Toofaan mail
Duniya ye duniya toofaan mail …
Indian film industry is replete with those fairy tale kind of rags to riches stories where a nobody arrives and moves from ‘Farsh Se Arsh Tak ‘ and becomes a heart throb of millions within a short time and then goes on ruling the heart and minds of countless fans for a long time !
And Kanan Devi’s perhaps is one of the earliest of such ‘ Farsh Se Arsh Tak ‘ dream stories where a young helpless girl living in shabbiest of conditions with her mother in a slum makes it to the top of the showbiz and establishes herself in the field of singing , acting and film making and that to at the very top. With her sweet , superbly toned and reasonably trained voice clubbed with her grace , charm and natural acting skills she emerged as a topnotch singer and actress in 30s and 40s and in the later decades as well , her films with New Theatre replete with some of the best film songs in Hindi and Bengali films tuned by likes of R C Boral , Pankaj Mullik, and Kamal Dasgupta , Kalipad Sen, Robin Chatterji, Anupam Ghatak, Dheeren Mitra , Kumar Mitra –Anath Bose- Mrinal Ghosh , Umapati Sen, and Gyanprakash Ghosh , Radhacharan Bhattcharya, Nitai Motilal and Kirodi Gopal Mukherjee made her a house hold name across the country. In the early years of Indian filmdom Kanan Devi’s popularity as they say is history!
Nothing defines her life better than the ‘mukhda’ of one of her most famous and evergreen songs :
Toofaan mail
Duniya ye duniya toofaan mail … She really rode the ‘Toofaan Mail ‘ of this Duniya in style !
But her journey from a nobody to the topnotch singer- actress of her time was not at all easy she had to travel a road full of thorns and go through the hardships of life at the very tender age. Kanan Devi was Born in April 1919 in middle class family. Her Father Ratan Chandra Das and Mother Rajobala lived together without getting formally married . Her Father, Ratan Chandra Das, died when she was barely 7-8 years old leaving behind many debts with his wife and very young daughter at the mercy of some not very nice , kind and accommodating relatives. Kanan Devi in one of her interviews at a latter stage recalled those horrible days saying “we wore rags and worked without complaining in return for food and shelter. Then one day something happened which, as far as I was concerned was the last straw. My mother was bitterly humiliated for breaking a saucer and I couldn’t bear it. I was only seven years old at that time but I dragged her out of the house. We had nowhere to go. “
After this humiliating event Young Kanan and her mother shifted to live in a slum without any substantive means to make both the ends to meet but as they say if the world closes the door The God opens a window of hope always . And at this difficult time an acquaintance Tulsi Bannerji came to her help. It was through Tulsi Bannerji ‘s help that Kanan got her first opportunity to work in films.
At the age of ten years in 1926 she was hired by Madan Theatres for the silent film ‘Jaidev’ for the role of Radha. Though she was hired on a salary of rupees 25 but she received only five rupees as the rest was eaten away by the middle man. The next year she acted in a small role in Dhiren Ganguli’s Shankaracharya . These openings in the celluloid world though small gave Kanan the will and the confidence to face the world , and it also gave her the belief in herself to tread this path in the film industry and create a space of her own.
And then in 1929 took place the event which laid the foundation of Kanan’s future as a singing star. It was in the year 1929 that the legendary Kazi Nazrul Islam, the rebel poet from Bengal, discovered Kanan as a singing talent. Kanan by that time had already played in the above said two films as a child artist and was taken to HMV for her first recording session , though her voice still raw without any training worth the name , Kazi Nazrul Islam could however spot the hidden talent , and as a result the first record in Kanan’s voice was published with the songs ‘ Balo Sakhi Balo Tarey …’ and ‘ Ogo Bolo Keno Sakhi Nayana Jharey..’ under the name Kanan Bala. The Gramophone Company in its advertisement for the records announced the arrival of a new artiste. The record must have sold well because the very next year in 1930 the company brought four more of her songs namely ‘ Ase Boley se gechhey amay …’ , Amar Chokhey Jodi Bhalo Laagey…’ , Banshi Bajey Hara Jouboney…’ and ‘ Manohar Beshe Esechhilo …’ . These records sold well and her songs got reasonably popular. This was the beginning as a singer from which Kanan Bala ,known to be Kanan Devi in future , started getting a foothold as singer , and after devoting herself to acting and singing in the years to come by through her sheer dedication, hard work and will to establish herself , got herself known as ‘The singer with a Honey Pot in Her throat ‘ and an actress of great ability, and truly so as her films and songs are relished till date .
