Fragrance of Yesteryears: Dimple Kapadia

Even though Women's Day has come and gone, BollyCurry would still like to pay our tributes to another extraordinary individual who encapsulates the way the word "woman" can ooze grace, charm and power; a woman who has carved her name in platinum letters on the Bollywood banner, Dimple Kapadia.

Kapadia was born into a wealthy Gujarati family on 8^th June, 1957 and is the eldest of four children. Her sisters, Simple Kapadia and Reem Kapadia, were also actresses in the Bollywood fraternity.  As a child, she loved the world of glitz and glamour, often referring to herself as "film crazy". So it was a dream come true when Raj Kapoor discovered her and decided to cast her opposite his son and her fellow debutant Rishi Kapoor in the film Bobby (1973). She was a mere slip of a girl aged sixteen when she created waves with her spectacular performance and unique dressing style. Soon, the costumes and hairstyles she sported in Bobby became a fashion trend, as did every other outfit she wore on and off screen. Luck was in Kapadia's favour since she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her debut, a big deal for all actors.

 

Six months prior to the release of her debut film, Kapadia married superstar Rajesh Khanna. At sixteen, it sparked controversies and ran rumour mills wild, but Kapadia was head over heels for the handsome actor. She subsequently retired from acting for twelve years to raise her daughters Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna. Following a separation after walking out on Khanna with her two daughters, Kapadia returned to the silver screen with Zakhmi Sher (1984). It wasn't long after that everyone realized that this dynamic woman was back and here to stay, especially when she won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1985 for Saagar.

 

Since then, Kapadia has graced over fifty films with her beautiful looks and amazing acting skills, and has won several more Filmfare Awards along the way, and a National Film Award for Best Actress for Rudaali (1993). The same movie also won her the Damascus International Film Festive Award and the Asia Pacific Film Festive Award, both in the Best Actress category. She has also appeared in a handful of Tamil and Bengali films, which earned her the Bengali Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress in 1991 for Drishti.

 

Dimple Kapadia is still a legendary actress to date and BollyCurry wishes her immense success in the future, along with good health and happiness. BollyCurry encourages you to leave your best wishes for this renowned actress in the comment section below.

Author: Mohini N.

Editors: Aradhna K. and Gunia K. 

Graphics: Shikha A. and Marsh P.