Sunanda Mitra remembers Kalpana Lajmi

I started out as a clapper boy in Darmiyaan and later became her chief assistant director. I was the associate writer of Chingaari, her last film. I had known her for many years, but it was after Dada (Dr Bhupen Hazarika) passed away in 2011 that she slipped into depression. Then, one day, she met her guru, Mahesh Bhatt. She was particularly close to Soni Razdan and Mahesh Bhatt. Maheshji told her that self-pity is poison, but heartbreak is a gift. That motivated her. He gave her the idea to write about Dr Bhupen Hazarika. I happened to be the co-writer. It took us two years to write about their 40-year-old live-in relationship; the love she had for the man. That book was published a fortnight back on September 8. We were supposed to co-write the screenplay as she was looking forward to direct a film on him, Dhumuha, which means tempestuous in Assamese. A Kashmiri Brahmin, Kalpanaji was the niece of Guru Dutt. Her mother was his sister. When she met Dr Bhupen Hazarika, she was 17, whereas he was 45. There was an age gap of 28 years, yet she fell in love with him because of his voice. Her mama was Atma Ramji. He had once brought an LP record of Dada and played it at home. That day, the entire family had got together for dinner. Atma Ramji asked everyone to listen to the powerful voice. She heard the songs, but didn’t understand the language. The songs were in Assamese.Then, one day, Atma Ramji brought Dada to Kalpanaji’s home. He sang to a full house and kept taal on a match box. The songs were so soothing that Kalpanaji went off to sleep. She was so attracted to the voice that she would go to Rhythm House in Mumbai and listen to his songs. Yet, she couldn’t confess to him about her love. She would land up in Kolkata just to meet and talk to him. It wasn’t unrequited love. Later, she moved to Kolkata for a few years to be with him. From whatever I have heard, Dada did not lead a so-called normal life. He was into alcohol and led a careless life. She changed all of that and was a positive influence on him. She was the ‘way out’ for him. Many people took advantage of him because of the way he led his life, Kalpanaji brought method to his madness. When she came to Kolkata, she was 19. She was there till she did Ek Pal. In Kolkata, she made a film on Dhiren Ganguly called D.G. Movie Pioneer. Then, she wanted to make a film on Maitreyi Devi’s Na Hanyate. She did not get the rights. Later, Maitreyi Devi gave the rights to her Bidhi O Bidhata; Ek Pal was based on that. Hemen Barua, a tea estate owner from Assam and also a friend of Bhupen Hazarika, produced the film and it had some of Indian cinema's finest actors. She had already assisted Shyam Benegal and her career started taking wings. Kalpanaji did not stay in Kolkata for many years. After she returned to Mumbai, Dada also shifted base. After Ek Pal, she made Rudaali. The songs were huge hits and the owner of the music label funded her Darmiyaan. After that, she did Daman, Kyon? and Chingaari. After writing the book, she was very excited about publishing it. Finally, that too happened and she was very happy. But, on September 8, when the book released, she could not make it to the event, as she was unwell. She even cried like a child. In her last few years, she was suffering from kidney ailments. Her kidneys had to be removed and she would undergo dialysis four days a week. That was the routine for the last two years. Recently, she called me for the script of Dhumuha. She was bedridden, and asked me read the foreword of the book. I read it entirely and she said, ‘Did you understand anything?’ I was like, ‘But, I had written it with you’. She smiled and said, ‘Then you start of the first part of the screenplay.’ She asked me how long I would take to do it. I said seven days. When I again called her the following week, I found out that she was in the ICU. Her brother, Devdas Lajmi, was by her side. On Saturday, I was told that she was sinking; the end came too soon.