Acclaimed filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi passed away early on Sunday in Mumbai. She was 64. Lajmi was suffering from kidney cancer.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the news on Twitter. He wrote, “Saddened to learn about the demise of veteran filmmaker #KalpanaLajmi ji. Her contribution to Indian cinema will be remembered forever.”
Lajmi belonged to Assam.
Lajmi, known for off-beat and women-centric films such as Rudaali, Darmiyaan and Daman, was diagnosed with a tumour in the kidney in 2015. She was facing a financial crisis when many film personalities had come to her support.
Her cremation will take place in Mumbai’s Oshiwara region around 12:30 today.
Film personalities like Huma Qureshi, Soni Razdan and Hansal Mehta tweeted their condolences.
Lajmi had been undergoing dialysis for a couple of years, and true to her indomitable spirit, had said in an interview last year, ‘My kidneys have failed, but I haven’t.’
She debuted as a feature film director with Ek Pal. Her memoir Bhupen Hazarika: As I Knew Him was launched earlier this month.
The filmmaker is survived by her brother and mother.