Kanan Devi left Gramophone company with Kazi Nazrul Islam , Hiren Bose and Dhiren Das and joined Megaphone headed by J N Ghosh. It was in Megaphone where Kanan received her first training in the music as till now she was a raw and untraibed voice. In Megaphone she got lessons in singing from the legendry classical singer and ustad Bhishmdev Chattopadhyay . She also got trained by Ustad Allarakkha , Kazi Nazarul Islam as well . Binod Bihari and Gyan Datt were also among her trainers. Apart from training in singing , J N Ghosh also engaged a teacher, Mrs. Gabbey for Kanan to learn English. The training was quite a strenuous exercise which included singing various genres of music , riyaz and performances in front of Ustads. Kanan Devi it seems took this training quite seriously and devoted herself to learn from these Ustads and did work very hard to learn , refine and polish her singing skills, the result of this training and dedication was the kind of songs she sang which till date remain favourite among music lovers. J N Ghoshe’s company began issuing gramophone records under Megaphone( swadeshi ) Record banner and Kanan was among the first artists to get chance to record her songs. Her first song record had the songs ‘ Chhuona Chhuona Saathi…’ and ‘Priyo tomar laagi jaagi saara raati…’ which was published in 1932 it was followed by another record in Dec. 1932 having the songs ‘ Praney amaar eto byatha diley ..’ and ‘ Besechhi bhalo besechhi…’ . All the four songs were penned by Hiren Bose and were composed by Dhiren Das. It was around this time that the trio along with Kazi Nazrul Islam left Megaphone, and they joined Columbia. Thus Kanan’s journey as a singer got wings and she became a name to reckon with in the field of singing.
In the year 1931 when moving pictures got the voice and the film industry entered the ‘Talkies’ age the Madan Theatres again recalled the slim and sharp featured young and beautiful Kanan . She did two films ‘Rishi Prem ‘ and Jore Barat’ . Latter she joined Radha Film Company as well. Between 1931 and 1936 wit Madan Films, Radha Film Company and Prafull Pictures she did a number of films namely , Jamaai Shast 1931, ‘Char Darvesh’ 1933, Hari Bhakti 1934, Basavdatta 1935 , Khooni Kaun 1936 and Maa 1936. She also acted and sang in Radha Films ‘Shree Gaurang, Kanthhar, Krishna Sudama’ as well .
Duniya ye duniya toofaan mail …
Indian film industry is replete with those fairy tale kind of rags to riches stories where a nobody arrives and moves from ‘Farsh Se Arsh Tak ‘ and becomes a heart throb of millions within a short time and then goes on ruling the heart and minds of countless fans for a long time !
And Kanan Devi’s perhaps is one of the earliest of such ‘ Farsh Se Arsh Tak ‘ dream stories where a young helpless girl living in shabbiest of conditions with her mother in a slum makes it to the top of the showbiz and establishes herself in the field of singing , acting and film making and that to at the very top. With her sweet , superbly toned and reasonably trained voice clubbed with her grace , charm and natural acting skills she emerged as a topnotch singer and actress in 30s and 40s and in the later decades as well , her films with New Theatre replete with some of the best film songs in Hindi and Bengali films tuned by likes of R C Boral , Pankaj Mullik, and Kamal Dasgupta , Kalipad Sen, Robin Chatterji, Anupam Ghatak, Dheeren Mitra , Kumar Mitra –Anath Bose- Mrinal Ghosh , Umapati Sen, and Gyanprakash Ghosh , Radhacharan Bhattcharya, Nitai Motilal and Kirodi Gopal Mukherjee made her a house hold name across the country. In the early years of Indian filmdom Kanan Devi’s popularity as they say is history!
Nothing defines her life better than the ‘mukhda’ of one of her most famous and evergreen songs :
Toofaan mail
Duniya ye duniya toofaan mail … She really rode the ‘Toofaan Mail ‘ of this Duniya in style !
But her journey from a nobody to the topnotch singer- actress of her time was not at all easy she had to travel a road full of thorns and go through the hardships of life at the very tender age. Kanan Devi was Born in April 1919 in middle class family. Her Father Ratan Chandra Das and Mother Rajobala lived together without getting formally married . Her Father, Ratan Chandra Das, died when she was barely 7-8 years old leaving behind many debts with his wife and very young daughter at the mercy of some not very nice , kind and accommodating relatives. Kanan Devi in one of her interviews at a latter stage recalled those horrible days saying “we wore rags and worked without complaining in return for food and shelter. Then one day something happened which, as far as I was concerned was the last straw. My mother was bitterly humiliated for breaking a saucer and I couldn’t bear it. I was only seven years old at that time but I dragged her out of the house. We had nowhere to go. “
After this humiliating event Young Kanan and her mother shifted to live in a slum without any substantive means to make both the ends to meet but as they say if the world closes the door The God opens a window of hope always . And at this difficult time an acquaintance Tulsi Bannerji came to her help. It was through Tulsi Bannerji ‘s help that Kanan got her first opportunity to work in films.
