Mother’s Day: When Dimple Kapadia talked about making comeback after having two children, said ‘even men hid marriages’

Actor Dimple Kapadia had responded to a question, in 2013, about the opportunities for married female actors. In an old interview, Dimple had said that people in the film industry ‘believe that once you are married you are not desirable to the audience’. She had cited her comeback film, Saagar (1985), after having two children. She had added that it wasn’t the audience who disapprove of married female actors.

Saagar was a romantic film directed by Ramesh Sippy. Apart from Dimple, the film stars Rishi Kapoor and Kamal Haasan. Dimple featured in the film a few years after separating from her husband, actor Rajesh Khanna. The couple became parents to two daughters–Twinkle Khanna (born in 1974) and Rinkie Khanna (born in 1977).

In an interview with Rediff, Dimple had said, “I made a comeback when married with two children in the film Saagar. It is not the audience who rejects us; it is the people in the industry who believe that once you are married you are not desirable to the audience. I think I proved them wrong. If the audience likes you, your work and the way you look, they will want to see you whether you are married or have two children or not. We had Nutanji and Sharmilaji working before me who were married and had kids. Even men (actors) in those days would hide their weddings and wouldn’t want to be linked to anyone because they felt that it would affect their popularity.”

Dimple also spoke about Twinkle and Rinkie and how they urged her to do comedy films. “People who know me know that I am very clumsy, always fumbling and I talk rubbish most of the times. My kids and even my son-in-law says all the time, ‘Ma, you should be in a comedy film. They are right but I tell them that I can’t do comedy (laughs). I have always had an aversion to sad roles. I don’t like to play ‘hai main dukhyari (oh I’m so sad)’ type roles. I enjoy essaying different characters. It’s much more fun now because directors are all young, they have such great ideas and they have so much to offer to you.”

Dimple made her debut in Bollywood with Bobby (1973) opposite late actor Rishi Kapoor. She went on to feature in many movies such as Kaash (1987), Drishti (1990), Lekin (1991), Rudaali (1993), Gardish (1993) Krantiveer (1994), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Leela (2002), Phir Kabhi (2008), Tum Milo Toh Sahi (2010) and What the Fish (2013). She also featured in Being Cyrus (2006), Luck by Chance (2009), Dabangg (2010), Cocktail (2012), Finding Fanny (2014) and Hollywood thriller Tenet (2020).