Stay tuned to our new posts and updates! Click to join us on WhatsApp 
& Telegram 
Channel
& Telegram Channel 
The L&C-Silhouette Basket
A hand-picked basket of cherries from the world of most talked about books and popular posts on creative literature, reviews and interviews, movies and music, critiques and retrospectives ...
to enjoy, ponder, wonder & relish!
to enjoy, ponder, wonder & relish!
Kanan Devi: ‘The First Singing Star’
July 17, 2025
| By
Antara Nanda Mondal and NS Rajan
The life and works of Kanan Devi, the iconic singing star, remain an enduring testament to talent, perseverance, and grace. On the diva’s death anniversary, Antara and NS Rajan pen a heartfelt tribute.
Kanan Devi (Pic: SMM Ausaja Archives)
The film industry worldwide is a field of action where failures and fadeouts occur as often as incredible accounts of success and fascinating rags-to-riches stories. Among the latter, one name stands out – Kanan Devi, née Kanan Bala. This is the story of a singing star who rose from being a housemaid as a little girl to winning the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at 60.
As a child, she was a loner, happy to play with her dolls and toy house. Her father, Ratan Chandra Das, worked in a merchant office and also had a small jewellery shop. But his untimely demise, leaving behind loads of debt, forced the little girl and her mother to take shelter in a relative’s home, with few belongings.
For two meals a day, the mother and daughter worked in that home as cook and housemaid – a relentless toil without wages. One day, unable to bear the heartless behaviour and verbal abuse of the homeowners anymore, the girl held her mother’s hand and walked out to find her space in the wide world.
The two found shelter in the house of an acquaintance, who allowed them to stay for a small rent – one which wasn’t ‘small’ for the penniless mother and daughter. One day, a family friend and theatre artist, Tulsi Banerjee, suggested taking the girl to the film studios. “You have a pretty face. If you land a chance in the films, there will be no looking back.”
She sat there, on one side in the studio of Madan Theatres, waiting. The day passed. No one looked her way. Hungry and tired, she had reached the end of her patience. Suddenly, a handsome gentleman, who quite obviously commanded respect from the people around, stopped by her side. Giving her an affectionate pat on the back, he asked kindly, “Why such a sad face? Are you scared? Or hungry?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Why the tears, silly girl? You will see how beautiful your photos will be. Everyone will see. You will have a name. This studio will be your own place then.”
Kanan Devi
At that time, no one could have imagined how true these prophetic words of film director Jyotish Bandyopadhyay would turn out to be for this inexperienced ten-year-old girl. Kanan Bala began her film career as Radha in Bandyopadhyay’s silent film Jaidev under the Madan Theatres Limited banner. She received five rupees for her work, a princely amount for her – although she later found out that her remuneration was 25 rupees, eighty per cent of which never reached her.
Her next release was another silent film, the KP Ghosh-directed Shankaracharya, under the Indian Cinema Arts banner. But Kanan Devi’s biggest break came with playing the lead in Madan Theatre’s Jore Barat – her first talkie film. The film was released at Crown Cinema (renamed Uttara Cinema a few years later) on 27 June 1931.
In 1932, Kanan Devi moved to Radha Films, playing the role of Bishnupriya (the wife of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) in the film Sri Gauranga. This role brought her immense fame overnight as a singing star. Kanan Devi found satisfaction and delight in singing for her role and releasing music records – it was a welcome relief in a career she had chosen out of compulsion. Her sweet and distinct voice charmed everyone and greatly helped in making her a leading singing actress.
Across the country, it was singing artists such as K.L. Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Devika Rani, K.C. Dey, Surendra, G.M. Durrani, Khurshid Bano, Noor Jahan, Suraiya, and others who lit up the screens with their dual talents of singing and acting. This helped make their films even more successful, as playback singing made its advent later.
Fiercely protective of her dignity and self-respect, Kanan Devi fended off many advances – from a ‘hero’ finding excuses to get close under the pretext of teaching her ‘natural acting’ to a film director pushing wads of notes into her hand, inviting her to accompany him to the races. Not surprisingly, the peeved film director’s vengeance and harassment made her life miserable. But she stood her ground, holding on to a steely determination to rise above the muck.
