A new documentary about the late Bhupen Hazarika premiered

The premiere of the documentary was attended by fans, admirers and family members of the late Hazarika, including his US-based son Tej Hazarika, his wife Candace Hazarika and their son Sage Akash Hazarika. File | Photo credit: AP

On Sunday (September 7, 2025), a day before the year-long birth centenary celebrations began, a documentary on singer-polymath Bhupen Hazarik premiered.

In the 65-minute film, shot in 1999 in England, the music maestro recites some of his “unpublished” poems. The documentary is called Bhupen da Uncut.

“The footage of the documentary is of historical quality given the year it was shot as a candid first-person camera. It was filmed during his visit to England to attend a cultural program organized by the Assam Medical College Doctors alumni group,” said the documentary’s producer and director Bobbeeta Sharma.

Poster of a documentary titled ‘Bhupen da Uncut’. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

“In this documentary, Bhupenda, as he is fondly referred to by all, spoke at length about his childhood, his influence and interaction with cultural stalwarts like Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (the pioneer of Assamese cinema), his pursuit of higher studies in New York, how he met his wife Priyamvada Patel, the dynamics of their relationship and also his philosophy and ideology.

“During these candid moments, Bhupenda also recited several of his poems, some of which we believe have not yet been published,” Ms Sharma said.

The premiere of the documentary was attended by fans, admirers and family members of the late Hazarika, including his US-based son Tej Hazarika, his wife Candace Hazarika and their son Sage Akash Hazarika.

Samar Hazarika, a singer and younger brother of the music maestro, said the documentary was packed with information, some of which had not been publicly known before.

Chinmoy Sharma, executive producer of the documentary, handled the camera while Jimoni Choudhury scripted the narration. The creative director is Ravindra Badgaiyan.

A posthumous Bharat Ratna awardee, the late Bhupen Hazarika was born in East Assam’s Sadiya on September 8, 1926. He died on November 5, 2011.

Published – 07 Sep 2025 22:53 IST