Dimple Kapadia still reaping benefits from ‘Bobby’

Actor says debut film has been her biggest achievement to date.

MUMBAI: Veteran actor Dimple Kapadia is certainly not a one-hit wonder, but the National Award winning actor maintains that her secret of survival in the Bollywood industry is Bobby, a film that released four decades ago.  It is still fresh in the minds of the people she works with and thus allows her to continue reaping the benefits of its success even today.

Directed by Raj Kapoor, Bobby was the vehicle that launched Dimple and Rishi Kapoor’s, and did wonders at the box office when it premiered in 1973. Soon after the success of the film, she quit the industry for a fairy tale wedding with the then reigning superstar of Bollywood, Rajesh Khanna.

13 years later, after parting with Khanna, who passed in 2012, she returned for a successful innings in film with the triangular love story Saagar, and proved her mettle with an eclectic mix of commercial and independant cinema – Aitbaar, Arjun, Rama Lakhan, Batwara, Kaash, Rudaali and Lekin.

Despite having made a wide array of films, Dimple still feels Bobby was her biggest success. “None of my other films were such a hit. It is only Bobby that has given me so much for 40 years. It is so strong that I am still standing on that soil,” Dimple, who won the Filmfare Best Actress award for Bobby, told IANS.

Dimple will be seen trying her hand at comedy in her forthcoming film What the Fish, a fun-filled mystery drama revolving around the 60 year old grumpy woman that she plays. She has stepped out of her comfort zone to promote What the Fish, but confesses to not understanding marketing gimmicks at all.

She said: “I don’t understand it. I don’t believe in it, because I think as an audience, I decide after watching the promo whether I want to watch the film or not, but I guess times have changed. Obviously, the results are good that is why producers are doing this. I am sure they are getting returns because of this.”

Releasing on December 13, director Gurmmeet Singh’s What the Fish also stars Manu Rishi Chada and Manjot Singh, among others.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2013.

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