Raveena Tandon on the deceased 'pioneer' of women-oriented cinema
Raveena Tandon (MID-DAY; September 25, 2018)

I won my first National Film Award for Best Actress for Daman. It was great to work with her on that film. It tackled topics like domestic violence and caste divide, which was a challenge then. But, Kalpanaji always accepted challenges. I enjoyed working with her, because, as a director, she was not rigid. She welcomed our suggestions at every point. She encouraged us to perform well.

I have learnt a lot from her, one among them being not to fear challenges. Even though making women-oriented movies was a tough task, she was always up for it. She enjoyed the thrill. She liked the intention of making a difference. She was a confident filmmaker, and always believed in what she did. Having faith in your work is a quality one can learn from her.

Kalpana ji was delightful. She was strong-headed, and never forgot to appreciate the work done by her artistes. She respected the individuality of each artiste, and gave actors the freedom to react the way they wanted to. Through her films, she brought attention to women's issues. We were shooting for Daman in the '90s, when the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) terror was at its peak. We were shooting in Assam when the DCP too had asked us to not shoot. But she was unafraid. The climax sequence was shot during Durga puja.

I am eternally grateful to Lajmi for believing in me. It was hard work that made this movie come alive. But, I could never shrug off the feeling that she deserved more recognition than she had received. In my opinion, she was among the pioneers of the women-oriented cinema. But, she wasn't rewarded enough for the steps she took.

KALPANA LAJMI (1954-2018) 

Actor Arif Zakaria remembers Kalpana Lajmi, the director of his debut film Darmiyaan, who passed away on Sunday following a prolonged illness
Arif Zakaria (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 25, 2018)

The most tangible takeaway of meeting Kalpana Lajmi was not her razor-sharp intellect, her erudite manner or her candour, but the pink cheeks on her baby face. Her cheeks and guffaws stood out all through our association. I’d seen them change colour — from flaming to pale — depending on whether she was angry, amused or indifferent.

I met her two decades ago in the office of Pravesh Sippy, who was producing an English TV show. After a brief introduction, she handed me a copy of Leo Tolstoy’s novel, Resurrection, which she was adapting, and said she wanted me for one of the major roles. When Kalpana spoke, you listened. She was a true raconteur and an astute observer of people. In that first meeting, she wanted to know which books I read, the movies I watched and my taste in world cuisine. Her inexhaustible appetite for literature and her command over spoken English were impressive.

I was finalised for the TV project and so began a series of interactions with her as we started rehearsals. Over time I met her partner and mentor, the late singer-musician Dr Bhupen Hazarika. She always addressed him as Bhupsu. It was, and remained till the end, a fascinating alliance that manifested itself in myriad ways. Father–daughter, guru-student and musician-muse.

Shooting in Assam and travelling to various parts of the state was an indescribable experience as Kalpana, the director, was in her element in this Brahmaputra fiefdom of Bhupen Hazarika. At some point, she sounded me out for a one-scene role in an unusual story she was developing for a film, Darmiyaan. She had assurances from a few major stars for the lead role. I was thrilled and memorised the entire script to show off. Over time, the lead actors changed and Kalpana was furious over the merry-go-round (flaming pink cheeks). A few months passed by.

One clear September morning, I got a call from Kalpana asking me to come over to Kirron Kher’s apartment in Juhu urgently. No reason or context was given. I recall reaching an hour early and pacing Juhu beach nervously. I walked into the apartment where both Kalpana and Kirron were seated on the floor with a copy of the script.

That’s when Kalpana broke the news that I was to play the lead in the film and I had to surrender the next few months to the project.

Thus, started my journey on my first film. It was abject surrender to Kalpana and her entourage of actions and words. Each page of the script had to be mastered and memorised. She put me through extensive rehearsals with the late Simple Kapadia, who was her associate. We began filming soon after and more facets of her personality emerged. She was relentless in her dislike for complacency. There were days when I shuddered to get to the location for fear of inviting her wrath with my inexperience or inability to follow instructions. I recall Kalpana hollering over the megaphone as I shot for the climax scene in a stupor, holding an infant while addressing the character played by Tabu.

Her acting commands that seemed insulting then are today testament to her knowledge of character nuances.