At this time, her role as the ultra-modern, ostentatious Brajarani in the Prafulla Ghosh-directed Maa, won massive acclaim from both the critics and the masses. There was no stopping her now.
Since childhood, Kanan Devi had harboured a desire for education. She engaged a pandit to teach her the epics, the Puranas and the Bhagavad Gita. Also she engaged a school teacher to read and explain Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry, novels and essays. During her shooting schedules in the studio, whenever she had some free time, she would narrate the poems she loved, and memorise them.
It was a time when actresses did not command the respect they do now. In those days, artists were paid a monthly salary by the studio. In her autobiography, Shobare Aami Nomi (I Salute Everyone), Kanan Devi recalls a role Basabdutta, which she was forced to do under ‘contract’, wearing costumes she wasn’t comfortable with. Not surprisingly, her listless performance left everyone surprised, and the film tanked.
But once again, the scales turned in her favour with the huge box office success of Manmoyee Girls School, a romantic comedy co-starring Jahar Ganguly. The film ran uninterrupted for 10 weeks at Roopbani Theatre in 1935, with Kanan Devi’s songs and performance receiving wide appreciation. Her first record was released after this film and opened up new avenues.
The 1930s were a time when films made in Bengali would often have a Hindi version as well. Kanthahaar in Bengali was made as Khooni Kaun in Hindi while Maa too had a Hindi version. Playing Rukmini in Krishna Sudama (1936), and Kundanandini in Bishabriksha (1936) were roles that brought her fame as well as creative satisfaction, while her performance as Brajarani opposite Jaal Merchant and Zubeida in the Hindi Maa earned her the Best Actress Award and pan-Indian recognition. Kanan Devi’s last film with Radha Film Company was Char Darvesh (1936).
The legendary New Theatres
(Pic: SMM Ausaja Archives)
Kanan Devi now joined the premier film studios of the 30s – the prestigious New Theatres led by the iconic B N Sircar. Her first film under NT was the bilingual Bidyapati/Vidyapati (1937) although Mukti (1937) was released earlier. Both these films pitchforked Kanan Devi into nationwide stardom.
Playing Anuradha, the poet’s devotee in Vidyapati under the direction of Debaki Bose with music by RC Boral was a turning point. This character left such an impact that ripples were heard decades later. Remember in Padosan, Kishore Kumar (well, who else) parodying KC Dey’s style of “Anuradha, Anuradha” in the song Meri pyari Bindu? He is corrected by his gang: ‘Guru, guru, guru, Anuradha nahin… Bindu, Bindu!’ The film’s superhit songs were steeped in Vaishnavi kirtan, with a mix of Maithili and Bengali and lyrics full of imagery. Kanan Devi, with her typical Bengali lilt, became the number one singer-star of New Theatres, on par with K L Saigal with the popularity of Vidyapati’s songs.
Playing Anuradha in Vidyapati with Pahari Sanyal and Prithviraj Kapoor
Pramathesh (PC) Barua’s bilingual Mukti (1937), which was among her finest performances, made her the studio’s top star. With Mukti, Kanan Devi got the opportunity to train under Pankaj Mullick. The doyen’s compassionate teaching style helped Kanan Devi hone her skills in singing Rabindra Sangeet. Mullick called her the “First Singing Star of New Theatres”. He trained her in how to modulate her full-throated voice in the high and low notes and to introduce feeling in her renditions. She also trained with RC Boral and Hindustani vocal exponent Vishmadev Chatterjee, releasing several Raag-pradhan (semi-classical) songs under the latter’s guidance.
Pran chaaye chokkhu na chaaye (Parajay, 1940) Music and lyrics Rabindranath Tagore
Following the success of Mukti, Barua’s assistant Phani Majumdar cast Kanan Devi in the lead role in his directorial debut Saathi (1938), opposite KL Saigal. Majumdar gave her full freedom to explore her histrionic talents and RC Boral gave Kanan Devi and KL Saigal the immortal bidai geet Babul mora in the Hindi version of Saathi, titled Street Singer.