At the age of ten years in 1926 she was hired by Madan Theatres for the silent film ‘Jaidev’ for the role of Radha. Though she was hired on a salary of rupees 25 but she received only five rupees as the rest was eaten away by the middle man. The next year she acted in a small role in Dhiren Ganguli’s Shankaracharya . These openings in the celluloid world though small gave Kanan the will and the confidence to face the world , and it also gave her the belief in herself to tread this path in the film industry and create a space of her own.
And then in 1929 took place the event which laid the foundation of Kanan’s future as a singing star. It was in the year 1929 that the legendary Kazi Nazrul Islam, the rebel poet from Bengal, discovered Kanan as a singing talent. Kanan by that time had already played in the above said two films as a child artist and was taken to HMV for her first recording session , though her voice still raw without any training worth the name , Kazi Nazrul Islam could however spot the hidden talent , and as a result the first record in Kanan’s voice was published with the songs ‘ Balo Sakhi Balo Tarey …’ and ‘ Ogo Bolo Keno Sakhi Nayana Jharey..’ under the name Kanan Bala. The Gramophone Company in its advertisement for the records announced the arrival of a new artiste. The record must have sold well because the very next year in 1930 the company brought four more of her songs namely ‘ Ase Boley se gechhey amay …’ , Amar Chokhey Jodi Bhalo Laagey…’ , Banshi Bajey Hara Jouboney…’ and ‘ Manohar Beshe Esechhilo …’ . These records sold well and her songs got reasonably popular. This was the beginning as a singer from which Kanan Bala ,known to be Kanan Devi in future , started getting a foothold as singer , and after devoting herself to acting and singing in the years to come by through her sheer dedication, hard work and will to establish herself , got herself known as ‘The singer with a Honey Pot in Her throat ‘ and an actress of great ability, and truly so as her films and songs are relished till date .
Kanan Devi left Gramophone company with Kazi Nazrul Islam , Hiren Bose and Dhiren Das and joined Megaphone headed by J N Ghosh. It was in Megaphone where Kanan received her first training in the music as till now she was a raw and untraibed voice. In Megaphone she got lessons in singing from the legendry classical singer and ustad Bhishmdev Chattopadhyay . She also got trained by Ustad Allarakkha , Kazi Nazarul Islam as well . Binod Bihari and Gyan Datt were also among her trainers. Apart from training in singing , J N Ghosh also engaged a teacher, Mrs. Gabbey for Kanan to learn English. The training was quite a strenuous exercise which included singing various genres of music , riyaz and performances in front of Ustads. Kanan Devi it seems took this training quite seriously and devoted herself to learn from these Ustads and did work very hard to learn , refine and polish her singing skills, the result of this training and dedication was the kind of songs she sang which till date remain favourite among music lovers. J N Ghoshe’s company began issuing gramophone records under Megaphone( swadeshi ) Record banner and Kanan was among the first artists to get chance to record her songs. Her first song record had the songs ‘ Chhuona Chhuona Saathi…’ and ‘Priyo tomar laagi jaagi saara raati…’ which was published in 1932 it was followed by another record in Dec. 1932 having the songs ‘ Praney amaar eto byatha diley ..’ and ‘ Besechhi bhalo besechhi…’ . All the four songs were penned by Hiren Bose and were composed by Dhiren Das. It was around this time that the trio along with Kazi Nazrul Islam left Megaphone, and they joined Columbia. Thus Kanan’s journey as a singer got wings and she became a name to reckon with in the field of singing.
In the year 1931 when moving pictures got the voice and the film industry entered the ‘Talkies’ age the Madan Theatres again recalled the slim and sharp featured young and beautiful Kanan . She did two films ‘Rishi Prem ‘ and Jore Barat’ . Latter she joined Radha Film Company as well. Between 1931 and 1936 wit Madan Films, Radha Film Company and Prafull Pictures she did a number of films namely , Jamaai Shast 1931, ‘Char Darvesh’ 1933, Hari Bhakti 1934, Basavdatta 1935 , Khooni Kaun 1936 and Maa 1936. She also acted and sang in Radha Films ‘Shree Gaurang, Kanthhar, Krishna Sudama’ as well .
