By: Farhana

Eons have gone by since his voice left people awestruck. K. L. Saigal was really the first male superstar of Indian Cinema who set the tone for musical melodrama acting in the 1930s and 40s. He was the pioneering singer of Hindi films. In the span of 15 years, he acted in 36 films and sang over 200 songs.

The virtuoso of music appraises Saigal as the 'Ghazal King'. Recognized as the greatest singer of the century, K. L. Saigal was a musical genius who mesmerized his audiences with his powerful and mystical rhythm, which had a touch of the divine. Without any formal training, Saigal stunned the music maestros of his time with his intuitive discernment of the (note/tune) 'ragas' and his splendid and reverberant voice.

Kundan Lal Saigal was born at Jammu on 12th April 1904. At the age of twelve Saigal gave a rendition of Meera Bhajan in Pratap Singh's court. The Maharaja was impressed and predicted that Saigal had a bright singing future. He was introduced to music by his mother. His only formal training apparently came from a little known Sufi peer, Salman Yussuf.

In 1932 K.L. Saigal's film career launched when he signed a contract with New Theatre to act and sing in films. Though not conventionally good-looking, people responded to his every man demeanor, that voice and his dialogue.

Saigal's first film was Mohabbat ke Aansoo (1932) but it was with the success of Chandidas (1934) that he became a star. Bhakt Surdas (1942) and Tansen (1943) were big hits and consolidated his popularity. The songs of Tansen are brilliant in their royal glory. The film successfully shapes the classical and semi-classical thumris and dadras to the need of cinema. Above all, the film is still remembered for Saigal's astonishing rendering of Diya Jalao in raag Deepak. Meri Bahen (1944) is technically one of Saigal's best films at New Theatres and was known of course for its music. As an actor-singer, Saigal attained unprecedented fame and popularity.

In 1935 Devdas benchmarked the star-singer's popularity. The story of a love-struck and doomed Devdas, based on Bengali writer Sharatchandra Chaterjee's novel and directed by P.C. Barua, the film was a triumph for Saigal and took him to dizzying heights. Saigal brought alive the character of Devdas creating the archetype of the relentlessly luckless, tragic hero. His brooding looks, the vagrant lock of hair, the sonorous voice filled with love and despair drove the nation into frenzy.

Saigal the singer surpassed Saigal the actor. The singing tradition he assimilated emphasized the poetic blending of syllables into musical forms. Saigal loved Urdu poetry. His musical interpretation of the ghazal gave a new form and content to the meaning of the verse. He produced an amazing array of emotions and sentiments. In fact, he succeeded in striking similar chords in the listeners' hearts. Many Urdu poets like Zauk, Seemab, Bedam, Arzu and Hasarat became famous, thanks to Saigal's translation of their poetry.

 But Saigal's most favorite remained the great Mirza Ghalib. He immortalised Ghalib by singing his verses with his heart and soul, interpreting the deep meaning of every syllable. It is through Saigal that Ghalib gained vast popularity even among audiences who were foreign to Urdu. His renditions of Mirza Ghalib's poetry and his identification with its tragic iconography formed the famous Saigal persona. It is a less known fact that Saigal himself was a poet and is said to have recited his own compositions.

He brought music to the masses and, with his unique style, gave a totally new dimension to the music of his time. Up till 1946 right from 1932 the Hindi film world was called as K. L. Saigal musical era. Saigal had taken to alcohol and hence his health began failing. Saigal breathed his last on 18th January 1947 in Jalender, his hometown. The legend passed away depriving music lovers of his celestial voice. Fifty years since his demise, the immortal singer's haunting resonant voice continues to enchant listeners on early morning radio or on some fanatic collector's old gramophone player.

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