The Hindi and Bengali bilingual Sapure/Sapera (1939), directed by Debaki Bose, Jawani Ki Reet (1939) and Parajay (1939) directed by Hemchandra Chunder, Abhinetri/Haar Jeet (1940) directed by Amar Mullick and the bilingual Parichay (1941) directed by Nitin Bose were a slew of hits from Kanan Devi with NT that firmly established her as the leading singing star. “Swapno diye toiri shey je smriti diye ghera” (Built with dreams, wrapped in memories) is how Kanan Devi described her days with New Theatres, quoting a line from the iconic ode to the motherland Dhono-dhaanne pushpe bhora.
KL Saigal and Kanan Devi in Street Singer (L) and Kanan Devi and Sailen Chowdhury in Saathi (the Bengali version of Street Singer)
By the 1940s, the glorious era of New Theatres was nearly over. Kanan Devi’s Shesh Uttar (1942) and its Hindi version Jawab under the direction of PC Barua under the banner of MP Productions became a nationwide hit. Her song Duniya yeh duniya, Toofan Mail became highly popular and was probably only the second hit ‘train’ song after Pankaj Mullick’s Aayee bahar aaj from the film Doctor. Both these songs were surely trendsetters for the many songs that followed.
Toofan Mail (Shesh Uttar, 1942) Kamal Dasgupta / Shailen Roy / Kanan Devi
Under MP Productions banner, Kanan Devi gave several hit films such as Hospital (1943) and Jogajog (1943) directed by actor-director Sushil Majumdar, Path Bendhe Dilo/Rajlakshmi (1946) directed by novelist-turned filmmaker Premendra Mitra and Anirban (1948) directed by Soumyen Mukherjee. Outside this banner, she worked with director Niren Lahiri in Banaphool (1945) and Arabian Nights (1946) and with Apurba Mitra in Tumi Aar Ami/Tum Aur Main (1946). Her most forgettable experience was Bideshini (1944) with Premendra Mitra. The film did not appeal to the audiences, although the other films cemented her status as the reigning superstar.
However, in spite of her appeal among the all-India audience, the Bombay film industry could not persuade her to leave Calcutta. Apart from her gratitude to New Theatres, Kanan Devi, much like PC Barua and Pankaj Mullick, stuck to her resolve and rejected lucrative offers. Eventually, producer Lakshmidas Anand from Bombay, came to Calcutta and signed her as Radha for the film Krishna Leela (1946), under Debaki Bose’s direction.
Kanan Devi with Ashok Kumar at the music recording of Chandrashekhar (Pic courtesy: Shobare Aami Nomi / 1980 / Publisher: Samit Sarkar)
One of her last Hindi films was Chandrashekhar (1947), based on Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s romantic story, with Bombay’s matinee idol Ashok Kumar. The film was a runaway success at the box office.
Fond of literature, Kanan Devi built up an enviable repertoire of films based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novels and long stories – Bamuner Meye (1949), Mejdidi (1950), Darpachurna (1951).
Kanan Devi married Ashok Maitra but unfortunately, this union of two people coming from two widely different ‘classes’, crumpled under severe pressure from a highly conservative society. Maitra belonged to the aristocratic Brahmo family,; he was the brother of Rani Mahalanobis, whose husband, eminent economist and statistician PC Mahalanobis went on to become one of the key members of the first Planning Commission of India. Kanan Devi recounted in Shobare Aami Nomi, how a signed gift from Rabindranath Tagore to bless the couple on their marriage, earned the bard tremendous criticism. Although the couple divorced in 1945, Kanan Devi never fell short of expressing her gratitude to Maitra for giving her social recognition, and to the Mahalanobis couple for their selfless love, care and affection.
