To celebrate the iconic actress’s birthday, Subhash K Jha lists the six films featuring Dimple Kapadia’s best performances. As a bonus, we hear from directors, actors, and more on what it is like to work with her reel and real!
Kaash (1987):
Mahesh Bhatt’s powerful drama about an estranged couple coming together for the sake of their dying son, had Dimple pulling out all stops. Says Mahesh Bhatt, “Dimple Kapadia is the most generous Indian actress I have worked with. Our journey began with an unusual film called Kaash, which dealt with the bitter truth of life, that ultimately, you have to part with all that you love. The story revolved around a separated husband and wife (played by Jackie Shroff and Dimple Kapadia) who come together to fulfill the last three wishes of their terminally ill child, and how their relationship evolves through this painful experience. Dimple gave her heart to this role, and we both did our best. Although the film didn’t do well at the box office due to its alternative cinema core, our relationship blossomed. I call her the most generous woman because when we needed her for a special appearance in Kabza, she agreed without hesitation and didn’t charge a penny. This was a huge gesture from a star like her and helped lay the foundation for Vishesh Films, the production house I ran with my brother Mukesh. Her contribution went beyond just one role; it was crucial to our company’s early success. Though Kabzaa was an average success, it made enough profit for us to move forward. I am very grateful for Dimple’s presence in my life, and she remains a cherished memory for me.”
Jackie Shroff fondly recalls his awkwardness at having to get intimate with his buddy. “Believe it or not, I always found intimate scenes hard to do. I know I was known as a ladies man, and all that, but even the thought of holding my heroine’s hand made me break into a sweat. So, imagine my plight when I had to kiss Dimple Kapadia in Mahesh Bhatt’s Kaash! It was my first serious marital drama. And intimacy was integral to the story. I was petrified. Dimple was not just a great co-star; she was also my buddy. We are both Gujjus. How can you kiss your buddy? I tried my best to wriggle out of it. I put forward every argument that I could think of against the kiss, but Mahesh Bhatt saab wouldn’t hear of it. I even warned him that I was very clumsy and self-conscious when I had to kiss Zeenat Aman for a magazine cover. Can you imagine me kissing Zeenat, who was so much senior! But Bhatt saab was adamant. He felt woh aur baat thi, yeh aur baat hai. He felt the kiss between me and Dimple came at a very crucial juncture in Kaash. And to avoid it, would mean changing the entire dramatic mood of the scene. I finally agreed. Dimple and I managed to do it, after much deliberation. We still laugh over it. But I’ve never been able to overcome my inhibitions about doing intimate scenes. Now, I guess I never will.”
Bobby (1973):
At age 15, she became the heartthrob of the nation. As the plucky Bobby Braganza Dimple did to Juliet what what Hema Malini couldn’t do to Meerabai in Gulzar’s film. Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who singles out Bobby as his favourite romantic film, says, “I first saw Bobby at the Regal theatre in Connaught Place in Delhi in 1973 when I was 10 with my family. Movie-going was always a big event for the family. My father was great fan of Raj Kapoor. And Raj Saab was launching his son in Bobby. So it was an especially important film for our family. I must have seen Bobby at least ten times when it first had its golden-jubilee run. Each time, it was in the theatre and not on the small screen. I remember falling in love with the film and with Dimple Kapadia. That was a child’s amazement at a film that shaped his romantic perceptions. Then later, when I grew up, I saw Bobby with the eyes of a filmmaker. And then I saw what great filmmaking skills had gone into it. Somewhere deep down, Bobby remains entrenched in my heart. And then, as a filmmaker, nobody can beat Raj Kapoor Saab. The whole treatment of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet was totally RK. And Dimple Kapadia completely changed our lives. She changed the way we looked at a Hindi film heroine. She defined the very concept of a ‘breath of fresh air.’ She was so comfortable with her sexuality. We had never seen anything like her.”
Rudaali (1993):
Dimple played Shanichari, a woman in rural Rajasthan, a professional weeper who has forgotten to feel real emotions. My dear departed friend Kalpana Lajmi, who directed this masterpiece, felt Dimple’s performance was on a par with what Shabana Azmi did in Kalpana’s debut film Ek Pal. Kalpana had said, “She was a rock-solid ally, my creative collaborator and soul sister on location. Her inputs to her character really helped me to construct a magnificent character.” Shabana herself told me that Dimple’s performance in Rudaali was “a revelation.” Dimple won a National award for her performance. Sadly, she couldn’t carry the triumphant performance any further.
Lekin (1991):
I described her performance as “the essence of evanescence” . The last significant Tagore adaptation in Hindi and director Gulzar’s first tryst with Tagore, this ghost story was adapted from Tagore’s short story Kshudhit Pashaan. Dimple Kapadia, who played the ghost Rewa, didn’t stop calling producer Lata Mangeshkar and director Gulzar until she got the role. She also got to sing Lataji and composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s exquisite melodies ‘Yaara seeli seeli’, ‘Suniyoji araj’ and ‘Kesariya balma’. In the year of Lekin, Dimple had 8 other releases, most of them of the trashiest kind.
Zakhmi Aurat: (1988):
An exceedingly controversial film during its time, it featured Dimple Kapadia as a cop who is gang-raped. As revenge, she and other like-minded rape victims go around castrating rapists. Ridiculous as the film was, the relevance of its eye-for-an-eye philosophy to this day is disturbing. The film was a hit, though Dimple, who was herself a victim of domestic violence in real life, was quite embarrassed about it.
Being Cyrus (2006):
Dimple’s Parsi libertine act had her hitting on Saif Ali Khan repeatedly. Earlier in Dil Chahta Hai, she was hitting on another younger guy, Akshaye Khanna, while Saif’s attentions were elsewhere. And later in Cocktail, she was Saif’s mother. Dimple counts Being Cyrus among her favourite films. “Being Cyrus is a film very dear to me. This was one of the most exciting films I’ve done. Working with the director Homi Adjania was an unbelievable experience. It was absolutely out of the world. Homi knew exactly how he wanted each character to be played. He’d correct me if I didn’t do a scene his way. It had to be done the way he visualised it. And it wasn’t just in his head. He has executed his ideas so well. Being Cyrus was my most beautiful experience as an actress. Doing Being Cyrus gave me a big high. It was great experience working in this film.”
