Dimple Kapadia

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Dimple Kapadia is the eldest of the four children born to a Gujarati entrepreneur Chunnibhai Kapadia and Betty. Her younger sibling Simple Kapadia who was also an actress died of cancer a few years back. She has a brother named Munna and a sister Reem. The family has always resided in Santa Cruz in Mumbai and she did her schooling from St.Joseph’s Convent High School. At the tender age of sweet sixteen Dimple was married to the Superstar Rajesh Khanna just six months before her first blockbuster film ‘Bobby’. Though a budding star she would be, she left the film industry soon after her marriage and started a family soon after. It was reported that Rajesh Khanna had banned her from an acting career.

Dimple Kapadia returned to the film industry in 1984 after her separation from her husband Rajesh Khanna. She left her home with her two daughters back to her parents and continued with her acting two years later. Though they marriage failed, she considers her marriage as an elevated feeling at the age she got married and spoke positively. She is said to have mentioned to media though they are separated there is no bitterness shared between her and husband Rajesh Khanna when he was alive. Infact she went on to campaign for Khanna’s election and worked in his film ‘ Jai Shiv Shankar’ . She got her elder daughter Twinkle Khanna married to the Actor Akshay Kumar.

Dimple Kapadia started her career at the age of 16 with her first film ‘ Bobby’ with co-star Rishi Kapoor, directed and produced by Raj Kapoor . The film went on to be one of the most successful blockbuster teen romance film that was a favourite among the public. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for this film and would have established herself as one of the leading actress of the Hindi Cinema but she chose to leave the film industry soon after in the same year following her marriage. She stayed away from the film industry to raise her two children and be away from the limelight and returned to the film industry in 1980. She speaks to the Media referring Raj Kapoor as her mentor and went to make a special mention of it. Her role as Bobby Braganza, the teenage middle Class Goan Christian girl is highly praised by the mainstream and critical success. She is till date an actress with glamour , grace striking and is remembered for her debut role of life time in Hindi Cinema and nobody quite like Dimple Kapadia the innocent pretty girl with wide eyes and as sweet as her that floored the audience with her charm and natural disposition on the screen. ‘Bobby’ film became a trend setter for her clothes she wore , Modern and the knotted Polka dotted blouse and the hairstyle made it to be one of the Youth fashion icon of the times in India. Incidently the Polka dotted outfit was referred to as ‘ Bobby print’ Dimple Kapadia’s come back in 1980. One of the first films after her sabbatical was the film ‘ Saagar’ in 1985 with Rishi Kapoor and Kamal Haasan , which once again won her the Filmfare Award for the Best Actress. From then on she established herself once again in the filmline to be one of the leading actress of the Hindi Cinema. She was initially recognized for her sex appeal but Dimple Kapadia was not interested in the stereotyped roles and wanted to expand her acting horizon and looked for roles that had a range. She subsequently took on to acting in serious films from main stream to parallel cinema and she continued to receive acclaim for her performances in each of her films that were much appreciated and well received by the audience. Dimple Kapadia acted in the films, ‘ Kaash’ in 1987, ‘Drishti’ in 1990, ‘Lekin’ in 1990 again and ‘ Rudaali’ in 1993. She earned her first National Film Award for Best Actress and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for her role in ‘ Rudali’ . She followed by her supporting roles in the film ‘Gardish’ in 1993 and ‘Krantiveer’ in 1994. The latter which fetched her the fourth Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Dimple Kapadia continued to act in films as supporting roles which were significant in the films like ‘ Dil Chahta Hai’ in 2001 and the film was a super hit blockbuster film as well as Dimple Kapadia was noticed for her portrayal in the film . She acted in the American production, ‘ Leela’ in 2002 and she acted in a few more films like ‘ Hum Kaun Hai?’ in 2004, ‘ Pyaar