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Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal, was an Indian singer and actor who worked in Hindi cinema, which was centred in Calcutta (Kolkata) during Saigal's time, but is currently based in Bombay (Mumbai). 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.
New Theatres is an Indian film studio. It was formed in Calcutta by producer B. N. Sircar. It was formed on February 10th, 1931. The company motto was "Jivatang Jyotiretu Chhayam," meaning, "Light infusing shadows with life." Sircar preferred to function roughly analogous to an executive producer. He built a processing laboratory, and acquired staff. Once a film subject was selected and a team assembled to create the picture, Sicar ensured that adequate funds were provided, while refraining from interfering with its execution. He made New Theatres a symbol of Bengali cinema's artistic good taste and technical excellence.
Rai Chand Boral was an Indian composer, considered by music connoisseurs to be the Bhishma Pitamah, the father of film music in India.
Abdur Rashid Kardar was an Indian film actor, director and producer. He is credited with establishing the film industry in the Bhati Gate locality of Lahore, British India.
Lagan is a 1941 Indian Hindi language film. It was the fifth highest grossing Indian film of 1941. The film was directed by Nitin Bose for New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta. The film was a bilingual with K. L. Saigal and Kanan Devi acting as the lead in its Bengali language version, Parichaya. The music for both versions was by R. C. Boral. This was the last film Saigal did for New Theatres, Calcutta, before his move to Bombay to make films for different studios there.
Meri Bahen is a 1944 Hindi language film. It was the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of 1944. Produced by New Theatres, Ltd. Calcutta, and directed by Hemchander Chunder. It starred K. L. Saigal, Sumitra Devi, Akhtar Jehan, Chandrabati Devi, Nawab, and Tulsi Chakraborty. The music direction was by Pankaj Mullick with lyrics by Pandit Bhushan.
Dulari may refer to:
Street Singer is a 1938 Indian film directed by Phani Majumdar. It was produced by New Theatres of Calcutta and was Phani Majumdar's first Hindi film as a director. The film was made in Bengali as Sathi in the same year. It stars K. L. Saigal, Kanan Devi, Jagdish Sethi and Bikram Kapoor. The music was composed by R. C. Boral with lyrics written by Arzu (Arzoo) Lucknavi. Two street urchins dream of singing and making it big in the glamorous world of theatre in Calcutta. They grow up with the girl being employed while the boy is not. The story follows them through first their enchantment and then the disillusionment with the theatre. Finally both choose to return to their roots in the village.
Zinda Lash is a 1932 Indian costume drama directed by Premankur Atorthy. The film was produced by New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta. The cast of the film included K. L. Saigal, Rattan Bai, Pahari Sanyal, Mahajabin, Nawab, Kumar and Radharani. The music direction was by R. C. Boral. B. N. Sircar started New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta in 1930 and produced his first film in Bengali, Dena Paona in 1931. In 1932 he produced films in Hindi where he introduced K. L. Saigal to Indian Cinema. The first was Mohabbat Ke Ansu and the second was Zinda Lash both directed by Premankur Atorthy. K. L. Saigal changed his name for his first three films and was billed as Saigal Kashmiri to prevent his family from finding out his profession. This film like his earlier Mohabbat Ke Ansu was not successful at the box office.
Mohabbat Ke Ansu is a 1932 Indian Urdu-language social romantic film. It was directed by Premankur Atorthy for New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta. The music for the film was directed by R. C. Boral. The film starred K. L. Saigal in his debut role with Akthari Muradabadi, Mahajabeen, Ansari and Sadiq. According to reports the film was not successful however Nevile claims that the "debut was successful beyond expectations" as it led to Saigal acting in several New Theatres films.
Subah Ka Sitara is a 1932 Urdu/Hindi romantic costume film from India. It was directed by Premankur Atorthy for New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta. Subah Ka Sitara was the third of the three films with which K. L. Saigal started his acting career in 1932. The first was Mohabbat Ke Ansu and the second was Zinda Lash. Like the first two films, Saigal used the name Saigal Kashmiri in the credit roll of the film. The film starred K. L. Saigal, Rattanbai, Mazhar Khan, Ali Mir Kumar, Radhabai, and Siddiqui. The music was by R. C. Boral. This was also actor Kumar’s second film, the first being Zinda Lash with Saigal in the lead role. Kumar’s name appeared in the credit roll as Ali Mir and it was from his third film Puran Bhagat that he changed his screen name to "Kumar".
