Introduction
Some are born great; some achieve greatness; some have greatness thrust upon them. As for Dimple Kapadia, my favorite actress, the later two parts of the sentence hold good. The director of movie Bobby, Raj Kapoor, drew magic out of her. The movie was popular beyond expectations and those who saw the movie not once, twice but dozens of times just to enjoy the role of Dimple Kapadia as Bobby are not in dozens, but in thousands. Through this movie, she brought the essential dignity to the female character, and sent a convincing message, as for the rights and responsibilities of women in the Indian Society. Mind you, she was doing this role 4 decades ago and the social conditions prevailing then were entirely different as compared to the current times.
She has been hailed as the sensuous star, apart from her superb acting talents. Her sexuality was not exhibitionism of the naked body parts. It was appreciated and acceptable as it had nobility about it. She was in teens when she did the role of Bobby, but showed extraordinary maturity in ‘her dialogues.’ As a debutant, it was an outstanding effort. She acted without any strain; the scene to scene transformation was effortless. She was the daughter of a Christian fisherman and fell in love with the only son of a rich industrialist. The initiative was from the boy’s side first. Bikini had yet to enter the Hindi Films, and the scene in which she steps out of a swimming pool in the most revealing style, is unforgettable. Some of the dialogues have found a permanent place in Hindi script-writing. ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge?’(Will you make friendship with me?)-the style in which the dialogue was delivered was both a challenge and unintended rebuke to the boy, Rishi Kapoor, who was taken aback at her boldness.
She married Rajesh Khanna, another famous movie star of the time, but the marriage ended in divorce. Notwithstanding the temporary setback in her personal life, there was no stopping as for successful roles she did in many films. Some of the memorable roles are:
As the mother of two kids, she did her comeback film Sagar. She was remarkable again, the spectators won’t forget the scene in which her towel slips as she emerges from the waves and surf, and for a second one catches the glimpse of her bare breasts. Kamal Hasan was her hero in this movie. She was not the pony-tailed Bobby in this movie but her gorgeous auburn tresses were no less attractive. Then followed Mahesh Bhatt’s sensitive movie Kaash! She excelled in a non-glamorous role in Shanichari. She is a poor low-caste woman in this tale by Kalpana Lajmi. She had everything that made her life miserable in this movie. An alcoholic husband, a useless son, a prostitute for a daughter and a broken house in the Rajasthanai desert! She as ‘Rudali’ showed grit and great strength of character. Dil Chahta Hai, Leela, Pyar Mein Twist, Zhakmi Aurat, Lekin are some of her other movies that brought her fame.
Conclusion
She is a great actress and a great human being. She established her place in the Bollywood with her sheer acting talents. Luck favors the brave and she had the element of luck with her, to be spotted by the Director like Raj Kapoor to chisel ‘Bobby’ out of the young girl, Dimple Kapadia. The rest is history.
References
Article: Dimple Kapadia: The sensuous star-India Buzz-Entertainment-The …The magic that director Raj Kapoor was able to create with Bobby has not been repeated timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1215746,prtpage-1.cms – 29k Retrieved on May 8, 2008.
