विद्यापति: कवि का छंद, परदे का गीत

Debaki Bose's Vidyapati (1937) — New Theatres' bilingual poet-musical, in which a Maithil poet's verse became film song through R.C. Boral's score, Pahari Sanyal played the poet, and Kanan Devi, as Anuradha, rose to the crest of stardom.

Debaki Bose's Vidyapati (1937) retells the story of the Maithil poet whose verse had been sung for centuries. The poet arrives at the court of Raja Shiva Singha and Queen Lakshmi, and the queen is drawn ever deeper into his compositions. New Theatres made it as a bilingual; the story was written by Debaki Bose and Kazi Nazrul Islam, with lyrics by Kidar Sharma.

R.C. Boral turned the devotional-erotic current of Vidyapati's verse into film music. Pahari Sanyal, playing the poet himself, sang several of the songs; K.C. Dey's deep voice carried another strand. This was the New Theatres signature — melodies built on a classical base yet reaching the popular ear, which helped make the film a major success of 1937.

As Anuradha, the character Nazrul Islam created, Kanan Devi left such a mark that though the title belonged to the poet, she became the film's true pivot. Her songs — such as 'Doley Hriday Ki Naiya' — made her New Theatres' leading singing star, on a par with K.L. Saigal. From 1937 to 1941 she remained the studio's top star.