Call
it
a
rishta
by
satellite.
But
prolific
filmmaker
Kalpana
Lajmi
is
related
to
Deepika
Padukone.
"We're
both
descendent
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
(who
was
my
mother
painter
Lalita
Lajmi's
brother)
and
Deepika's
father
Prakash
Padukone
are
both
settled
in
Bangalore.
Deepika
is
definitely
related
to
me.
Though
she
doesn't
know
it.
But
I
hope
she
knows
about
me"
And
now
Kalpana
has
a
script
ready
for
Deepika.
"I
saw
her
in
Om
Shanti
Om
and
Bachna
Ae
Haseeno
and
found
her
to
possess
that
old-world
grace
which
came
naturally
to
Madhuri
and
Aishwarya.
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."
Kalpana
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
which
a
filmmaker
like
me
who
suffers
a
double
disadvantage
of
being
woman."
On
top
of
it
all,
Kalpana
has
been
facing
a
series
of
illnesses
in
her
family,
first
her
father
and
mother
then
her
guru
and
companion
composer
Bhupen
Hazarika.
Kalpana
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
this
project
come
true.
As
for
me,
I'm
so
much
his
junior
and
still
can't
get
funds
for
my
new
film."
Kalpana
is
hopeful
about
making
Singhasan
with
Deepika.
"Maybe
she
can
get
R.K.
Films
to
produce
it," jokes
Kalpana.
Story first published: Friday, December 19, 2008, 15:34 [IST]