K. L. Saigal - First Superstar Of Indian Film Industry

Being a great singer as well as a great actor and then justify both of the acts, this can be done only by a stunning and remarkable personality. K. L. Saigal (Kundan Lal Saigal) was the owner of this type.  Hailed as Shehnshah-e-musical (emperor of Music) and acclaimed as the ghazal king, K. L. Saigal became a phenomenon in his own lifetime. Idolized for his distinctive style by the first generation of Bollywood Playback Singers. He is now the subject of study by the severals scholars. He was the first Superstar of the Indian Film Industry. Some very popular actors/actresses of Bollywood had stepped on the footsteps of his singing and acting and got the success…

Kundan Lal Saigal was born on April 04, 1904 at Jammu where his father Sri Amar Chand was a Tehsildar and his mother Kesar Bai was deeply religious lady and was very fond of Music. So he used to sing Bhajan, Kirtan and Shabad in his early childhood. Against his father’s wishes, Saigal used to continue his practice with the help of Ram Leela and contine to polish his art…

After completing his studies, he had tried so many things. He worked as a Time Keeper in Railway and Salesman of Remington Typewriter Compant. In Lahor with the help of his friend Meharchand Jain, he went to Calcutta and introduced himself to famous musician R.C. Boral who introduced him to the owner of “New Theaters”, B.N. Sarkar and got him a job at Rs.200/- per month…

At first he released a Punjabi Song under the Music direction of Harish Chandar Beli which was very praised and then his song Jhoola Jhulaao under India Gramophone Company created success all around…
Being an actor and singer, he became a Superstar of the Bollywood with his first Film Mohabbat Ke Aansu (1932) and then by doing Subah Ka Sitaara (1932), Chandidass (1933),  Dhoop Chhaon (1935), Devdas (1935), he was become the heartbeat of everyone’s heart. Including President, Street Singer, Zindagi, Bhagat Soordass, Tansen, Shahjahaan, and Parwaana, his popularity however skyrocketed with Devdas in which he played the doomed lover to perfection, a portrayal which would influence every actor playing a tragic role thereafter. Including the immortal Diya Jalao jagmag jagmag, Baag laga doon sajni, jab dil hi toot gaya, Kundan Lal Saigal performed in 36 films in his filmy career of 15 years and sang 185 songs from which two are Punjabi, two Tamil, thirty Begali, and 150 are in Hindi or Urdu language with no formal training... 

Baalam Aan Baso (Devdas), Ik Bangla Bane Niyaara (President), So ja Rajkumari (Zindagi), Gam Diye Mustkil and Jab Dil hi Toot Gya (Shahjajan) are some of the songs which are still listening and liking by everyone with heart. Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Talit Ajiz and Lata Mangeskar also admitted his Singing. Father of his son Madan Mohan, daughters Beena (Born 1941) & Neena (Born 1937), husband of Asha Rani (whom he married in 1935) and the king of every heart, K.S. Saigal  in his ancestral city of Jalandhar  on 18 January, 1947. Parwana (1947) was his last film, released after his death, in which he sang under the baton of Khawaja Khurshid Anwar.
Really he was the first Superstar of Indian Film Industry….

A Portrait of K. l. Saigal made by me...

Ist Superstar of Indian Film Industry