I always felt she was disdainful towards the physical aspect of filmmaking (dull, pink cheeks), but a true craftsman of intricate screenplay. Through various interactions later, even when illness had started to take a toll, she remained a bouncing board for ideas. I always felt she was a misfit in the film business and its flattery. Maybe she’s found her true calling now and is at work in a room full of books, with pen and paper, and a Bhupen Hazarika melody playing in the background.






Soni Razdan, Shyam Benegal and Shabana Azmi (seen here comforting Kalpana’s mother, Lalita Lajmi) attended the funeral


Arif Zakaria with Kirron Kher in the film

Seven years after Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s demise, his partner Kalpana Lajmi pens a book to world know the other side
Kusumita Das (MID-DAY; September 9, 2018)

It’s never easy to write about something that has so deeply affected you. For filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, who lost her partner Dr Bhupen Hazarika in 2011, whom she had known for more than 60 years, the grief seemed insurmountable. She needed an outlet but the more she thought of it, she was dragged down by acute depression. “I couldn’t share my feelings with anyone, but, finally I did. I told everything to my friends Soni Razdan and Mahesh Bhatt.”

That was the start of a coping mechanism for Lajmi. And eventually, she poured out all she had to say in writing, which has now taken the shape of a book that releases this week. It’s titled Bhupen Hazarika - As I Knew Him, published by HarperCollins.

In an email interview, Lajmi says, “Mr Mahesh Bhatt has always been my friend, philosopher and guide. And, he said something precious to me —  heartbreak is a gift but self pity is poison’. He added, ‘Kalpana, you spent 40 years of your life with a great man and a legendary person like him. You have such real precious memories, why don’t you pour them out on paper. People know him as singer, poet, musician, activist. Start writing about his actual self, which people are unaware of’. Mahesh’s words struck me.”

The next day, Lajmi wrote the foreword of the book, and titled it Dhumuha. “It’s Assamese for a tempestuous storm. Bhupen epitomised it,” she says.

The book traces their story from the time Lajmi was 17 and Dr Hazarika was 45. They had met at her uncle’s house, moments after she heard his voice on a record player for the first time. Hazarika at that time was scoring music for her uncle Atmaram’s film Aarop. “The doorbell rang and there he stood, painfully thin, dark circles under his kind eyes, a dazzling smile, wearing a shirt that had two cigarette burn marks. I was a fat, awkward teen, in my school uniform. It must have been love at first sight,” recalls Lajmi.

Their relationship turned out to be a potent mix of storm and calm, with society, family and until a point even Hazarika himself, not wanting to give it its due sanction. “He would introduce me as his manager,” says Lajmi. It was in her early 20s that she moved in with him in his Kolkata flat. “Marriage was discussed only once,” Lajmi recalls. “Bhupen was 80 when he asked me to marry him. ‘Right now, let’s get married’ he had said. I lashed out at him. ‘I always wanted marriage. But, you never bothered to ask me when you were 48, 58, or 68. At 80 you dare ask me to marry you?’”

The book contains illustrations made by her mother, renowned painter Lalita Lajmi. She had never approved of her daughter’s relationship, but perhaps grew to understand it. “When I decided not to go for the funeral, it was she who told me, ‘how can you desert him now, after 40 years’.”

Kalpana Lajmi has been on the receiving end of many brickbats from Dr Hazarika’s family and also the people of Assam who never approved of their relationship. “I am yet to overcome the impact of their rejection. I did not write the book to portray myself as an angel who stood by Bhupen. I have spoken truthfully. So I hope after reading the book, people will understand my side of the story.”


Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Kalpana Lajmi in Nagaon, Assam, during the shoot of Daman in 2000


Kalpana Lajmi, Shabana Azmi, Hemen Baruah and Dr Hazarika during the making of her first film Ek Pal

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 8, 2017)

On October 6, 2015, Kalpana Lajmi had admitted to fighting a spirited battle against a kidney tumour with the film fraternity rallying around her. Talking to Mirror while undergoing dialysis, the writer-producer-director had informed that a kidney had been removed, along with the lymph nodes, but there would be tests every three months for the next two years. “Till the last day of my life, I will have to undergo dialysis three times a week and it doesn’t come cheap. But thanks to the generous Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran (Rao), my dialysis bills have been covered for the next six months,” she had said, going on to thank Rohit Shetty for his Rs 2 lakh contribution, Vinta Nanda for lending a helping hand and Ashoke Pandit for setting up a corpus fund to help her tide over the medical crisis till she could work again.

