"Conventional is boring"

When doing things the unconventional way gets you all the acclaim why even bother about being conventional. “Conventional was always boring to me,” said Kalpana Lajmi on her recent visit to the capital to promote a music concert by Bhupen Hazarika. “I also handle Bhupenda’s work for him when I am not busy with my films,” she informs. Shuttling between addressing the needs of a visibly aged Bhupen Hazarika and the media, Lajmi ensures she does justice to both. “I will be in town again to promote my upcoming film, Chingari,” she promises other mediapersons and settles down for our interview.
“Chingari is a film about a love triangle between a prostitute, a postman and a priest,” smiling as we exchange looks. “It sounds funny like this but is actually based on serious realities of our country.”
“The film is nearly complete,” she informs. “We are looking forward to releasse it sometime next month or latest by mid-December.” The cast has Sushmita Sen in the lead role and debutant Anuj. “The whole of India is mostly an agrarian society and the film is about the need for education in rural India.”
Despite having made award-winning films like Ek Pal, Rudali and Daman, besides being Bollywood great, Guru Dutt’s neice, she is still finding it difficult to finance her projects.
“I don’t care if I am not considered a ‘mainstream’ filmmaker. The idea is to be able to educate,” she says.
“Today’s generation is ashamed of our own past. The film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara did not run in theatre for more than six days,” she says. “The youth does not want to know the father of the country. They are least bothered about those million who have given up their lives for the freedom served to them on a platter,” she adds.
Definitely not among those only harping on the problem, she also has solutions in mind. “We need a parallel education system for the youth at home. The need of the economy is such that man and woman are forced to go out and work, leaving them with no time for the child,” she points out. “We need to go back to the grandparents to hand over generations of traditions that will otherwise be lost,” she signs off.

Published in Hindustan Times Next on October 20, 2005