Late legendary superstar Rajesh Khanna may have married actor Dimple Kapadia in 1975, but one of his most memorable onscreen pairings was with Dimple’s late younger sister, Simple Kapadia. She made her acting debut opposite Khanna in Shakti Samanta’s Anurodh (1977), at the age of 18—the same age Dimple was when she debuted in Bobby four years earlier.
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“It is definitely not a Bobby, and can never even be compared to it. Just like I guess, I can never be another Dimple. Actually, I’m quite uncomfortable working with him (Khanna) because when you know a person inside out it seems funny seeing him so different in front of a camera,” Simple had said in a 1977 interview to India Today.
After her debut, Simple Kapadia went on to appear in Rajesh Khanna’s 1987 thriller Chakravyuha, directed by Basu Chatterjee. Her filmography also includes the 1979 romance Ahsaas, starring Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor; Chatterjee’s Man Pasand (1980) opposite Dev Anand; Dev Anand’s 1980 mystery Lootmaar; the 1981 action film Shakka opposite Jeetendra; Nasir Hussain’s 1982 romantic thriller Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai; Dulha Bikta Hai (1982) with Raj Babbar; T. Rama Rao’s Jeevan Dhaara (1982) starring Rekha; and the 1985 drama Rehguzar opposite Shekhar Suman.
Simple went on to design costumes for Sridevi in Shashi Kapoor’s 1990 superhero film Ajooba, Juhi Chawla in Yash Chopra’s 1993 romantic thriller Darr, and her niece Twinkle Khanna in her 1995 debut Barsaat, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. She also worked on Meenakshi Seshadri’s look in Santoshi’s 1996 action film Ghatak, styled Kamal Haasan and Tabu in the 1998 comedy Chachi 420, Amrita Singh in Guddu Dhanoa’s 2002 historical drama 23rd March 1931: Shaheed, and Ayesha Takia in Imtiaz Ali’s 2005 directorial debut Socha Na Tha.
Simple Kapadia even won the National Award for Best Costume Design for Kalpala Lajmi’s Rudaali (1993), starring Dimple Kapadia in the titular role. Simple’s last film as a costume designer was the 2006 crime drama Gafla. She was diagnosed with cancer the same year, but she reportedly continued to work till she breathed her last in Mumbai in 2009 at the age of 41.
Simple Kapadia had married Rajinder Singh Shetty in 1992, but the marriage didn’t last long. She had a son with him, Karan Kapadia, who made his acting debut in Benzad Khambatta’s 2019 action thriller Blank, which also starred Sunny Deol. Karan’s debut film released 10 years after his mother’s death.