Two years later, Kalpana was back in a suburban hospital on Sunday after she collapsed following a trip to Vashi the previous day to attend a memorial function on the occasion of her late partner, singer-composer-musician-filmmaker Bhupen Hazarika’s sixth death anniversary. “I’m still unwell and I have been falling ill frequently. My potassium level shot up on Sunday and I suffered a kind of a cardiac arrest at around 7 am. I got my driver to take me to a nearby hospital where I’m being treated by Dr Gini Dayal and Dr Niranjan Kulkarni. I’m hoping to be discharged today,” she informed Mirror from the ICU, lauding the efforts of her brother Devdas Lajmi and mother Lalita Lajmi, as also uncle Shyam Benegal and friends like Vinta Nanda, Amit Khanna, Neena Gupta, Shalini Pradhan, Mahesh Bhatt, wife Soni Razdan and their actress daughter Alia for being extremely supportive in these troubled times.

Once she is back home, Kalpana plans to start work on an exhaustive 75,000-word memoir which will chronicle her journey with Hazarika. “I’m writing the book myself. I have a publisher in Harper Collins and we are hoping to release it next year on on September 8, Bupenda’s 92nd birth anniversary,” she maintained, adding that she has also found a producer for a film based on the book. “Sanjeev Narayan who runs a channel in Assam has come forward to make the film. I’m in talks with Prosenjit Chatterjee to play Bhupenda. The body may have grown weak but the mind is strong and the heart is willing. With God’s grace and everyone’s support I hope to live these dual dreams soon,” she signed off on an ebullient note.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 9, 2016)

Kalpana Lajmi, who has directed critically-acclaimed films like Ek Pal and Rudaali, is today at 62, Kalpana is in desperate need of financial aid for a serious kidney ailment. She used up all her savings to look after her mentor and companion Bhupen Hazarika in his dying days, and now is all but forgotten. Shockingly, the biopic on slain actress Priya Rajvansh, which Kalpana was supposed to direct, has quietly passed on to another director. A sure sign that the film industry has forgotten her.

In this hour of need only a few close friends like Neena Gupta, Ila Arun and Soni Razdan are there by Kalpana’s side. In fact, Soni, we came to know, is trying to organise a fund for Kalpana’s treatment along with Mukesh Bhatt, Kulmeet Makkar and Vinta Malik.

Says Soni, “Kalpana is dealing with a kidney illness and has to undergo regular dialysis. That’s quite daunting. But she is being very strong about it. Kalpana is determined to get well.”

The filmmaker has been diagnosed with a malignant tumour on her left kidney; generous contributions from Aamir Khan and Rohit Shetty have helped cash-strapped Kalpana Lajmi carry on with her expensive treatment
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 6, 2015)

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 13, 2015)

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; September 29, 2014)

Kalpana Lajmi has apparently approached Nawazuddin Siddiqui to play music legend Bhupen Hazarika. Sources say that the actor and director have already had a few meetings.

The actor is said to be currently reading the script while Kalpana Lajmi is working on the film’s screenplay. It may be also pointed out that there have been reports about Pooja Bhatt playing Lajmi in the film. But Lajmi, when contacted, denied signing on Pooja. “We have finalised Sharbani Mukherjee as the actress and she will be playing my character whereas I have approached Nawazuddin Siddiqui to play Bhupen Da,” she said.

Lajmi reiterated that she holds the film’s story very close to her heart. “I needed someone who would understand the nuances of the story. I have met Nawazuddin a few times regarding the project and I think he will do justice to the role. I am waiting for a nod from him. I have already finalised Sharbani,” she added.
The film will be shot in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam and New York. “ In New York, Bhupenda met Paul Leroy Robeson, who inspired him to write songs that celebrate life. A major portion of the film will also be shot there,” Lajmi said.

She also revealed that they will remaster Bhupenda’s songs for the film. “For the background score, I want to rope in Debajyoti Mishra,” said Lajmi, who admitted that she was inspired to make this film after close friends Soni Razdan and Mahesh Bhatt persuaded her to sit down and pen the legendary’s musician’s story.
Nawazuddin was unavailable for comment.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; August 27, 2014)

The upcoming Priyanka Chopra-starrer Mary Kom, based on the boxing champ, has put the spotlight on the North- East and its presence in Bollywood. Several local actors have been roped in to play supporting roles in the film. There may not be too many Hindi films releasing in many states in the region, or as many actors, musicians, filmmakers from the region that have made — or are trying to make — an impact on the big screen.

