Ms Lajmi was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year. Ms Lajmi, 61, was Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika's partner till he died in 2011. Ms Lajmi made her debut as an assistant director of veteran film maker Shyam Benegal over three decades ago. Since Ms Lajmi was detected with cancer, several artists in the film world including Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Soni Razdan and Neena Gupta helped her out financially.

Ms Lajmi had authored a book on her companion of 40 years, Bhupen Hazarika. The book 'Bhupen Hazarika - As I Knew Him' was launched in Mumbai on September 8 by Shyam Benegal. The director who was in hospital at time could not be at the launch of her book. Actors who have been close to her have tweeted their tribute to the award winning director and screenwriter.

Kalpana Lajmi was known for directing acclaimed movies like Rudaali, Darmiyaan: In Between and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence. Her films were said to be a reflection of the times and she was often hailed as one of the forerunners of parallel cinema. Kalpana’s last directorial was the 2006 Chingari which had featured Mithun Chakraborty, Sushmita Sen and Anuj Sawhney in pivotal roles. Daughter of painter Lalita Lajmi and niece of filmmaker Guru Dutt, Kalpana had made her debut as an assistant director under the renowned director Shyam Benegal. She had made her directorial debut with the documentary film DG Movie Pioneer.