One of the finest actresses of the film industry, Dimple Kapadia has charmed the audience with her breathtaking looks, versatile performances and bold roles in films. Undoubtedly, she is one of those superstars who have had a balanced career as she worked in both commercial as well as parallel cinema.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that she is the exception to the ancient Bollywood rule that married women don't make for good female leads.
Dimple Kapadia started as a teenage star opposite late Rishi Kapoor in their debut movie Bobby in 1973. At that time, she was 16 years old and the actress tied the knot with superstar Rajesh Khanna even before Bobby released.
After taking a sabbatical, she returned to acting with a bang in 1984 in the film Saagar, directed by Ramesh Sippy. Since then, there’s no looking back for the actress.
Even today, Dimple Kapadia keeps on experimenting with her roles and slays them like a pro.
At the age of 63, she has been a part of Christopher Nolan's Tenet alongside John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. She also recently played a significant role in the web series Taandav and is awaiting the release of Ayan Mukherjee's Brahmastra with Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, and Abhishek Jain's Second Innings with Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon.
As the actress turns a year older today, have a look at some of her best performances.
Bobby
In the film, Dimple Kapadia played the role of an innocent teenager. The film went on to become a major mainstream success. The chemistry between her and Rishi Kapoor was palpable and nobody could deny the ingenuity of their performance. Despite being a debutant, Dimple Kapadia was lauded for her performance, which also won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Even after almost five decades, her work in the film is still cherished by the audience.
Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia |
Saagar
Mother of two, Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna, and separated from her husband Rajesh Khanna, Dimple Kapadia was none of these things when she was on screen with Rishi Kapoor and Kamal Haasan. This love triangle from 1985 presented the actress in never seen before avatar. She looked stunning in every scene. The role also won her another trophy of Filmfare Best Actress.
Lekin
Dimple Kapadia was again nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Female Actor for her film 'Lekin'. She portrayed the role of a spirit, Reva, caught in a time warp, somewhere between the realm of the living and the dead. The film was written and directed by Gulzar. The film and, particularly its songs, are a huge hit and remain popular to this day.
Kaash
Playing a wife and mother in Kaash, Dimple was cast opposite actor Jackie Shroff who was in the role of a fading film star. It showed a woman struggling to make sense of a failing marriage, desire for a career, separation from husband and finally reconciling as the couple discovers their son has cancer.
A still from Dimple Kapadia's film Kaash |
Rudaali
The actress won her first National Award for Kalpana Lajmi's offbeat film Rudaali. The film revolved around the life of Shanichari, played by Dimple Kapadia. The film is considered to be one of the best ones of the actress' career.
Krantiveer
The talented actress played the role of a journalist in Mehul Kumar's Krantiveer, starring Nana Patekar and Atul Agnihotri. Her performance as the fearless reporter won her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting role Female.
Dil Chahta Hai
Dimple Kapadia and Akshaye Khanna in Dil Chahta Hai |
In 2001, young Farhan Akhtar, in his debut film, Dil Chahta Hai, cast her in a supporting role. Essentially a slick tale, telling the story of urban Indian youth, Dimple was cast an older woman, who finds herself as the object of affection of one of the film’s three heroes. Her portrayal of a middle-aged alcoholic woman and a divorcee, who is not allowed to meet her daughter was received well. In one of her interviews, she even called her role in the film 'one role to die for'.