Kanan Devi met the strapping, handsome Naval officer Haridas Bhattacharya, ADC to the then-West Bengal Governor Dr KN Katju, and the two fell in love and married. Bhattacharya stepped into film direction, and the couple produced memorable films based on Sarat Babu’s stories, under their home banner Srimati Pictures, with Kanan Devi starring in a few initial ones, such as Nababidhan (1954), Indranath Srikanto O Annadadidi (1959) before stepping away from the arc lights. Notable among these films are Rajlakshmi Srikanto (1958) starring Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen and Abhaya O Srikanto (1965) starring Mala Sinha and Basanta Chowdhury. Andhare Alo (1957) starring Sumitra Devi and Basanta Chowdhury won the National Award for the Second Best Feature Film and was also honoured with a screening at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Thus, as a producer too, Kanan Devi carved out an admirable niche.
Kanan Devi and Haridas Bhattacharya at Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia (Pic courtesy: Shobare Aami Nomi / 1980 / Publisher: Samit Sarkar)
Kanan Devi’s spectacular rise to become the brightest star in the film industry did not affect her inherent nature. Her dignity and humility became part of folklore. Never the one to forget her humble beginnings, she would serve the poor and the beggars with her own hands on Saraswati Puja.
A woman of many dimensions, Kanan Devi was a fashionista, a producer who made many successful films in the 50s and 60s, a philanthropist for women in theatre and film-centered welfare projects, and a feminist before that word gained currency. She possessed sound financial acumen and managed her own investments and income, unusual in those times for a woman to do it all by herself.
Jahar Ganguly, Kanan Devi and Hemant Kumar at the Eden Gardens when Kanan Devi’s team faced Hemant Kumar’s team for a cricket match on 30th December 1962
To collect donations for the National Defence Fund after the Indo-China war, a friendly cricket match was organised between Kanan Devi’s team and Hemant Kumar’s team, at Eden Gardens on 30 December 1962. The mega event brought forth the stalwarts of the film and music industry. The book The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar mentions that Hemant Kumar’s famous song Maago bhabna keno was originally composed for this event, penned by Gouriprasanna Majumdar and tuned by Hemant Kumar himself. Hemant Kumar sang the song as the lead singer while renowned singers Sandhya Mukherjee, Satinath Mukherjee, Utpala Sen, Neeta Sen, Bela Mukherjee, Amal Mukherjee (Hemant’s younger brother), Sumitra Mukherjee (Hemant’s niece) and Ranu Mukherjee (Hemant’s daughter) joined him, singing in chorus, accompanied by V Balsara and his orchestra. What a moment it must have been!
Kanan Devi and K L Saigal in Phani Majumdar’s Street Singer (1938)
One of Kanan Devi’s social initiatives was the Mahila Shilpi Mahal, an organisation she had started with other actresses to help senior actresses who were destitute. Once, when Kanan Devi was about to get into the car at the studio to start for home, a woman, her face covered, extended a fair, thin hand and asked for alms. Kanan later came to know the woman was a well-known actress of her time and had fallen into penury. Touched by this experience, she rallied her friends in the industry – renowned actresses Chandravati Devi, Sunanda, Molina Devi and others – and started organising plays to raise funds for the women artists who had fallen into hard times. The entire industry responded enthusiastically with donations coming in, and artists like Karamatullah Khan, Sunanda Pattnaik and Mohd Sagiruddin holding classical music concerts without fees to raise funds.
Never allowing her lack of formal education to be a handicap, Kanan Devi, principally a Bengali speaker, had learned Hindi and Urdu, the languages of popular Indian cinema, to perfection. No one who hears her singing Hindi film songs from films of the 1930s and 40s such as Street Singer (1938) (Lachhami murat daras dikhaaye), Vidyapati (1936) (Dole hriday ki naiya and Ambuvaa ki daali daali jhum rahi hai aali), Jawaab (Duniya ye duniya Toofan Mail), Mukti (1937) (Saanwariya, man bhaya re; Na jaane kya hai dil ka raag; Sharabi soch na kar matwale; and Kaisa ujda chaman khushi ka), Jawani ki Reet (1940) (Loot liyo mandheer and Chali pavan harson), Hospital (1943) (Zara nainon se naina milaye jao re; Prabhuji tum, rakhio laaj hamari; Ae ronewale hansne ke din door nahin hain) would believe that her native tongue was Bengali, or that she never left Calcutta.
