Bollywood remembers ‘fearless’ Lajmi

Celebrities such as Raveena Tandon, Manoj Bajpayee and director Hansal Mehta, among others mourned the demise of "fearless" filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi Sunday.

The critically acclaimed director passed away at the age of 64. She was suffering from kidney ailment and breathed her last at the city-based Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital early morning.

Social media was flooded with condolences for Lajmi. Raveena, who worked with Lajmi in Daman (2001) and won National Film Award for Best Actress for the film, took to Twitter to recall the "treasured" memories spent on the movie sets.    

"You will be missed Kalpanaji. Was not your time to go... But may your heart now be at peace. Those days while shooting 'Daman' will be a treasured memory. #KalpanaLajmi Om Shanti," the actor tweeted alongside a photograph from the shoot.

Manoj wrote on the microblogging site, "Sad a very sad news. May her soul rest in peace.#restinpeacekalpanalajmi" . Director Hansal Mehta, who had worked as editor on Lajmi's Darmiyaan, remembered her as a fearless woman in a male-dominated film industry.

"Just heard about Kalpana Lajmi passing away. Had worked with her as an editor when she made Darmiyaan.  "Will always remember her with fondness and respect for being a fearless woman and a powerhouse of a person in a male dominated industry. Rest In Peace dear Kalpana," Mehta tweeted.

Huma Qureshi, who was one of the first film personalities to react on Lajmi's death, wrote on Twitter, "Deeply saddened... At around 4:30 am today morning #KalpanaLajmi passed away... May she rest in peace." Filmmaker Onir remembered Lajmi as his mentor, who bears a huge influence on his filmography.

"RIP #KalpanaLajmi. My first exposure to a film shooting was while working as a song director and editor in 'Daman'. "Remember many evenings of food and music in her residence along with Bhupen Da. Learned a lot while working with her," he said.

Known for making fiery films with women at the core of her stories, her filmography boasts of movies like Ek Pal, Rudaali and Chingaari (2006), her last directorial, which starred Sushmita Sen. —PTI