Mein Twist’ in 2005 was once again with her first co-star Rishi Kapoor a story of a middle aged romance and trust….. The film was well received being the favourite Jodi of the people from the time they had done the film ‘Bobby’ together, the audience were in awe of them being together again after almost 15 years. In 2008 she did the film ‘ Phir Kabhi’ , ‘Tum Milo Toh Sahi’ in 2010 and in supporting roles once again in ‘ Bhog Ras’ in 2005, ‘ Luck by Chance’ in 2009 , ‘Dabangg’ in 2010 and ‘Cocktail’ in 2012, ‘Finding Fanny’ in 2014 and her cameo roles in each of these films were well appreciated. Her film ‘ Saagar’ was a critical success and was also chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars . Once again in this memorable role she plays a goan Christian girl Mona D’Silva . In this film she looks ravishing with an auburn hair classic with an aura of sensuality that floored the audience and her fans alike. She did film with Sunny Deol, ‘ Manzil Manzil’ in 1984 and is reported to have had a short extra marital affair with him during that period though the rumours were later brushed aside . She was once again paired opposite to him in ‘Arjun’ an action film directed by Rahul Rawail and scripted by Javed Akhtar which went on to do well at the Box Office. She was then seen with Feroz Khan for the film ‘Janbaaz’ in 1986 a story of a man fighting the drug menace. The film got wrong credits for its steamy love scenes between Dimple and Anil Kapoor the 2nd co-star in the film. She worked in numerous Hindi films made by producers of South which included Pataal Bhairavi. A film she was very unhappy but had done the film for the financial gain during that period but left her with bitter memories of getting a tarnished image . After a few years she bagged the film ‘ Kaash’ directed by Mahesh Bhatt, a comeback to the Industry once again after the professional brickbats she received in between the years she stayed away . She considers her role in the film ‘ Kaash’ as one of the best moments in her film career and says working with a director like Mahesh Bhatt is one of her most significant periods in her film career and she learnt a lot from him to be an actress of her excellence today. In 1988 she once again had a woman oriented role played in the film ‘ Zakhmi Aurat’ the role was a very powerful one of being a Police officer who is gangraped and the judicial system fails to give her justice she gangs up with other rape victims and gets into the act of castrating the rapists. The film was termed as B-Grade film but gave Kapadia to prove her spirit as one of the finest actress with passion to give her best performance. During the same period she was also seen in films like Insaaf, Bees Saal Baad, Kabzaa, Ram Lakhan , Pyar Ke Naam Qurban, and Batwara. In 1980, Dimple Kapdia was seen for the first time in art house films like Drishti, Lekin and Rudaali , Anatreen in 1995. In 1991 she was also seen the film ‘ Prahaar’ a first directorial venture by Actor Nana Patekar with whom she has collaborated with many films. In 1992 she saw the release of the film ‘ Maarg’ her third film with Mahesh Bhatt . followed by a role in Hema Malini’s directorial debut film ‘ Dil Aashna Hai’ and ‘ Angaar’ a crime thriller film by Shashilal K. Nair. She acted in a supporting role as Shanti a street prostitute in Priyadarhan’s directed film Gardish, an adaptation of a Malayali film released in 1989 . In 1994, she plays the role of a journalist in Mehul Kumar’s film ‘ Krantiveer’ with Nana Patekar , followed by her supporting roles to films’ Antareen , in 1997, it was ‘ Agnichakra’ and in the same year, ‘Mrityudaata’ once again under the directorial of Mehul Kumar. She appeared in the film ‘ Laawaris’ in 1999 and ‘ Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain in which she plays the role of a strict mother of a wealthy family. In 2000 she plays the co-star with Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut film ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ though the role is really short , her character is a strong one depicted to the urban oriented lifestyle and presents a poignant of a lonely lady in an Urban city. Leela her film of 2002 written by an American production directed by Somnath sen is believed to be a film with the story line written specially keeping Dimple Kapadia in mind. It’s a story of a 40 year old married woman and a Mumbai University Professor.