Her 1935 film ‘Manmayi Girls Scnool ‘ with Jahar Ganguli in
which acted and sang gave her a sort of
reall break . The film and the songs were well received and she got a foot hold
in the industry as a successful singer
actor. Her song ‘ Megh nagarer andha… ‘ became popular , and
the effect of her intensive training which she underwent in Megaphone paid , as
the way she rendered this song tunefully with her sweet and lilting and
negotiating the musical phrases
indicated that she is no more a raw and untrained voice .
Her song ‘ man ki batiyan ka se bolun …’ which she sang in the 1936 film Maa , a S P Rane composition which is available for listening is again proves that by now she achieved the proficiency in the singing.
Kanan’s entry into Radha Films was a turning point in her career. She had no intention and desire to go back to her early life of misery and penury and carried with great confidence and determination and soon met with success, with the release of films like Maa, Monmoyi Girls School and Kanthahaar she came to be recognized as the leading star of Bengal as a singer-actress with a definite Box office appeal. This fame got her offers from outside Bengal also and at one time she almost made her mind up to move to Lahore , but finally she decided to remain in Bengal only and worked hard and groomed herself to become an pan-India figure. The coming years did show that her hard work , determination and dedication to her profession paid , and she achieved what she wanted ! By this time Kanan was a known name in the Film Industry of that time, but the big break which would catapult her into the universe of fame and stardom in the field of acting and singing was yet to come.
It was during this period that Kanan was approached by P C Barua fron New Theatres with an offer to act in the NT film Devdas for the role of Paro but because of contractual conditions with Radha Films she could not accept the offer. At the expiry of her contract with Radha Films in 1936 she Joined the New Theaters and it is after her joining the New Theatre the big moment and the break came her way which made her one of the most popular and sought after star of her time both on screen and behind the microphone.
New Theatre which was a storehouse of the finest talents of its time in film making , acting and singing was doing a remarkable work in making cinema of social and literary values relevant to the time and the environment of then Bengal in particular and India in general. Together with the technical superiority and the talented directors and actors the NT films of that time created a mise-en-scene which drew upon the life styles of the westernized upper classes, and were able to produce an overall sophistication which defined a whole genre. The films of Barua , Nitin Bose, Debki Bose were made by their techbical refinement and Hollywood-like – urbanity. These films set in the houses of the elite and the rich, and displayed sprawling living rooms, grand staircases , pianos, and free mixing of the sexes. While the same films could be critical of the anglicized upper class, they nonetheless created that ethos of modernity and a consumer culture which Miriam Hansen has called ‘ vernacular modernism,. Particularly notable are the female characters in these films, whose mannered elegance produced a very different class of ‘heroines’ when compared to earlier actresses of the stage and screen. At the same time NT films were also inspired by the national fervor and the mood of that time and were also making films based on historical background stories depicting the cultural and literary heritage of Bengal and India, alone with the stories which also had a look at the humble people and their desire to grow and shine in their lives. As these stories were routed in the social cultural and political milieu of the time these films were well received and appreciated by the audience.
It was in this kind of background and environment that Kanan Devi joined New Theatres. And as she had all the requisites , Good looks , acting ability, screen presence and elegance and poise , a beautifully toned ,tuned and sweet voice and as she came from a humble background so was quite familiar with the mannerism of the middle and lower middle class people , so she in fact was kind of a stuff which stars are made of and did fit the bill of all genres of films which New Theatre was interested in making at that time . Therefore no wonder that Kanan Devi , despite her humble background, within two years of joining New Theatres became onscreen , the epitome of the fashionable and cultured modern woman, who set the trends for woman’s fashion and other accomplishments . Her entry in New Theatre also gave her the advantage of the important aspect of NT strategy of making double version of the films in Bengali and Hindi. This strategy effectively opened up north Indian market without added risks, and gave New Theatres its ‘all India’ profile. Kanan Devi, who was already a well-known actress in Bengal got the benefit of this double version strategy and after joining New Theatres in 1936 , became one of the country’s top stars and singer through the Hindi versions of NT films.
