''Street Singer'' is a

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

Hindi film directed by

Phani Majumdar Phani Majumdar was a pioneering Indian film director, who worked in Hindi cinema, most known for his film ''Street Singer'' (1938) starring K.L. Saigal noted for its song, '' Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye'', Meena Kumari classic ''Aarti'' (1962 ...

. It was produced by

New Theatres New Theatres is an Indian film studio. It was formed in Calcutta by producer B. N. Sircar (Birendranath Sircar, the recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award of 1970). It was formed on 10 February 1931. Motto of this company was– ''Jivatang Jyotire ...

Calcutta and was Phani Majumdar's first Hindi film as a director. The film was made in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

as '' Sathi'' in the same year. It starred

K. L. Saigal Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian 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 ...

Kanan Devi Kanan Devi (22 April 1916 – 17 July 1992) was an Indian actress and singer. She was among the early singing stars of Indian cinema, and is credited popularly as the first star of Bengali cinema. Her singing style, usually in rapid tempo, was ...

, 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.

Plot

Bhulwa helps Manju escape from a burning orphanage and from the care of the tyrannical manager of the orphanage. The two street urchins go from village to village, singing and making money. Bhulwa’s big dream is to someday sing in a theatre in Calcutta. Several years later both are singing on the streets in Calcutta and Manju is employed by a theatre to sing. Bhulwa encourages her through her nervousness and she becomes a popular singer. However her attitude towards servants and other people changes and Bhulwa is disappointed and tells her off. Bhulwa is still struggling but manages to get a chance to sing on the radio. Manju learns of his singing assignment when she listens to him sing on the radio. Feeling slighted she decides to sing Bhulwa’s song in a new style, the way the actor-manager Kailash wants. She leaves a message with the servant asking him to send Bhulwa to the theatre. Bhulwa gets drenched in the rain and is feverish but he goes to listen to Manju. On hearing the new tune given to his favourite song he gets aggressive on the stage and then leaves from there. Manju by now is repentant and decides to search for him. She asks the manager-actor Kailash to drive her and searches the roads by which both had travelled to come to the city. She spies Bhulwa in a boat which is being tossed around due to the wind and storm. The boat crashes against the banks. Manju rushes to Bhulwa and cradles his head on her lap. Kailash leaves them, while both look towards the road leading to the village.

Cast

* Jagdish *

Chaman Puri Chaman Puri was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His younger brothers were Bollywood actors Madan Puri and Amrish Puri. Early life Chaman Lal Puri was the first of five children, with younger brothers Madan Puri, Amrish Puri and Haris ...

as Munshi also writer in theatre *Bikram Kapoor *Shabir *A. H. Shore *Shyam Laha

Production

Street Singer. was

's first and most famous Hindi film. Saigal and Kanan Devi were a sensation nationwide following this film. The film helped establish Kanan Devi’s popularity and her ‘melody queen’ status. It is also ranked as one of Saigal’s greatest hits, where his rendition of

Wajid Ali Shah Mirza Wajid Ali Shah ( ur, ) (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better k ...

’s

Bhairavi Bhairavi ( sa, भैरवी) is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava. Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terror" or "awe-inspiring". She is the ...

thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dra ...

" Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" is considered a classic. Majumdar considered Saigal an exceptional artist. He felt he could pan the camera on his face irrespective of who was giving the dialogues. When Saigal sang "Babul Mora', he requested Majumdar not to use recording and playback (his own song) on him, but to let him sing live on the sets. He sang the song pacing the streets with the

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

Soundtrack

The songs became popular making K. L. Saigal and Kanan Devi a craze in India. Saigal's song Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Hi Jaaye is associated with him as "an immortal singer". The music was by R. C. Boral and lyrics by Arzu Lucknavi. The bhairavi thumri "Babul Mora" is by Wajid Ali Shah.

Track listing

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id =0030806 , title =Street Singer 1938 films 1930s Hindi-language films Films directed by Phani Majumdar Indian black-and-white films 1938 drama films Indian drama films Hindi-language drama films