Guru Dutt's sister Lalita Lajmi passes away at 90; she played cameo in 'Taare Zameen Par'

Veteran artist Lalita Lajmi passed away on Monday, February 13 at the age of 90. She was a noted artist and the sister of the Indian auteur late Guru Dutt. A self-taught artist, Lalita appeared to play a cameo in the Aamir Khan starrer 2007 film 'Taare Zameen Par', in which the superstar played an art teacher. The Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation took to social media to share the news of the sad demise of Lajmi.

Sharing an old picture of Lalita and her creation, it wrote in the caption, "We are deeply saddened by the news of artist Lalitha Lajmi's passing away. Lajmi was a self-taught artist with a keen interest in classical dance. Her works had an element of melancholy and performance, as seen here in her artwork, 'Dance of Life and Death'."

Soon after the news was shared on social media, netizens were seen mourning her demise. A user wrote, "a lovely human being and sensitive artist ... i learnt a lot from lalitha ... may she rest in peace." Another user wrote, "I went to her exhibition like 3 days ago.. deeply saddened." Others were seen dropping broken heart emojis.

Author Yasser Usman spoke about his book Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story at the Times LitFest held last weekend. He revealed that Lalita Lajmi still regrets that she couldn't help her brother. "While researching for this book, his sister told me they could have saved him. He was crying for help. He was not talking to them. And, that remains a major regret in his brother's and his sister's life," he had said.

Lajmi's earlier works drew inspiration from her personal life and observations, while her later works reflected the hidden tension between man and woman. Her works were also influenced by Indian films such as those made by her brother Guru Dutt, Satyajit Ray and Raj Kapoor.