After joining New Theatresin 1936 Kanan Devi in the short span two years acted in three films Mukti, Vidypati in 1937 both in double version in Bengali and Hindi and Street singer / Saathi in 1938. These three films provided Kanan Devi an opportunity to showcase her talent in a variety of acting and singing genres and she excelled in both. Her first film Mukti which P C Barua directed and played the lead role as well Kanan was in the lead role. Mukti was kind of a film where Kanan Devi got an opportunity showcase her ability to play the role in the milieu of the so called vernacular modernity and she did it with a great elan and finesse. Mukti , though a bit controversial at the time, latter became a hallmark of New Theatres, Kanan stunned the viewers with her charming performance as a sophisticated high society emancipated woman, the use of Rabindra Sangeet signified a touch of class and Kanan by her singing Rabindra Sangeet in the Bengali version of the film under the baton of Pankaj Mullik became among the firsts to sing Rabindra Sangeet in a film, the Hindi version of the film is also replete with wonderfully sung Kanan songs. Her second film with NT Vidyapati which also came in 1937 was directed by Debki Bose was kind of a historical-cultural film which was publicized by NT as a film with the artistic and literary entertainment in both its versions. The scale and mise-en-scene of the film was grand and Kanan in the role of Anuradha excelled among the giants like Prithviraj Kapoor, Pahari Sanyal and Chhaya Devi ,showing that she has the capability to enact the role to the T in a historical-cultural set-up as well both in the field of singing and acting. And then in 1938 Street singer / Saathi directe by Fani Mazumdar hit the screens country wide where she was in the lead role with the legendry singer actor K L Saigal as the mail lead. This was in this film she did show her talent in portraying the role of a street singer with accuracy and then her transformation to a famous stage artist to the perfection with all nuances of acting conforming to the emotive graph of the character she played. The film was a runaway success all over India. Kanan Devi emerged as the melody queen and reached the zenith of her fame and glory. Kanan was now a celebrity and it was said that she carried a honey pot in her throat. Again the film had some of the most memorable songs rendered by Kanan Devi. And after these successful films this ‘Toofan Mail ‘ of acting and singing never looked back. She remained with NT till 1941 and acted in the lead role in films ‘Jawaani ki reet’ , Sapurey Haar Jeet , Lagan, which were made in Bengali version also as Prajay , Sapurey, Abhinetri and Parichay. But for Mukti which was composed by Pakaj Mullik all other films were R C Boral compositions and Kanan did amazingly superb singing in all these films. Her stint with New Theatres became very significant in Kanan’s carrier in the sense that in NT she got another opportunity to hone her singing skills under the supervision and raining from Pankaj Mullik and R C Boral. It was during this period that she leant the musical idiom of Rabindra Sangeet under the guidance of Pankaj Mullik.
Though she left New Theatres after completion of 1941 film Lagan / Parichay , but her singing and acting carrier kept on moving from one success to another in her post NT films as well . From 1942 to 1948 the year in which she did her last Hindi Film ‘Chandrashekhar’, she acted and sang in Jawaab/ shesh uttar 1942 , Jogajog / Hospital 1943. Rajlakshmi and Banphool 1945, and Arebian nights, Krishna Lila 1946, Faisla , Tum aur Main / Tumi aar Ami 1947 . In 1948 apart from her last Hindi Film Chndrashekhar which had a Bengali Version as well she did ‘Bank Lekha’ and ‘Anirban’ in Bengali as well
Her song ‘ man ki batiyan ka se bolun …’ which she sang in the 1936 film Maa , a S P Rane composition which is available for listening is again proves that by now she achieved the proficiency in the singing.
Kanan’s entry into Radha Films was a turning point in her career. She had no intention and desire to go back to her early life of misery and penury and carried with great confidence and determination and soon met with success, with the release of films like Maa, Monmoyi Girls School and Kanthahaar she came to be recognized as the leading star of Bengal as a singer-actress with a definite Box office appeal. This fame got her offers from outside Bengal also and at one time she almost made her mind up to move to Lahore , but finally she decided to remain in Bengal only and worked hard and groomed herself to become an pan-India figure. The coming years did show that her hard work , determination and dedication to her profession paid , and she achieved what she wanted ! By this time Kanan was a known name in the Film Industry of that time, but the big break which would catapult her into the universe of fame and stardom in the field of acting and singing was yet to come.
It was during this period that Kanan was approached by P C Barua fron New Theatres with an offer to act in the NT film Devdas for the role of Paro but because of contractual conditions with Radha Films she could not accept the offer. At the expiry of her contract with Radha Films in 1936 she Joined the New Theaters and it is after her joining the New Theatre the big moment and the break came her way which made her one of the most popular and sought after star of her time both on screen and behind the microphone.
New Theatre which was a storehouse of the finest talents of its time in film making , acting and singing was doing a remarkable work in making cinema of social and literary values relevant to the time and the environment of then Bengal in particular and India in general. Together with the technical superiority and the talented directors and actors the NT films of that time created a mise-en-scene which drew upon the life styles of the westernized upper classes, and were able to produce an overall sophistication which defined a whole genre. The films of Barua , Nitin Bose, Debki Bose were made by their techbical refinement and Hollywood-like – urbanity. These films set in the houses of the elite and the rich, and displayed sprawling living rooms, grand staircases , pianos, and free mixing of the sexes. While the same films could be critical of the anglicized upper class, they nonetheless created that ethos of modernity and a consumer culture which Miriam Hansen has called ‘ vernacular modernism,. Particularly notable are the female characters in these films, whose mannered elegance produced a very different class of ‘heroines’ when compared to earlier actresses of the stage and screen. At the same time NT films were also inspired by the national fervor and the mood of that time and were also making films based on historical background stories depicting the cultural and literary heritage of Bengal and India, alone with the stories which also had a look at the humble people and their desire to grow and shine in their lives. As these stories were routed in the social cultural and political milieu of the time these films were well received and appreciated by the audience.