Finding a foothold
Adil Hussain, who is from Goalpara in Assam, essayed the role of Sridevi’s husband in English Vinglish (2012).

Patralekhaa (top), who was seen in Hansal Mehta’s Citylights earlier this year with beau Rajkummar Rao as her co- star, is from Shillong in Meghalaya.


Geetanjali Thapa won the National Film Award for Best Actress ( 2013) for her performance in Liar’s Dice. She is from Sikkim and began her glamour innings after winning a beauty pageant in Guwahati, Assam.

Veteran actor Danny Dengzongpa is also from Sikkim.


B-Town singers Zubeen Garg is from Jorhat, Assam, while Papon (above) is from Guwahati in Assam.


Model Monikangana Dutta, who hails from Guwahati, starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Guzaarish (2010) playing the character of Hrithik Roshan’s ex-flame.

Meanwhile, Reema Debnath from Agartala in Tripura featured in the Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard.

The outsiders
Shah Rukh Khan- starrer Chak De India! (2007), for one, showcased Mary Ralte (Kimi Laldawla) from Mizoram and Molly Zimik (Masochon Zimik) from Manipur — in the film, both are treated as ‘foreigners’ in the Indian women’s hockey team. Being looked upon as outsiders is something that they are used to. When told that they are from the North- East, it is as if they belong to another territory.

For some artistes like Patralekhaa, it is a sense of déjà vu. Says the actress, “I am always asked such questions and I do not want to say anything more on that front. I am from Shillong in Meghalaya and my parents still live there.”

While Monikangana who disappeared from Bollywood after Guzaarish says, “People always ask me where my folks stay. I always tell them I am from Guwahati and my family is based there.” Incidentally, Monikangana has gone back to studies while there is a project in the pipeline.


Playing the part
Adil Hussan began his career with theatre and stand- up comedy, and eventually landed in Bollywood with roles in films such as Ishqiya (2010) and Agent Vinod (2012). He was also seen in Life of Pi ( 2012) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012). The actor feels that these are roles that suit his salt-and-pepper look, as he “ detests dyeing his hair.”

The Seven Sister states (read: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura), are often referred to as ‘Paradise Unexplored’. If the talent in Bollywood is anything to go by, this holds true as B-town doesn’t seem to have tapped the North-East’s full potential.

Known filmmakers from the region include Jahnu Barua, whose 2006 film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara had Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar; Utpal Borpujari; and singers like the late Bhupen Hazarika.
Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi shot her Naseeruddin Shah-Shabana Azmi starrer Ek Pal (1986) in Shillong in Meghalaya and Jorhat in Assam. Her Raveena Tandon-starrer Daman was shot in Guwahati in Assam. She says, “Where a filmmaker wants to shoot is a personal choice. But to be honest, Bollywood rarely makes films with a realistic backdrop. If the reason is inadequate infrastructure, that is the case across the country.
You realise this as soon as you move out of Mumbai. A lot of Assamese films are made and shot in the region.”

Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan shot the Madhuri Dixit-Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Koyla ( 1997), in Arunachal Pradesh. He filmed a song against the backdrop of Shungetser Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, that is known for its stunning visuals. Mani Ratnam’s 1998 film Dil Se had ULFA’s Assam liberation struggle form its backdrop.

Now with the release of Mary Kom, the North-East will hopefully have a bigger presence in Bollywood.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 28, 2014)

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 9, 2014)

Ruman Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; April 13, 2014)

She was 17 and he was 45 when they first met. And now, over four decades after she got to know Bhupen Hazarika, Kalpana Lajmi is ready to make a film on the departed legend. The buzz is that Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee will star as Hazarika.

The film, a trilingual project, has been tentatively titled The Tempest in English, Kal Boishakhi in Bengali and Dhumuha in Assamese. “Yes, Prosenjit is playing Bhupen Hazarika. Tell me, who better than him to bring alive Bhupenda’s dynamic character on screen? In fact, it was a mutual decision he and I took after he heard I was making this biopic. Bhupenda was a very romantic man and only Prosenjit can bring that alive. As of now I don’t know who will play my character, preferably someone from western India,” said Lajmi, Hazarika’s companion for over 40 years. The Assamese maestro, remembered for his score in films like Rudaali, passed away in November 5, 2011.