Yahudi Ki Ladki is a 1933 Urdu/Hindi costume drama film directed by Premankur Atorthy. Produced by New Theatres Ltd.Calcutta, the cast included K. L. Saigal, Rattan Bai, Pahari Sanyal, Gul Hamid, Nawab and Kumar. The film was adapted from Agha Hashar Kashmiri’s play of the same name Yahudi Ki Ladki which had been written in Bengali as Misar Kumari. He also wrote the screenplay and lyrics. The film saw Pankaj Mullick's debut as a Hindi music director. The dialogues were by Wajahat Mirza. The story revolves around the rivalry and revenge between the Jewish merchant Prince Ezra and the Roman priest Brutus.
Puran Bhagat is a 1933 Hindi devotional biopic film from New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta. The film was Debaki Bose's debut direction in Hindi. The film starred K. L. Saigal, Uma Shashi, Kumar, Molina Devi, K. C. Dey and Tarabai. The film was based on a popular Punjabi devotional story of Puran Bhagat, which was a change for New Theatres from their regular films based on traditional Bengali stories, saints and novels. It was a "great success all over India".
Karwan-E-Hayat is a 1935 Urdu/Hindi costume action-adventure film. The film is directed by Premankur Atorthy, with assistance by Hemchandra, for New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta; and it was produced by Lahore branch of New Theatres. The cast included K. L. Saigal, Rattan Bai, Pahari Sanyal, Rajkumari, Shyama Zutshi, Gul Hamid, Rajkumari, Molina, Shyama Zutshi, Siddiqi, Kapoor and Rana. The cinematographer was Krishna Gopal, with music composed by Mihir Kiran Bhattacharya and his brother Timir Baran Bhattacharya, with lyrics by Hakim Ahmad Shuja Pasha. The film, a costume drama, involved the Prince Pervez on the run from an arranged marriage to a princess, only to fall in love with her when they meet in unusual circumstances.
Rajrani Meera is a 1933 Hindi devotional film. It was directed by Debaki Bose for New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta. The cinematographer was Nitin Bose with music composed by R. C. Boral. The film was a bilingual, made in Bengali as Meerabai and directed by Hiren Bose and Basanta Chatterjee. The film starred Durga Khote, Prithviraj Kapoor, K. L. Saigal, Pahari Sanyal, Molina Devi and Indubala. K. L. Saigal had a small part that of a devotee in the film with Prithviraj Kapoor playing the male protagonist role. The film made Prithviraj Kapoor who played the role of the King of Mewar, Mirabai's husband, a big star and is cited as one of his career's best films.
Karodpati is a Hindi 1936 comedy film directed by Hemchander Chunder. The film was produced by New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta, and the music was composed by R. C. Boral with the assistance of Pankaj Mullick. The lyrics were written by Kidar Sharma who also acted in the film. The film starred K. L. Saigal, Sardar Akhtar, Molina Devi, Pahari Sanyal, Nawab, Trilok Kapoor, Rajkumari, and Kidar Sharma. The film showcased K. L. Saigal performing a farcical-comedy role which was a different format from his normal tragedy based stories. The story revolves around a cinema-crazy young man who wins a lottery, leading to a series of comedic situations when his friends join him.
Mazhar Khan was an actor, producer, and director in Indian Cinema. He began his career as a police officer, which he left to study law for a short period. After abandoning his studies, he came to Bombay and started his career in cinema with the silent film Fatal Garland (1928) opposite the top actress of the time, Ermeline. He became a popular actor, gaining success in several silent films. During his stint in silent films he worked with directors such as Bhagwati Prasad Mishra, Ezra Mir, Moti P. Bhagnani, R. S. Chowdhary, and M. D. Bhavnani. Magazines in the 1940s compared Khan to Hollywood actors such as Paul Muni, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.
Molina Devi, also known as Molina Debi and Malina Debi, was an Indian Bengali actress of Bengali and Hindi film and theatre. As an actress, she played a wide variety of parts, later frequently playing matronly parts, especially Rani Rashmoni, patroness of the 19th century Bengali mystic Sri Ramakrishna. She acted in several dozen films, mostly in Bengali and Hindi. With actor Gurudas Banerjee, she also directed a Calcutta-based theatre troupe, M. G. Enterprises.
References
- ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Willemen, Ashish, Paul (2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema (2, revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9781135943257.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Nevile, Pran (2011). K. L. Saigal A Definitive Biography. India: Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9780143414063.