It was in this kind of background and environment that Kanan Devi joined New Theatres. And as she had all the requisites , Good looks , acting ability, screen presence and elegance and poise , a beautifully toned ,tuned and sweet voice and as she came from a humble background so was quite familiar with the mannerism of the middle and lower middle class people , so she in fact was kind of a stuff which stars are made of and did fit the bill of all genres of films which New Theatre was interested in making at that time . Therefore no wonder that Kanan Devi , despite her humble background, within two years of joining New Theatres became onscreen , the epitome of the fashionable and cultured modern woman, who set the trends for woman’s fashion and other accomplishments . Her entry in New Theatre also gave her the advantage of the important aspect of NT strategy of making double version of the films in Bengali and Hindi. This strategy effectively opened up north Indian market without added risks, and gave New Theatres its ‘all India’ profile. Kanan Devi, who was already a well-known actress in Bengal got the benefit of this double version strategy and after joining New Theatres in 1936 , became one of the country’s top stars and singer through the Hindi versions of NT films.
After joining New Theatresin 1936 Kanan Devi in the short span two years acted in three films Mukti, Vidypati in 1937 both in double version in Bengali and Hindi and Street singer / Saathi in 1938. These three films provided Kanan Devi an opportunity to showcase her talent in a variety of acting and singing genres and she excelled in both. Her first film Mukti which P C Barua directed and played the lead role as well Kanan was in the lead role. Mukti was kind of a film where Kanan Devi got an opportunity showcase her ability to play the role in the milieu of the so called vernacular modernity and she did it with a great elan and finesse. Mukti , though a bit controversial at the time, latter became a hallmark of New Theatres, Kanan stunned the viewers with her charming performance as a sophisticated high society emancipated woman, the use of Rabindra Sangeet signified a touch of class and Kanan by her singing Rabindra Sangeet in the Bengali version of the film under the baton of Pankaj Mullik became among the firsts to sing Rabindra Sangeet in a film, the Hindi version of the film is also replete with wonderfully sung Kanan songs. Her second film with NT Vidyapati which also came in 1937 was directed by Debki Bose was kind of a historical-cultural film which was publicized by NT as a film with the artistic and literary entertainment in both its versions. The scale and mise-en-scene of the film was grand and Kanan in the role of Anuradha excelled among the giants like Prithviraj Kapoor, Pahari Sanyal and Chhaya Devi ,showing that she has the capability to enact the role to the T in a historical-cultural set-up as well both in the field of singing and acting. And then in 1938 Street singer / Saathi directe by Fani Mazumdar hit the screens country wide where she was in the lead role with the legendry singer actor K L Saigal as the mail lead. This was in this film she did show her talent in portraying the role of a street singer with accuracy and then her transformation to a famous stage artist to the perfection with all nuances of acting conforming to the emotive graph of the character she played. The film was a runaway success all over India. Kanan Devi emerged as the melody queen and reached the zenith of her fame and glory. Kanan was now a celebrity and it was said that she carried a honey pot in her throat. Again the film had some of the most memorable songs rendered by Kanan Devi. And after these successful films this ‘Toofan Mail ‘ of acting and singing never looked back. She remained with NT till 1941 and acted in the lead role in films ‘Jawaani ki reet’ , Sapurey Haar Jeet , Lagan, which were made in Bengali version also as Prajay , Sapurey, Abhinetri and Parichay. But for Mukti which was composed by Pakaj Mullik all other films were R C Boral compositions and Kanan did amazingly superb singing in all these films. Her stint with New Theatres became very significant in Kanan’s carrier in the sense that in NT she got another opportunity to hone her singing skills under the supervision and raining from Pankaj Mullik and R C Boral. It was during this period that she leant the musical idiom of Rabindra Sangeet under the guidance of Pankaj Mullik.
