 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]] in Simla (now [[Shimla]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Kundan Lal Saigal and his relationship with Shimla |url=https://retrore.blogspot.com/2016/08/klsaigal.html?m=1 |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref> which allowed him to tour several parts of India. His travels brought him to [[Lahore]], where he became friends with 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. Saigal often remarked that he was what he was because of Mehrchand's encouragement and early support. He also briefly worked as a hotel manager. Meanwhile, his passion for singing continued and became more intense with the passage of time.<ref>R.Raghava Menon, ''K.L.Saigal, The Pilgrim of the Swara'' New Delhi:Hind Pocket Books, 1989</ref>
== Career at New Theatres ==
[[File:Devdas 1936.webm|thumb|right|Kundan Lal Saigal and Jamuna in ''Devdas'', Barua's 1936 Hindi version.|thumbtime=6:02]]
[[File:KL Saigal publicity photo.jpg|thumb|Publicity Photo of Kundan Lal Saigal]]
In the early 1930s, classical musician and music director Harishchandra Bali brought K.L. Saigal to Calcutta and introduced him to [[R C Boral|R. C. Boral]]. R.C. Boral took an instant liking to his talents. Saigal 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]].
Meanwhile, Indian Gramophone Company had released Saigal's record containing a couple of [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] songs, composed by Harishchandra Bali. In this way, Bali became Saigal's first music director. The first film in which Saigal had a role was the film ''[[Mohabbat Ke Ansu]]'', followed by ''[[Subah Ka Sitara]]'' and ''[[Zinda Lash (1932 film)|Zinda Lash]]'', all released in 1932. However, these films did not do very well. Saigal used the name Saigal Kashmiri for his first three films and used his own name Kundan Lal Saigal (K. L. Saigal) from ''[[Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933 film)|Yahudi Ki Ladki]]'' (1933).<ref name=sangeetmahal>{{cite web |title=The Music Greats K. L. Saigal |url=http://www.sangeetmahal.com/hof/Music_Singers_Saigal.asp |website=sangeetmahal.com |publisher=Sangeet Mahal |access-date=29 January 2015 |ref=K. L. Saigal: The Pilgrim of the Swara (Author: Ragava R. Menon)}}</ref> In 1933, four bhajans sung by Saigal for the film ''[[Puran Bhagat (1933 film)|Puran Bhagat]]'' created a sensation throughout India.<ref name="Nihalani2003">{{cite book |author1=Gulazāra |author2=Govind Nihalani |author3=Saibal Chatterjee |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT308 |access-date=29 January 2015 |year=2003 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |pages=308–}}</ref> Other films that followed were ''[[Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933 film)|Yahudi Ki Ladki]]'', ''[[Chandidas (1934 film)|Chandidas]]'', ''Rooplekha'' and ''[[Karwan-E-Hayat]]''. As a youngster, [[Lata Mangeshkar]] is alleged to have said that she wanted to marry K.L. Saigal after seeing his performance in ''Chandidas'' (1934). In 1935, Saigal played the role that would come to define his acting career: that of the drunken title character in ''[[Devdas (1936 film)|Devdas]]'', based on [[Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay]]'s [[Devdas (novella)|novel of the same name]] and directed by [[P.C. Barua]].<ref name="HaenniBarrow2014">{{cite book |author1=Sabine Haenni |author2=Sarah Barrow |author3=John White |title=The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekCDBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA199 |access-date=29 January 2015 |date=27 August 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-68261-5 |pages=199–}}</ref> His songs in the film ''[[Devdas (1936 film)|Devdas]]'' (1935), "Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein" and "Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi", became popular throughout the country.<ref name=upperstall>{{cite web |author=Karan Bali |title=Profile of Kundan Lal Saigal|url=https://upperstall.com/profile/kundan-lal-saigal/ |publisher=Upperstall.com website |access-date=7 December 2022|date=11 April 2004}}</ref>
Saigal picked up [[Bengali language|Bengali]] very well and acted in seven Bengali films, produced by New Theatres. [[Rabindranath Tagore]] first heard Saigal before giving consent for the first time to a non-Bengali singing his songs. Saigal endeared himself to the whole of Bengal through his 30 Bengali songs.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
Saigal's association with New Theatres continued to bear fruit in the successful films ''Didi'' (Bengali), ''[[President (1937 film)|President]]'' (Hindi) in 1937, ''Desher Mati'' (Bengali), ''[[Dharti Mata (1938 film)|Dharti Mata]]'' (Hindi) in 1938, ''Saathi'' (Bengali), ''[[Street Singer (1938 film)|Street Singer]]'' (Hindi) in 1938, ''[[Dushman (1939 film)|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]]" live in front of the camera, even though playback was becoming the preferred method of singing songs in films.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekCDBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA199 |title=The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films |isbn=9781317682615 |last1=Haenni |first1=Sabine |last2=Barrow |first2=Sarah |last3=White |first3=John |date=15 September 2014|publisher=Routledge }}</ref>
== Move to Bombay and death ==
[[File:Saigal advert.jpg|thumb|Advertisement for Saigal program published in ''The Tribune'' in 1937.]]
