Dimple Kapadia was just 16 when she made her starry debut in Raj Kapoor’s superhit film Bobby, alongside Rishi Kapoor, back in 1973. Her younger sister Simple, who was in boarding school at the time, learnt this via newspapers and was in shock that Dimple was now going to be a part of the movies. Dimple’s career, however, came to a halt just after Bobby released as she married superstar Rajesh Khanna, who did not want his wife to be a movie star, and Dimple obliged.
Simple, who later made her debut in the movies, following her sister’s footsteps, made her debut in the movies in 1977 with her brother-in-law Rajesh Khanna, who was starting to experience flops for the first time in his career, and their film, Anurodh, flopped. For a few years, Simple tried to position herself as an actress, but just after 25 films, she gave up and switched to costume designing, which ultimately fetched her a National Film Award.
Simple Kapadia was a ‘part of sister Dimple Kapadia’s dowry’
When Dimple married Rajesh, Simple moved in with them and joked that she “was a part of her dowry.” It is well known that Dimple and Rajesh had a difficult marriage right from the start but despite living in the same house, Simple never realised the gravity of their problems. In a 1986 chat with journalist Sushmita Ray, Simple said, “Surprisingly, I was not aware of the problems between her and Kaka although I stayed in the same house. Frankly, I never got along with him.”
Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia got married in 1973. (Photo: Express Archives)
‘Rajesh Khanna treated me like dirt’
Describing Rajesh as a “difficult man to understand,” Simple said that she could “never relate” to him. She recalled that when she signed her debut film, Shakti Samanta’s Anurodh, Rajesh “treated me like kachra (dirt).” “Since it was my first film, I was very nervous and unsure, but he didn’t lift a finger to help me. He refused to rehearse the dialogues with me,” she said and added, “He was very uncooperative, and one day, I was close to tears.”
At this point, Shakti Samantha stepped in to resolve the situation. He had collaborated with Rajesh on hits like Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, among a few others, but he supported Simple as he felt that she was being disrespected on the set. Simple recalled, “Finally Shakti da fired Kaka. He said, ‘You may be a superstar and she may be your sister-in-law but she is a newcomer on my sets, and you should treat her with respect’. Poor Kaka had to do what he was told. He had no option.”
Simple Kapadia made her debut with Rajesh Khanna in Anurodh. (Photo: Express Archives)
Story continues below this ad
‘I could never be another Dimple’
After the film flopped, in a chat with India Today in 1977, she said that she wasn’t comfortable working with Rajesh. “Actually, I’m quite uncomfortable working with him because when you know a person inside out it seems funny seeing him so different in front of a camera,” she said. Simple could not avoid being compared to Dimple, especially since Bobby had been a huge hit. “Anurodh is definitely not a Bobby and can never even be compared to it, just like I guess I can never be another Dimple.”
A few years later, Simple said she was unbothered about Anurodh’s fate as she “never wanted to act in films” but only did it because she needed the money. She told Ray, “I hated asking my parents for money. Besides, there was no other job I could do. Who would give a respectable job to a high school dropout?” Simple said that she never pursued her career seriously and was never keen on giving more takes than needed.
Simple Kapadia in a still from her debut film Anurodh. (Photo: Express Archives)
The comparisons with Dimple were constant and Simple was put down as the “ugly sister”.
“When Anurodh flopped, people said that the audience couldn’t accept an ugly sister after the gorgeous Dimple Kapadia. What sh*t! The truth is that I didn’t make an effort to do well in that film. I know Dimple is beautiful. I’ve known it since the day I was born. My sister is the most gorgeous thing that has taken place in this industry – in fact, in the world,” she said.
Story continues below this ad
After 25 films, Simple decided to give up on being an actor.
Simple turned dress designer for sister Dimple
Soon after, she found her next passion – to be a dress designer. She clarified that she did not take up the profession just because she was Dimple’s sister. “I am not like other star sisters who take up dress designing so that all the money comes home. I started designing dresses because I had no choice. Dimple was totally dependent on me for her clothes,” she said.
Dimple made her comeback in the movies in 1984, after she separated from her husband Rajesh Khanna. Dimple wanted her sister for some honest opinions, and would always call her when she couldn’t decide what to wear, or how to style herself. Back in the 1980s, the costume department for movies wasn’t as organised and while designers like Bhanu Athaiya worked in the movies, a lot of mainstream films left the selection of costumes to the film’s lead heroine.
Story continues below this ad
Simple was always on the call with Dimple for such matters. “I decided that if I was going to constantly dish out my precious advice, I should jolly well get paid for it,” she said. Soon, she started designing for other actresses as well, including Sridevi and Maadhavi.
Simple had watched her sister Dimple’s marriage failing from close quarters, and had an inseparable bond with her. Back in 1986, she decided that if she were to get married, the would-be husband should be someone who lived close to Dimple’s house. “Girls usually look for a man who is tall, dark and handsome. But my requirements are different. I want someone who lives close to my sister’s place. He should treat Dimple just as I do and should not object to my spending time with her. After all, my sister tops my priority list,” she said.
A few years later, in 1992, Simple married Rajinder Singh Shetty but the marriage didn’t last and the two got divorced. Simple’s son, Karan Kapadia, was born in 1993. He made his debut in the movies with 2010’s Blank.
Simple won National Film Award for Rudaali
The biggest moment of her career as a dress designer came in 1994, when she won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for Dimple-starrer Rudaali. In later years, Simple also designed costumes for films like Darr, Barsaat, Chachi 420, 23rd March 1931: Shaheed, Socha Na Tha, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, among others.
Story continues below this ad
For Dimple too, her sister was her lifeline. In a 2024 interview with Vogue, Dimple recalled Simple’s contribution to her career. “My entire wardrobe for my films was always done by my sister, Simple,” she recalled and said that her sister always ensured that she had plenty of costume options, which made her feel more confident.
Dimple Kapadia in a still from Rudaali. (Photo: Express Archives)
Simple passed away at 51
In 2009, Simple died at the age of 51 after a three-year battle with cancer. Her last credited work was in the 2010 film Tum Milo Toh Sahi, but she had to leave the film midway after she got sick. In a chat with The Times of India, director Kabir Sadanand recalled her joyous presence. “I didn’t want the world to see her on a wheelchair. Even though she was ill she insisted on coming to the sets and spending time with us. When we’d ask about her health she would turn around and say, ‘Who’s ill around here?’ Her spirit carried us forward to the end of the film,” he said.
He recalled how Dimple internalised her pain of losing her sister and said, “But not once did Dimple bring her grief to the sets. Not once did we get to feel the enormity of her suffering. Every day she was in and out of the hospital and on the sets on time ready to face the camera. Dimple doesn’t believe that the world needs to know about her suffering. She internalised all the pain that she felt about Simple’s condition.”
Aside from Anurodh, Simple appeared in films like Chakravyuha, Man Pasand, Lootmaar, Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai, Pyaar Ke Do Pal, among others.