As the first lady of the Bengali screen, Kanan Devi had many honours conferred on her for her contribution to Indian cinema: the BFJA awards for Best Actress for Parichay and Shesh Uttar, an honorary degree from Vishwa Bharati, the Padma Shree in 1968, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1976.
Kanan Devi with VK Krishna Menon (Pic courtesy: Shobare Aami Nomi / 1980 / Publisher: Samit Sarkar)
Kanan Devi’s fame and gentle personality endeared her to people like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the Pathan leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, all involved in the freedom struggle against the British. One of her most memorable experiences was when free India’s first High Commissioner to London, VK Krishna Menon, organised a felicitation ceremony in her honour on 15 August 1947 at India House in Holborn. With the unfurling of independent India’s flag, Kanan Devi sang Amader yatra holo suru (Our journey has begun).
Kanan Devi was always rooted to her past, never allowing her fame and fortune to erase it from her mind. She contributed a lot to charities and hospitals for the poor. She died on 17 July 1992 at Belle View Clinic, Calcutta. Her extraordinary journey from a destitute housemaid to India’s first cinematic superstar remains an enduring testament to talent, perseverance, and grace, inspiring generations of artists and reminding us that true stardom lies not just in fame but in the dignity with which one touches the lives of others.
A list of some of her popular Hindi songs:
Lachhami murat daras dikhaaye / Street Singer (1938)
Dole hriday ki naiya / Vidyapati (1936)
Duniya ye duniya toofan mail / Jawaab
Toofan Mail jaaye / Shesh Uttar
Saanwariya, man bhaya re / Mukti (1937)
Na jaane kya hai dil ka raag / Mukti (1937)
Kaisa ujda chaman khushi ka / Mukti (1937)
Loot liyo mandheer / Jawani ki Reet (1940)
Zara nainon se naina milaye jao re / Hospital (1943)
Prabhuji tum, rakhio laaj hamari / Hospital (1943)
Ae ronewale hansne ke din door nahin hain / Hospital (1943)
References:
- Devi, Kanan. Shobare Aami Nomi [I Salute Everyone]. Autobiography, Samit Sarkar, 1980. (In Bengali)
- Kanan Devi
- Kanan Devi’s stage lifeline for seniors: Academy Theatre hosts show on ‘first superstar of Bengali cinema’.
- Kanan Devi’s stage lifeline for seniors: Academy Theatre hosts show on ‘first superstar of Bengali cinema’
- Sengupta, Mekhala. Kanan Devi: The First Superstar of Indian Cinema. HarperCollins Publishers India, 2015
- Bengal’s Music and Its Influence in Hindi Film Music
More Must Read in Silhouette
Suraiya: The Last Singing Star of Indian Cinema
‘KL Saigal’s Songs Started the Sugam Sangeet Revolution’ – In Conversation with Author Pran Nevile
Eternal Wait: The Story Of The Dark Girl By The Meghna (Geeta Dutt)
Whether you are new or veteran, you are important. Please contribute with your articles on cinema, we are looking forward for an association. Send your writings to amitava@silhouette-magazine.com
Editor in Chief, Learning and Creativity; Consulting Editor, Silhouette Magazine. A former business journalist, Antara writes extensively on the changing trends of music, direction and filmmaking in cinema. Her articles aim to provide well-researched information on the legends of cinema for the movie and music enthusiast. She is also the Founder-Editor of Blue Pencil, a New Delhi-based publishing house. She has co-authored a chapter on Hemant Kumar's Bengali music in the acclaimed book The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar, written by Manek Premchand. Her articles have also been published in Dearcinema.com and Du-kool.com. Antara is Editor-Creative Director of Wisitech InfoSolutions Pvt. Ltd.
All Posts of Antara Nanda Mondal
All Posts of Antara Nanda Mondal
NS Rajan is a retired senior IRS Officer. He is an avid reader and a sports lover, particularly cricket, having watched many greats in action from the late 1940s (he has played cricket at a fairly competitive level). He loves listening to music of all genres, is fascinated by Hindi film music of the ‘golden era’ and has written many essays on composers, lyricists and singers.