Though she left New Theatres after completion of 1941 film Lagan / Parichay , but her singing and acting carrier kept on moving from one success to another in her post NT films as well . From 1942 to 1948 the year in which she did her last Hindi Film ‘Chandrashekhar’, she acted and sang in Jawaab/ shesh uttar 1942 , Jogajog / Hospital 1943. Rajlakshmi and Banphool 1945, and Arebian nights, Krishna Lila 1946, Faisla , Tum aur Main / Tumi aar Ami 1947 . In 1948 apart from her last Hindi Film Chndrashekhar which had a Bengali Version as well she did ‘Bank Lekha’ and ‘Anirban’ in Bengali as well
1949 onwards she produced 11 films under her own production company Shrimati Pictures and in most of these movies she acted and sang lovely Bengali songs which were quite popular with the films and she remained a force to reckon with in the Bengal film and music industry.
पनघट पे मधु बरसाय गयो रे ...
A singer with a honey pot in her throat as Kanan was known and is hailed as the first melody queen of India. She did rule the hearts and minds of millions and her songs till date remain an aural treat having a great repeat value. In her 1947 film faislaa she rendered a song of which the mukhda goes as ‘ Pangaht pe Mdhu Barsay gayo re wo to shyam salona…’ an Anupam Ghatk composition is kind of a song which melodious dreams are made of. The Mukhda of this song sounds literally true when applied for Kanan Devi’s voice. A voice which had the sweetness , flow and glow of ‘ Madhu’ (Honey ) at the same time could become ‘saloni’ also when required. Her songs are really like a rain of ‘madhu’ (honey) in the ears of listeners.
Kanan Devi’s voice and diction were very clear and almost perfect. She did not carry that Bengali Baani impact when singing Hindi songs replete with Urdu words as well. Despite the fact that Bangla was her mother tongue she could sing Hindi and Urdu worded songs with equal flow and with proper emotive nuances shows her devotion , dedication and seriousness with which she took her singing.
Her voice was not thin and at the same time not thick as well , it has the proper level of density and tonal structure with a subtle ‘loch’ and elasticity , so even when she went in higher pitch ranges her voice does not sound shrill as in ‘ Dole Hriday ki Naiyya..’ in 1938 vidyapati and as the is neither thick so when she moves to lower pitches it did it does not sound cracking . This gave her the ability to maneuver her voice from high pitch to lower pitch in a seamless manner. And so whenever required to drop her voice in to a middle pitch she could do it with great finesse and could render a song in an even and liltingly as in ‘zara nainon se naona milaye jao re… ‘ in Hospital (1943), a song so beautifully composed by Kamal Dasgupta and penned by Pt. Bhushan and superbly rendered by Kanan. Because of This proper density and tonal structure she could brought her voice to almost speech level pitch and could render a song like ‘ Hmari Laj nibhao swami…’ without missing a single note flawlessly. Along with this features of seamless transition from higher to lower pitch her voice could also handle the change in pace from fast to low in a song while keeping the continuity of the melody intact , her song ‘ Angan ayob jab rasiya …’ in the Bengali version of Vidyapati a R C Boral composition is a showcase of these features and her ability to make full use of these to make a song memorable.
After the training and hard work she also acquired the ability in her voice to embellish her songs with those small ‘harqats’ without letting the song deviate from the tune and melody structure as in ‘ na jane kya hai dil ka haal….’ In Mukti 1937 under Pankaj Mullik’s baton. Her singing in mukti is also a testimony of her determination to learn. In Mukti she rendered Rabindra Sangeet after receiving intense training from Pankaj Mullik , and her rendering of Tagore song ‘ Aaj sabar rangey rang… ‘ , mukti and then a few years latter her rendition of another Tagore song ‘ Pran chaye chokhu na chaye…’ under R C Boral’s baton in 1939 Bengali film Parajay which was made as Jawaani Ki Reet; in Hindi till date remain any and every Rabindra Sangeet lovers aural delight. Though in her singing career she touched a very tiny portion of the universe which Rabindra Sangeet is , but there is no doubt about her being authentic in her renderings of Tagore songs which is a genre in itself .
This feature of Kanan’s singing across genres can again be noted in her flawless and superb renderings of Nazrul Geeti, a case in point is her lovely and tuneful renderings with all the nuances of Nazrul Geeti ‘ Akahse helan diey pahaar ghumayo…’ and ‘katha koibe na bou….’ . Again in Shesh Uttar the 1942 Bengali film she did sing a song though this time penned by Pranob Roy and tuned by Kamal Dasgupta ‘ ami bon phool…’ in a perfect Nazrul Geeti Mode. This competence in singing across genres can only be achieved by sheer hard work and devotion to the art which Kanan never lacked in.
When required she could infuse her songs with a suitable and proper emotive motif as in ‘Kuchh yaad rahe to …’ in Jawwab 1942 and in ‘Meri majabooriyan…’ in Hospital 1943. In other cases, her singing acquired a naturalness of a woman’s song rendered under zero performing pressure with effortless ease.