[[File:Saigal 1938.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Saigal in 1938]]
<!-- Image with questionable fair-use claim removed: [[File:KL Saigal.jpg|right|frame|Stamp issued in honour of K.L. Saigal]] -->
In December 1941, Saigal moved to Bombay to work with [[Ranjit Studios|Ranjit Movietone]]. Here he acted and sang in a number of successful films. ''[[Bhakta Surdas]]'' (1942) and ''[[Tansen (film)|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," "Tin .. Gaa-o Saba Guni Jan" and "Room Jhoom Room Jhoom Chaal tihari". In 1944, he returned to ''New Theatres'' to complete ''[[Meri Bahen|My Sister]]''. This film contained the songs "Do Naina Matware" and "Ae Katib-e-Taqdeer Mujhe Itna Bata De".
By this time, alcohol had become a predominant factor in Saigal's life. 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|Jullundur]] (now Jalandhar) on 18 January 1947, at the age of 42.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kundanlal Saigal Dead of alcoholism |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4no-AAAAIBAJ&pg=1271%2C1277803 |access-date=11 April 2018 |work=The Indian Express |date=20 January 1947 |page=1}}</ref> 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 film)|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".'' Saigal was survived by his wife Asha Rani (whom he married in 1935); three children, a son and two daughters: Madan Mohan, Nina (born 1937) and Bina (born 1941); and an adopted child, his late elder brother's daughter, Durgesh Nandani, whom he adopted when he was still single.
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. There are 37 non-film songs in Hindi, and two each in Bengali, [[Pashto language|Pashto]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/k-l-saigal.html |title=K L Saigal – K L Sehgal Biography, Life History of K L Saigal, Kundan Lal Sehgal Songs |publisher=Culturalindia.net |date=11 April 1904 |access-date=8 March 2012}}</ref> Punjabi and [[Persian language|Persian]]. His non-film songs comprise ''[[bhajans]]'', ''[[ghazals]]'' and ''hori''. He has rendered the creations of poets such as [[Ghalib]], [[Zauq]], and [[Seemab]].
Saigal's distinctive singing was revered and idolised by the first generation of post-independence Hindi Film playback singers, including [[Kishore Kumar]],  [[Mohammad Rafi]], [[Lata Mangeshkar]] and [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]] have even gone on record in an interview that they consider Kundan Lal Saigal to be their musical Guru. <ref>[https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/k-l-saigal.html KL Saigal] Culturalindia.net</ref>
==Discography==
{{main|List of songs recorded by K. L. Saigal}}
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1932
| ''[[Mohabbat Ke Ansu]]''
|
| Debut Movie.
|-
| ''[[Zinda Lash (1932 film)|Zinda Lash]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Subah Ka Sitara]]''
|
|
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1933
| ''[[Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933 film)|Yahudi Ki Ladki]]''
| Prince Marcus
| First hit of K.L Saigal
|-
| ''[[Rajrani Meera]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Puran Bhagat (film)|Puran Bhagat]]'' a.k.a. ''The Devotee''
| Puran
|
|-
| ''[[Dulari Bibi]]''
|
|
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1934
| ''[[Daku Mansoor (1934 film)|Daku Mansoor]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Mohabbat Ki Kasauti]]''
| Arup
| In Hindi version.
