Kalpana Lajmi wants to work
with Deepika Padukone
Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi,
who wrote the political drama 'Singhasan' with Aishwarya Rai in mind, now
wants to make it with Deepika Padukone, who is a distant relative.
"I saw her in 'Om Shanti
Om' and 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' and found her to possess that old world grace
that comes naturally to Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai. I don't think
any other girl today has that quality. I was once planning to cast Aishwarya
as a politician in 'Singhasan'. I'd love to cast Deepika in that role,"
Lajmi told us.
"Maybe she can get R.K.
Films to produce it," she joked.
But the director isn't
sure Deepika would reciprocate her enthusiasm.
"Why should she? I'm
a down-and-out filmmaker. I haven't put a project together in the last
three years because of various reasons, the main being finances. A filmmaker
like me suffers a double disadvantage by being a woman," said Lajmi, who
has made films like 'Chingaari' and 'Daman'.
Explaining her relationship
with Deepika, she said: "We're both descendents of the great Guru Dutt.
Deepika and I are Saraswat Brahmins. Her family and mine can be traced
back to Kashmir. We're basically evicted Kashmiri pundits who migrated
to Bangalore.
"If you remember my uncle
Guru Dutt (her artist mother Lalita Lajmi's brother) was settled in Bangalore
and so is Deepika's father Prakash Padukone. Deepika is definitely related
to me, though she doesn't know it. But I hope she knows about me," Lajmi
said.
Lajmi has been seeing
a series of illnesses in her family, first her parents and then her guru
and companion, composer Bhupen Hazarika.
Lajmi, who started as
an assistant to Shyam Benegal, says she's very proud of her mentor.
"At the ripe old age
of 74, Shyam babu has made a hit film, 'Welcome To Sajjanpur'. He had to
struggle for years to make the project come true. As for me, I'm so much
his junior and still can't get funds for my new film," she said.
Source: IANS
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