Bollywood Retrospect: Kanan Devi, superstar of a bygone era of Indian cinema

Kanan Devi was one of the early singer-actors of Bengali and Hindi films. When her father passed away, the responsibility of supporting her family fell on the shoulders of 10-year-old Kanan Bala. She debuted in the silent film Joy Deb (1926) and played her first lead role for the Bengali talkie Jore Barat (1931). In 1937, Kanan Devi joined New Theatres and her fame as a singer and actress grew rapidly. She left New Theatres in 1941 and worked for other banners before calling it quits as an actress in 1959. She also produced many Bengali films under her banner Shrimati Pictures between 1949 and 1965. In this post, I list the four Hindi films that made Kanan Devi’s otherwise unremarkable Hindi film career a memorable one.

Vidyapati (1937)

Vidyapati was based on a play by Kazi Nazrul Islam who also co-wrote the film with director Debaki Bose. While the film’s main character was based on the real-life 14^th century Maithili poet Vidyapati, the story was fictional. In her first major Hindi film role, Kanan Devi outshone even Pahari Sanyal, who played Vidyapati, with her portrayal of the poet’s friend Anuradha. If the film, with its depiction of love that wasn’t bound by societal norms, was ahead of its times, Kanan Devi’s Anuradha was even more so. Imagine a woman free-spirited enough to leave her village so she could be with a man she has feelings for but self-assured enough to not seek their relationship to be formalised, or even defined, in any way. Even without seeing the film, it’s evident through her songs for the film that Kanan Devi’s uninhibited performance breathed life into Anuradha’s character. Since my most favourite song from the film 'Ambua Ke Daal Daali' has already appeared in the post on RC Boral, I pick ‘More Angana Mein Aaye Aali’ here.

Street Singer (1938)

KL Saigal was a bonafide superstar after Devdas and when Kanan Devi was cast opposite him in Street Singer it was a validation of her talent and popularity. The film’s spectacular success established Kanan Devi as the leading actress of her time. Although Saigal stole the spotlight musically with ‘Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Hi Jaye’, Kanan Devi proved herself as an accomplished singer. In fact, she had her own version of ‘Babul Mora...’ in the film which was very different from Saigal’s and served as an important plot point. That apart, Kanan Devi did have some superb songs in the film. My pick— ‘Lachhmi Moorat Daras Dikhaye’.

Lagan (1941)

Lagan was both KL Saigal’s and Kanan Devi’s last film with New Theatres, a blow the venerable banner never recovered from. The film was big success primarily due to its music, with RC Boral delivering again. My Kanan Devi pick from the film is the pathos filled ‘Hamri Laaj Nibhao’.

Jawab (1942)

Jawab was Kanan Devi’s first Hindi film after she left New Theatres and her last hit film. It was in this film with director PC Barua and music director Kamal Dasgupta that Kanan Devi sang the song she’s best remembered for, ‘Duniya Ye Duniya Toofan Mail’. This was one of the many golden era songs Lata Mangeshkar covered and gave new life to in her album ‘Shraddhanjali’ released in the early 1990s. While Lata’s cover is heart-warming, the original song exudes energy as Kanan Devi renders this fast-paced song, set to the rhythm of a steam engine, with aplomb.