|-
| ''[[Chandidas (1934 film)|Chandidas]]''
| Chandidas
|
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1935
| ''[[Karwan-E-Hayat]]''
| Pervez
|
|-
| ''[[Devdas (1935 film)|Devdas]]'' (Bengali)
| Guest at Chandramukhi's House
| Bengali
|-
| ''[[Devdas (1936 film)|Devdas]]'' (Hindi)<ref name="HaenniBarrow2014"/>
| Devdas
| First superhit of K.L Saigal
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1936
| ''[[Pujarin]]''
| Jibananda
|
|-
| ''[[Karodpati]]'' a.k.a. ''Millionaire''
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1937
| ''Didi'' (Bengali)
| Prakash
| as Kundan Lal Saigal, Bengali
|-
|''[[President (1937 film)|President]]'' a.k.a. Badi Bahen
|Prakash
| Hindi version of ''Didi''
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1938
| ''[[Street Singer (1938 film)|Street Singer]]''
| Bhalwa
|
|-
| ''[[Sathi (1938 film)|Sathi]]''
| Bhulwa
| Bengali version of ''Street Singer''
|-
| ''[[Jiban Maran]]''
| Mohan
| Bengali version of ''Dushman''
|-
| ''[[Dharti Mata (1938 film)|Dharti Mata]]''
| Ashok
|
|-
| ''Deshar Mati''
| Ashok
| Bengali
|-
| 1939
| ''[[Dushman (1939 film)|Dushman]]''
| Mohan
|
|-
| 1940
| ''[[Zindagi (1940 film)|Zindagi]]''
| Ratan
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1941
| ''Parichay''
| Composer
| Bengali version of ''Lagan''
|-
| ''[[Lagan (1941 film)|Lagan]]''
| Composer
|
|-
| 1942
| ''[[Bhukt Surdas|Bhakta Surdas]]''
| as K.L.Saigal
| Debut in Bombay
|-
| 1943
| ''[[Tansen (film)|Tansen]]''
| Tansen
| as Saigal
|-
|rowspan="2"|  1944
| ''[[Meri Bahen|My Sister]]''
| Ramesh
|
|-
| ''[[Bhanwara]]''
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1945
| ''[[Tadbir]]''
| Kanhaiyalal
|
|-
| ''[[Kurukshetra (1945 film)|Kurukshetra]]''
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1946
| ''[[Shahjehan]]''
| Sohail
|
|-
| ''[[Omar Khaiyyam]]''
|
|
|-
| 1947
| ''[[Parwana (1947 film)|Parwana]]''
| Inder
|
|-
|}
==In popular culture==
*The song "Saigal Blues" from the [[Bollywood]] film ''[[Delhi Belly (film)|Delhi Belly]]'' (2011) pays tribute to him.
*On 11 April 2018, on the occasion of his 114th birthday, [[Google]] paid homage to Saigal with a [[Google Doodle|doodle]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://doodles.google/doodle/k-l-saigals-114th-birthday/ |title=K. L. Saigal's 114th Birthday |website=www.google.com |language=en |access-date=11 April 2018}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Bollywood songs]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite news |title=Tribute: King of pain |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050116/spectrum/main3.htm |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |date=16 January 2005}}
==Further reading==
*Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen: Saigal, Kundan Lal. [In] ''Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'', Oxford University Press, New Delhi, revised edition, 1999, p.&nbsp;203.
* {{cite book |author=Pran Nevile |title=K. L. Saigal: The Definitive Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QPQ6CwAAQBAJ |date=11 May 2011 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-93-5214-160-9}}
* {{cite book |author=Pran Nevile |title=K L Saigal: Immortal Singer and Superstar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfZkAAAAMAAJ |date=1 January 2004 |publisher=Nevile Books |isbn=978-81-901166-1-9}}
* {{cite book |author=Śarada Datta |title=Kundan (Hindi) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SwHibrHtu50C |year=2007 |language=hi |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-310156-7}}
==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.kundanlalsaigal.org/}} – comprehensive resource centre for research and documentation of K. L. Saigal songs & related memorabilia
* {{IMDb name|id=0756485}}
{{Commons category|K. L. Saigal}}
*[http://members.tripod.com/oldies_club/profile_kls.htm Detailed K.L. Saigal profile]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080908010947/http://www.the-south-asian.com/May-June2003/k_l_saigal.htm K.L. Saigal's profile]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saigal, Kundan Lal}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:Punjabi Hindus]]
[[Category:People of Punjabi descent]]
[[Category:Indian male playback singers]]
[[Category:Male actors from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Bollywood playback singers]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Indian male ghazal singers]]
[[Category:Bhajan singers]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in India]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]