An Ode To Love

Ailing Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi Has Authored The Book Bhupen Hazarika The Way I Knew Him As A Tribute To Her Late Mentor And Musician. In Conversation With Farhana Farook

- Farhana Farook

That sums the karmic bond that noted director Kalpana Lajmi shared with the late singer, musician and filmmaker, Dr Bhupen Hazarika. At 17 she fell in love with the balladeer, 28 years her senior. At 19, she had moved in with him – much to the chagrin of the conscience keepers – and remained beside him till he passed away at the age of 85 in November 2011.

But what few would know, that Kalpana, known for her intrepid personality, never remained the same after that.

“Death shatters even the strongest. Sometimes you get over it. Sometimes you don’t,” says the director, who’s been facing severe health problems since then.

“I hit a low phase after Bhupenda passed away. Just before that I had lost my father (late Captain Gopi Lajmi). These two men were the most important in my life. The shock was difficult to overcome,” says the once ‘bubbly’ Kalpana, who even lost her professional bearings after Hazarika’s demise. “As long as Bhupenda was my shelter, my shade, my umbrella, it was okay. After him, I couldn’t ask for work. He could convince producers that I was a woman capable of independent work. After him, I couldn’t approach producers,” confides the director of acclaimed movies like Ek Pal (1986), Rudaali (1993), Darmiyaan: In Between (1997) and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence (2001). A tale of professional mourners, Rudaali, and a treatise against marital-rape, Daman, even won the National Awards for Dimple Kapadia and Raveena Tandon respectively. What’s more, Hazarika often composed the music for Kalpana’s films, his full-throated renditions and rustic score, lending character to her offbeat narratives.

BRAVING ILLNESS