Lajmi says the film will be a biopic seen through the prism of her relationship with Hazarika. “For the whole of 2013, we were busy jotting down my memories. The final script will be readied now,” informed Kalpana.

Prosenjit is happy that Lajmi has considered him for the coveted role. “It is a huge honour. Whatever time I get, I read up on the master," he smiled.

The film will be shot in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam and New York. With Santosh Sivan as the DoP, the film is slated to go on the floors in the second half of the year.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 5, 2014)

Kalpana Lajmi is hoping that her biopic on Bhupen Hazarika will roll post monsoon. “After a year, the written material is finally ready. Now, we need to shape it into an interesting screenplay which should take another couple of months. Mahesh Bhatt has agreed to doctor the final script and once we are both satisfied, I’ll start on the casting,” says the writer-director, admitting that it will be difficult to find an actor who looks, walks and speaks like Bhupenda.

She doesn’t believe she can get one who can sing like him because his voice can’t be replicated. So she is planning to use his original songs in the film. “I’ll go through his repertoire and pick the songs that were milestones in his journey and mine, and approach the music companies for the rights. Whoever the actor is, can lip sync the songs. We can also use a few in the background,” she says.

Kalpana admits that it’ll be difficult condensing his life into a two-hour-10-minute film. “The idea is to bring out the integrity of the artiste who chose to live in poverty because of his passion for the arts. And whose lifelong contributions were acknowledged by naming a float after him in the Republic Day parade,” she says.

Interestingly, Kalpana is planning it as a Hindi-Bengali bilingual. “Dada’s whole life centred on Bengal and a huge part of 40-year relationship was set there. Kolkata will be the backdrop for my story, moving to Assam only in the last couple of years,” she says.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 26, 2013)

Rudaali, Kalpana Lajmi’s 1993 film which fetched Dimple Kapadia the National Award for Best Actress, is memorable for her character Shanichari’s climatic dance that ends with the dry-eyed professional mourner weeping for real when she learns that her mother is dead. The director admits that she had a fallout with her screenplay writer Gulzar over the scene as it was not there in Bengali novelist Maheswati Devi’s original story. “He called it a Michael Jackson number,” smiles Kalpana, recalling that it was shot in one go and without a choreographer. “I allowed Dimple the creative liberty to decide on her moves and she made it clear that she would not give a re-take.”

So, Kalpana went with a two-camera set-up, one camera focussed only on Dimple, with the music piece composed by Bhupen Hazarika playing in the background. “When Shanichari breaks down, I silenced both her voice and the music, and had only the wind playing in the background. Her silent scream was the culmination of a poetic flight that ends in tragic mourning.”

Kalapana admits that Hazarika’s music contributed hugely to making the film unforgettable, as did his evergreen track, Dil hoom hoom kare. This time it was Gulzar, who took the creative liberty of using the words hoom hoom from Hazarika’a original Assamese song, Buku hom hom kore, instead of going with the literal Hindi translation Dhak dhak.

On Lata Mangeshker’s request, Hazarika sang the dubbed track himself. She and recordist Amil Sood were so mesmerised by his voice that they entreated Kalpana not to wipe it out. “So I had the song on the cassette and when Dimple requested me to send her all the songs before we left on location, I sent this one too. She was also bowled over and insisted we use his version in the film,” remembers Kalpana. “I told her that there was no scope to use Bhupenda’s distinctly male voice, but she still insisted I transfer the song on to a spool and take it along with us for the shoot.”

The song was played during the scene in which Dimple turns into a widow. It was a 400-feet uncut shot taken at 4 am in the wilderness. Describing it as one of the finest scenes in the film, Kalpana says that once again Dimple insisted that Bhupenda’s song be played in the background while she enacted the scene. Later, she again insisted that they retain the song in the film. “So even though I knew that I should have really had a female voice singing Dil hoom hoom kare, I went with Bhupenda’s voice,” admits Kalpana. “Bhupenda later joked that of his huge repertoire of songs, this was the one that made him famous across India.”