Dimple Kapadia became an overnight sensation at just 16 with her debut in Raj Kapoor’s 1973 blockbuster ‘Bobby‘, opposite Rishi Kapoor. At the time, her younger sister, Simple Kapadia, was studying at a boarding school and was stunned to discover through newspaper reports that Dimple had entered the film industry. However, Dimple’s flourishing career came to an abrupt pause after the release of ‘Bobby’ when she married superstar Rajesh Khanna, who reportedly did not want his wife to continue acting. Dimple stepped away from films following their marriage.Years later, Simple followed her sister into Bollywood, making her acting debut in 1977 with her brother-in-law Rajesh Khanna in Shakti Samanta’s ‘Anurodh’. By then, Rajesh was facing a rare downturn in his career, and the film failed at the box office. Although Simple appeared in around 25 films over the next few years, she eventually left acting behind and reinvented herself as a costume designer—a decision that later earned her the National Film Award for Best Costume Design.After Dimple married Rajesh, Simple moved into the couple’s home and often joked that she “was a part of her dowry.” While Dimple and Rajesh’s troubled marriage has been widely discussed over the years, Simple revealed that she never fully understood the seriousness of their problems despite living under the same roof. Speaking to journalist Sushmita Ray in 1986, she 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.”Simple described Rajesh Khanna as a “difficult man to understand” and admitted she could “never relate” to him. Recalling her experience during the shooting of ‘Anurodh’, she said Rajesh offered her no support despite it being her first film.“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 recalled. “He was very uncooperative, and one day, I was close to tears.”The situation eventually prompted director Shakti Samanta to intervene. Having worked with Rajesh on classics like ‘Aradhana’, ‘Kati Patang’ and ‘Amar Prem’, Samanta still chose to stand up for the newcomer. Simple remembered the incident, saying, “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.”After ‘Anurodh’ failed commercially, Simple admitted in a 1977 interview with India Today that acting opposite Rajesh had not been an easy experience. “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.She was also constantly measured against Dimple, whose debut in ‘Bobby’ had become legendary. Acknowledging the inevitable comparisons, Simple remarked, “Anurodh is definitely not a Bobby and can never even be compared to it, just like I guess I can never be another Dimple.”In later years, Simple revealed she had never been passionate about becoming an actress and entered films only for financial reasons. “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?” she told Sushmita Ray. She also admitted she never took acting seriously enough to strive for perfection with multiple takes.The comparisons with Dimple often became personal, with critics labelling her the “ugly sister.” Responding to such remarks, Simple said, “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.”After stepping away from acting, Simple discovered her true calling in costume design. She insisted that her career choice was driven by necessity rather than family connections. “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 explained.Dimple returned to acting in 1984 after separating from Rajesh Khanna, and Simple became her closest fashion advisor. During an era when costume departments in mainstream Hindi cinema were far less structured, Dimple frequently sought her sister’s opinion on outfits and styling. Recalling how that evolved into a profession, Simple said, “I decided that if I was going to constantly dish out my precious advice, I should jolly well get paid for it.”Her talent soon attracted other leading actresses, and she went on to design costumes for stars including Sridevi and Maadhavi. A defining moment for her was when she won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for ‘Rudaali’, starring her sister Dimple in 1994.The sisters shared an exceptionally close bond, strengthened by the challenges Dimple faced in her personal life. Speaking in 1986, Simple revealed that any future husband would have to accept her unwavering commitment to Dimple. “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.Simple eventually married Rajinder Singh Shetty in 1992, but the marriage ended in divorce. Their son, Karan Kapadia, was born in 1993 and later made his acting debut with the 2019 film ‘Blank’. Simple passed away in 2009 at the age of 51, after a three-year battle with Cancer.
