New documentary on late Bhupen Hazarika premiered

A documentary on singer-polymath Bhupen Hazarika premiered on Sunday (September 7, 2025), a day ahead of the launch of the year-long celebrations to mark his birth centenary.

In the 65-minute film, a first-person account shot in England in 1999, the music maestro recites some of his “unpublished” poems.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

“The footage of the documentary is of vintage quality, given the year when it was shot as a candid camera first-person account. It was filmed during his visit to England to participate in a cultural programme organised by the Assam Medical College Doctors’ alumni group,” the documentary’s producer-director, Bobbeeta Sharma, said.

The poster of the documentary titled “Bhupen da Uncut”.
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Special Arrangement

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

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

The premiere of the documentary was attended by the late Hazarika’s fans, admirers, and family members, including his United States-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 that the documentary was packed with information, some of which was not publicly known earlier.

Chinmoy Sharma, the documentary’s executive producer, handled the camera, while Jimoni Choudhury did the narration script. The creative director is Ravindra Badgaiyan.

Awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously, the late Bhupen Hazarika was born in eastern Assam’s Sadiya on September 8, 1926. He died on November 5, 2011.