Hazarika cuts out family, wills all to new wife Lajmi

Veteran music composer Bhupen Hazarika has left all his material possessions to the film director Kalpana Lajmi, angering his family in the process.

The man behind such Bollywood hits as "Dil Hoom Hoom Kare" says Lajmi, his long-time companion, has been responsible for his career success.

According to a 2003 will, quoted by the news service IANS, "Kalpana Lajmi is my business partner since 1977 and she took the entire and whole responsibility for my tremendous career rise and prior to her joining me I was penniless and had only Rs35 in hand."

'I am his wife'

The pair have never confirmed being married, but this week Lajmi told a mob in Assam, a state in the North East of India where he has been filming a new music video, that she was his wife.

Hazarika is considered a superstar across the seven North Eastern states, and a crowd had gathered to catch a glimpse of and talk to him -- but when they turned rowdy, Lajmi stepped in and stopped them.

"They asked Kalpanaji who she was to stop them from making contact with him. She replied, 'I am his wife,'" the Times of India newspaper quoted a source who was present on the sets as saying.

Estranged first wife

Two years ago Lajmi told media that she had never felt the need to marry Hazarika, despite leaving home at the age of 17 to live with the composer, then 45. "A few months ago, my mother told me for the nth time that I should marry Bhupen now. And I turned around and asked her, 'Why mom? Just because a piece of paper (read marriage certificate) will calm you down," she said at the time.

A marriage would mean that Hazarika has divorced his wife, Priyamvada Patel, whom he separated from 13 years after they were married in the forties. Patel lives in Canada and has long been separated from Hazarika, but the pair never officially divorced.

Furious family cut out

But whether Lajmi has indeed married Hazarika or not, his son, 59-year-old Punnag Tej Hazarika, and his younger brothers Samar and Nripen, are predictably furious at the turn of events, alleging that the will was made under pressure.

"I cannot imagine Bhupenda being penniless in 1977 as mentioned in the 'will' as by then he was already a star and a hero having won National Awards," Nripen said.

Among the assets willed to Lajmi are a range of professional film and music equipment and several plots of land.

How Lajmi's mother benefits

"All professional equipment from film and sound, the flat at 77 B, Gold Club Road, Kolkata, flat at Andheri (West), Mumbai, two plots of land measuring 1,240.01 sq metres in Pune, existing bank accounts, my pension money, car, rights and receipts of sales both in cash and cheque of film and television software made by me," IANS quoted the will as saying.

And should Lajmi predecease Hazarika, he has willed everything to her mother, the artist Lalitha Lajmi -- apparently completely cutting out his sons.

Under Indian law, the will only comes into effect after Hazarika dies -- and can only be contested at that time. The composer, of course, could choose to address the family in his lifetime, but he has thus far chosen to stay silent.