Indubala - Forgotten Singer, Actress(Telugu,Kannada,Tamil, Hindi )
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Indubala, from a 1936 issue of The Indian Listener
ABOUT:
A South Asian woman with a bindi; her dark waved hair is partly covered by a light-colored dupatta
Born 1898, Amritsar, India
Died 30 November 1984 (aged approximately 83), Kolkata, India
Occupations Singer and actress
Introduction:
Indubala (1898 – 30 November 1984), sometimes credited as Miss Indubala, Indubālā Debī, or Indubala Devi, was a Bengali singer and actress. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1975.
Early life:
Indubala was born in Amritsar, the daughter of Motilal Bose and Rajabala. Her parents were with the Great Bengal Circus, and separated soon after her birth. She lived with her mother in Calcutta. She trained as a singer in Calcutta with several teachers, including Gauhar Jaan, Kamal Dasgupta, and Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Career:
Indubala is considered one of the great Bengali women singers. She made her first of hundreds of recordings for Gramaphone Records in 1915 or 1916. She performed on stage with her mother's company, the Rambagan Female Kali Theatre, and at the Star Theatre. She sang on All India Radio beginning in 1927, on the broadcaster's second day on the air, and regularly through the 1930s. In 1936 she was appointed court musician to the Maharaja of Mysore.
VIDEO: Indubala Actress Singer इंदुबाला अभिनेत्री गायिका اندوبالا اداکارہ گلوکارہ
Beginning in the 1930s she provided playback vocals for sound films, and she acted on-screen in more than two dozen films, including
Rajrani Meera (1933), Hindi
Sati Sulochana (1934), Kannada
and Naveena Sarangadhara (1936). Tamil
She retired from the stage in 1950. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1975
Indubala lived most of her life in the Rambagan neighborhood of Calcutta, and was concerned for the welfare of the actresses and sex workers concentrated in that district. "I am Rambagan's Indu," she declared. "Here I have learnt music, established myself, and got respect."
Personal life:
After several years of declining health, Indubala died in 1984, in Calcutta, in her mid-eighties. She is one of the title characters of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's short story "Einstein and Indubala" (2016). In 2020 a compilation album of Indubala's recordings was released on vinyl, by Tara Disc
References:
1.Indubala Devi – the singing sensation of 1915 Calcutta:Debdutta Gupta17 January, 2020 21:39:39
Indubala, the mellifluous singer and performer, hailed from the infamous red-light alleys of Rambagan in North Calcutta. But that was no deterrent to her achieving stardom as a brilliant singer, early in her teens. The velvety texture of her voice, amazing pitch range and melodious rendition astounded her listeners. She was trained by a host of renowned classical singers, including the Prima Donna of India, Gauhar Jaan. Apart from music, Indubala also learned etiquette from Gauhar Jaan and developed a close friendship with her. This association provided her with valuable musical knowledge and experience.
By 1915, the elite society of Kolkata became familiar with the multi-faceted talent of Indubala. Her prowess as singer and actor had transcended the native quarters and reached the White European quarters. Indubala always idolized Gauhar Jaan and aspired to be like her. Her mother Rajabala never approved of her daughter’s aspiration and often scoffed at her saying, she could never come close to Gauhar Jaan’s ethereal beauty. However, nothing could deter young Indubala. In 1915, she went to record her first song. She selected a composition by poet Kumud Ranjan Mullick. The lyrics of the song was, ‘Oray maajhi tori hetha bandhbo na aar.’
In those days, it was a common practice for the recording engineer to announce the name of the artiste at the beginning or end of the performance. Usually, weightage was given to the popularity and fame while making such announcements. Not all artistes had the right to announce their names. However, Gauhar Jaan, Janki Bai Chhappanchhuriwali or Malka Jaan were the crème de la crème of the music industry and belonged to a different league altogether. Indubala’s honey- dipped rendition was so intense that it moved all others present during the recording of the song. The potency of her rendition remained even after she concluded her recital. And then a startling incident occurred. The English sound engineer announced with great honour, ‘Miss Indubala, Amateur.’ Her very first recording fetched her the respect and admiration of the masses.
2. Indubala Devi: early Indian cinema actress and singer:
Indian Cinema - Jane Anjane Kalakaar - Suresh Sarvaiya
Remembering popular actress & singer of the early Indian Cinema Indubala Devi on her Death Anniversary : A tribute
इंदुबाला देवी Indubala Devi (05 November 1899 - 30 November 1984) was one of the early singer and actress in Bengali Cinema. She was generally known as Sangeet Samragyee (an empress of the world of singing). She has been closely associated with poet Kazi Najrul Islam.