When she sang Bhajans her voice became the voice of a natural devotee. Her Bhajan ‘ Prabhuji rakho laj hamari…’ from Hospital is one of the earlier Bhajans sung in a film which became a household choice of listeners and still remain the same , and her rendition ‘ pranam tomaye ghanshyam…’ in Mejdidi a 1950 film produced by kanan herself is a stuff touching Bhajans are made of.
She could paint a picture of nature in the mind of listener with all its grandeur while rendering song like ‘ mast pavan shaakhen lahrayen…’ with Pahari Sanyal in 1940 Haar Jeet. And her rendition of ‘ Amrit ke barasaiyya… ‘ in Krishna Lila is kind of a song which can be felt only giving a complete emotive graph to the intent of the song she created a song which can easily be said to be sublime in its quality.
Her Rendition of ‘ More ghar aao sajan…’ is an example of her capability to hold on a note and explore a musical phrase to perfection , listening her rendering ‘ leti hain angadaiyan mastiyan….’ In this song makes the listener realize that what kind of flawless performnace she could give and what kind of a performance a music director and trainer of R C Boral’s caliber could extract from her.
Apart from all these features her voice, when needed , with her intonation and singing could creat an effect of pure and pleasant exuberance with matchless flow and lilt in a song which is synonymous with the Name Kanan Devi , the rendition of ‘ Tufaan mail , duniya ye duniya tufan mail…’ in Jawaav 1942 which she made immortal .
The kind of status and fame she achieved in her time is matchless. She was so popular and in dmand that in 1948 she was in position to put a condition to demand one rupee more as fees than amount paid to the then reining star of cinema Ashok Kumar for doing the film Chandrashekhar ,and the producers had to comply with her demand, Ashok Kumar in an autobiographical account mentions receiving a remuneration of two lac fifty thousand rupees for the film. This was truly fantastic sum by contemporary standards and Kanan was in a position to claim it.
Though Chandrashekhar was her last film in Hindi , she did remain active in Bengali cinema till 1965 as an actor, singer and producer. She established her production company in 1949 ‘Shrimati pictures ‘ and went on making films which were popular and well received by the viewers. She produced eleven films in many of which she acted and sang , most of these films were directed by her second husband Haridas Bhattacharji, whome she got married in 1952 after the failure and subsequent divorce from her first husband Ashok Maitra .
Even in this phase of her career despite having well passed her prime , she could carry films as a lead actor on her shoulders and liked by the viewers as in the films like ‘Mejdidi’ 1952 and ‘Darpachurna’ 1952. In her sef produced 1955 film Debatra she acted with Uttam Kumar , and rendered the still remembered song ‘Aano maa aanandamoyi… ‘ composed by Kalipad Sen and penned by Sajanikant das.
Apart from her contribution to cinema and word of music One of her important and humanitarian contribution for the society was the formation of Mahila Shilpi Mahal , to help those actress who were out of work, living in miserable conditions and were easily forgotten by media and society . This was an initiative to help these women. Members of this organization performed stage shows where only the female artists participated. These plays turned quite popular and in some of these even Knanan herself took part. From the money raised thus a house was bought at Garcha Road Calcutta to provide shelter who needed it. This tough was a very good initiative soon ran into trouble as some of the members got over ambitious and tried to occupy the house, kanan due to healthreasons could not coup up with these unforeseen troubles in the organization and was compelled to disband the organization. The house had to be sold and the funds so received were used for social welfare activities. The Failure of this good initiative left Kanan heartbroken.
Apart from her achievements in cinema and singing , her greatest achievement was perhaps earning the respectability for woman in the film industry , who at that time used to come from humble and not so respectable backgrounds.
Recognizing her great contribution to cinema, music and society, Govt. of India awarded her with a Padmashri in 1968. She also was awarded the greatest honor for cinema personality the Dada Saheb Falke award in 1977 by Govt. of India.
Kana Devi who despite coming from a humble background , created an unforgettable space for herself in the country in the field of cinema and singing and achieved the kind of stardom which is fairytale stuff , after living a successful and creative life breathed her last on 17TH July 1992. But she is immortalized in the hearts and minds of countless fans of cinema and music.
Arun Kumar Mudgal
Sources :-
1. Bengali Cinema : An another nation by Sharmistha Gooptu
2. बीते कल के सितारे – श्रीराम ताम्रकर
3. Hindi Film Song by Ashok Da Ranade
4.The one and lonely Kidar Sharma –an autobiography
5. Welcome to the world of Kanan – wavesite by Dr. Jyoti Prakash Guha
6.Cineplot.com
7. HFGK By Harmindar Singh Hamraz
