Tribute to K. L. Saigal

 Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904–18 January 1947), was a singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Kolkata during Saigal’s time, but is currently centred in Mumbai.
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 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 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, 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). In 1933, four bhajans sung by Saigal for the film Puran Bhagat created a sensation throughout India. Other films that followed were Yahudi Ki Ladki, 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, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel of the same name and directed by P.C. Barua. His songs in the film Devdas (1935), Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein and Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi, became popular throughout the country.

 But the first star to move into this area was Kundanlal Saigal. Devdas had transformed him into probably the first real star of Hindi cinema, before the term had even entered some hack's imagination. He was often followed around by crowds of fans who would pester him to sing his popular numbers for them

 Famous singer and actor Kundan Lal (K L) Saigal (1904-47) seen here with his family around 70 years ago

 Google on Wednesday celebrated the 114th birth anniversary of legendary singer-actor K.L. Saigal with a doodle.

 Jamuna and K.L. Saigal in Devdas (hindi version) (1935)

 K.L. Saigal in Dushman

 K.L. Saigal in the movie My Sister.

 Kanan Devi and K L Saigal

 Kanan Devi and Saigal in the movie ‘Lagaan’.

 Kundan Lal (K L) Saigal Performance In Lahore

 Saigal encouraged Kanan Devi both as co-star and singer

 Saigal in a scene from Street Singer

1.  Saigal with Jamuna in the first Devdas

 THE WINNING COMBINATION Khurshid Begum with K.L. Saigal in “Tansen”

 When KL Saigal arrived in Bombay

zindagi was another classic made by New Theaters (calcutta) in 1940. It starred saigal,jamuna,nemo & was directed by p.c.barua. The excellent music was direc...