Indubala, the mellifluous singer and performer, hailed from the infamous red-light alleys of Ram Bagan in North Calcutta. But that was no deterrent to her achieving stardom as a brilliant singer, early in her teens. The velvety texture of her voice, amazing pitch range and melodious rendition astounded her listeners. She was trained by a host of renowned classical singers, including the Prima Donna of India, Gauhar Jaan. Apart from music, Indubala also learned etiquette from Gauhar Jaan & developed a close friendship with her. This association provided her with valuable musical knowledge and experience. Compiled by Suresh Sarvaiya
Indubala was born on 5th November 1899 in Amritsar, Princely State, undivided India, now in the Indian State of Punjab. She was the daughter of Motilal Bose (Basu), the owner of the Great Bengal Circus & Chhayabala Debi. At the age of 13 she got a scholarship from her school. She could not go for higher education as she has decided to be an actress. Indubala Debi made her appearance for the first time in a talkie film called ‘Jamuna Puline’ directed by Priyanath Ganguly, which was released in 1932. She used to earn ₹.250 monthly. Indubala’s father had a circus ‘Great Bengal Circus’ in which her mother Chhayabala Debi used to produce her shows. Indubala took her music lessons from famous singers like Gourishankar Mitra, Kalicharan Mitra, Jamiruddin Khan, Elahi Baksh, Piyaru Kawal and from Kazi Nazrul Islam. Professionally, she has performed in stages too. She had also worked in Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Telegu films. She had also worked with Sishir Kumar Bhaduri and Dani Babu. By 1915, the elite society of Kolkata became familiar with the multi-faceted talent of Indubala. Her prowess as singer and actor had transcended the native quarters and reached the White European quarters.
Indubala’s honey- dipped rendition was so intense that it moved all others present during the recording of the song. The potency of her rendition remained even after she concluded her recital. And then a startling incident occurred. The English sound engineer announced with great honour, ‘Miss Indubala, Amateur.’ Her very first recording fetched her the respect and admiration of the masses.
After the record was released, one of its copies was sent to Indubala. There was an advertisement that depicted her profile on the cover of the record. But poor Indubala could not hear her own song because she did not have a gramophone player. In anger and sheer frustration, she broke the record into pieces instantly. When news of this incident reached the gramophone company, the officials arranged to send her a gramophone player and another copy of the record. After the record player was installed at her home, she could finally hear her own recording.
Indubala started as an actress in the Ram bagan Female Kali Theatre of her mother and soon received calls from the professional stage mainly for singing roles. The Gramophone Company of India also recorded her songs & in the twenties and the two following decades she was one of the most popular record artistes and also made her presence felt on the stage and films. Her entry into films was with Jamuna Puliney (1933) and she acted, mainly in singing roles in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Telugu films. She received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1975 & the Gold Disc from HMV in 1976. Although she was established as a major artist, she never left her original place of residence at Ram bagan in the red light areas of Calcutta. She has been active in upliftment for fallen women and was never ashamed to discuss or disclose her origins. She was generally known as Sangeet Samragyee (an empress of the world of singing). She has been closely associated with poet Kazi Najrul Islam.
Indubala Devi died on 30 November 1984 in Kolkata after a prolonged illness of a paralytic stroke that kept her confined to bed for some years.
Indubala is one of the title characters of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's short story "Einstein and Indubala" (2016). In the year 2020 a compilation album of recordings of Indubala was released on vinyl, by Tara Disc.
Filmography of Indubala Devi -
1950 Aahuti
1949 Flying Express & Roop Basant
1940 Diwali
1939 Nadi Kinare, Prem Sagar
1938 Rikshawala
1937 Bulldog, Samaj Patan, Mr 420
1936 Baghi Sipahi & Bala Ki Raat,
Khyber Pass, Parivartan
1935 Balidan, Daku Ka Ladka, Kalia Mardan
Kunwari Ya Vidhwa, Murderer
Shri Satyanarayan & Step Mother
1934 Sati Sulochana, Raat Ka Raja,
Ramayan, Seeta & Sultana
1933 Nal Damyanti (Kannada film), Radha Krishna &
Rajrani Meera
1932 Ankh Ka Tara
🎧 Some songs sung by Indubala -
● Man Kyo Na Dhara Tune Dhir... Nadi Kinaare (1939) by Indubala, Composer Gyan Dutt, Lyricist P. L. Santoshi, D N Madhok
● Kyon Prem Ka Bagh Lagaya Pagle... Nadi Kinaare (1939) by Indubala, Composer Gyan Dutt, Lyricist P. L. Santoshi, D N Madhok
● Saajan Nikle Chor... Nadi Kinaare (1939) by Indubala, Rajkumari & Gyan Dutt, Composer Gyan Dutt, Lyricist P. L. Santoshi, D N Madhok
● Ban Se Laute Hue Tum Raaja... Seeta (1934) by Indubala, Composer K. C. Dey, Lyricist Pandit Narottam vyas
● Chandra Kala Sis Wet Raat Thi... Rajrani Meera (1933) by Indubala, Composer R. C. Boral
● Kahan Hai Seeta Ramdulari... Seeta (1934) by Indubala, Composer K. C. Dey, Lyricist Pandit Narottam vyas
Compiled by Suresh Sarvaiya
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