Rajan loves to sing and spends some of his time singing on his karaoke system. He likes to write and has contributed articles, short stories and letters to newspapers and magazines, some of which have been published in Silhouette Magazine and LnC.
Rajan is very fond of travelling and learning about new and fascinating places and is a keen observer of all that he sees, hears and observes during his travels. Travel and photography usually always go together and Rajan has been interested in photography from his teens, weaned on a German Zeiss Ikon. His abiding love for travel and photography inspired him to write an illustrated book on his trip to the USA, Go West Odyssey: How I Saw America in 19 Days, including in it a large number of pictures taken by him during his trip. He works actively to keep himself engaged in some mental pursuit or the other and is mentally and physically fit at the ripe old age of 90.
All Posts of NS Rajan
All Posts of NS Rajan
Hope you enjoyed reading…
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading and supporting our creative, informative and analytical posts than ever before. And yes, we are firmly set on the path we chose when we started… our twin magazines Learning and Creativity and Silhouette Magazine (LnC-Silhouette) will be accessible to all, across the world.
We are editorially independent, not funded, supported or influenced by investors or agencies. We try to keep our content easily readable in an undisturbed interface, not swamped by advertisements and pop-ups. Our mission is to provide a platform you can call your own creative outlet and everyone from renowned authors and critics to budding bloggers, artists, teen writers and kids love to build their own space here and share with the world.
When readers like you contribute, big or small, it goes directly into funding our initiative. Your support helps us to keep striving towards making our content better. And yes, we need to build on this year after year. Support LnC-Silhouette with a little amount – and it only takes a minute. Thank you
Related Posts:
Main Kya Janoon Kya Jadoo Hai: K L Saigal’s Magical Music
Remembering Phani Da
Phani Majumdar: A Journey Through Life…
Pankaj Mullick: The Doyen of Film and Non-Film Music
Bengal’s Music and Its Influence in Hindi Film Music
Jetha Ramdhanu Othe Heshe: The Smiling Rainbow of Talat Mahmood (Tapan Kumar’s) Bengali Songs
One thought on “Kanan Devi: ‘The First Singing Star’”
Leave a Reply
Silhouette Magazine publishes articles, reviews, critiques and interviews and other cinema-related works, artworks, photographs and other publishable material contributed by writers and critics as a friendly gesture. The opinions shared by the writers and critics are their personal opinion and does not reflect the opinion of Silhouette Magazine. Images on Silhouette Magazine are posted for the sole purpose of academic interest and to illuminate the text. The images and screen shots are the copyright of their original owners. Silhouette Magazine strives to provide attribution wherever possible. Images used in the posts have been procured from the contributors themselves, public forums, social networking sites, publicity releases, YouTube, Pixabay and Creative Commons. Please inform us if any of the images used here are copyrighted, we will pull those images down.
Tags
Amitabh Bachchan
Asha Bhosle
Ashok Kumar
Beyond Apu: 20 Favourite film roles of Soumitra Chatterjee
Bimal Roy
Cinema of Satyajit Ray
Dev Anand
Dilip Kumar
film director Tapan Sinha
films of Tapan Sinha
Geeta Dutt
Gulzar
Guru Dutt
Hemant Kumar
Jaya Bachchan
Jaya Bhaduri
Kishore Kumar
Lata Mangehkar songs
Lata Mangeshkar
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Manna Dey
Mohd Rafi
moviemaking by Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen's films
Mrinal Sen centenary
Mrinal Sen filmmaker
Nabendu Ghosh
Raj Kapoor
RD Burman
Sahir Ludhianvi
Salil Chowdhury
Satyajit Ray
satyajit ray and apu
satyajit ray films
SD Burman
Shailendra
Shankar Jaikishan
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee's films
Suchitra Sen
Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha centenary
Uttam Kumar
Waheeda Rehman
Fascinating write up on an incredible artist . Her extraordinary journey is stuff folklores are made of . I was oblivious to her legend till I read this article . Wish a movie was made on her ..!