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Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor at the San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California (24 July 2009)
Born	(1959-12-24) 24 December 1959 (age 52)[1] Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Sunita Kapoor (1984–present)
Children	Sonam Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Harshvardhan
Parents	Surinder Kapoor (father) Nirmal (mother)
Relatives	Boney Kapoor (brother) Sanjay Kapoor (brother)

Anil Kapoor (Hindi: अनिल कपूर; Punjabi: ਅਨਿਲ ਕਪੂਰ; born 24 December 1959)^[1] is an Indian actor, producer and director who has appeared in many Bollywood films and more recently international films.

He won his first Filmfare Award, in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his role in Yash Chopra's Mashaal (1984). Kapoor earned his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in N. Chandra's Tezaab (1988) and later again for his perfornance in Indra Kumar's Beta (1992). He also starred in many other critically and commercially successful films, including Woh Saat Din (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Janbaaz (1986), Karma (1986), Mr. India (1987), Virasat (1997) for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor, Biwi No.1 (1999), Taal (1999) for which he won his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Pukar (2000) for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, No Entry (2005), and Welcome (2007).^[2]

Kapoor's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle's 2008 Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press.^[3][4] Globally, Anil Kapoor is one of the most recognised Indian actors.^[5] He has also appeared in the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Personal life and education[link]

Anil Kapoor was born to film producer Surinder Kapoor and his wife Nirmal. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School - Chembur, in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai, and then St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.^[6] Kapoor's elder brother, Boney Kapoor, is a film producer, while younger brother, Sanjay Kapoor, is also an actor.

In 1984, he married Sunita Kapoor (née Bhambhani). He has two daughters and a son, Harshvardhan. Kapoor's elder daughter is actress Sonam Kapoor. Rhea Kapoor attended school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai. He is a practicing and devout Hindu. He is a distant relative of Raj Kapoor. He grew up in Raj Kapoor's house with former Bollywood actor Rajiv Kapoor.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

As an actor[link]

1980s[link]

Kapoor made his Bollywood debut with Umesh Mehra's Hamare Tumhare (1979) in a supporting role. After a few minor roles in films such as Hum Paanch (1980) and Shakti (1982), he got his first leading role in the 1983 Hindi film, Woh Saat Din. Kapoor later tried acting in Tollywood and Sandalwood, and appeared in Bapu (artist)'s Telugu film Vamsa Vriksham and Mani Ratnam's Kannada debut film Pallavi Anu Pallavi released in 1983.

Next, he appeared in Yash Chopra's drama Mashaal (1984) as a tapori, for which he won his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. His tapori persona and stubble look was considered unconventional at the time, but would later become more fashionable in India many years later.^[7] Kapoor's 1985 releases included Yudh and Saaheb.

Going on to deliver huge commercial success with films like Meri Jung (1985), a career-defining role of an angry young lawyer fighting for justice, which eventually established Kapoor's credential as a mature actor and both audience and critics gave their thumbs up to his performance. Kapoor played a comic tapori in Karma (1986), the biggest hit of the year.^[8] Also in 1986, Kapoor played the role of a care free playboy in the hit Janbaaz, costarring Feroz Khan.^[9][10] Kapoor's other release of 1986 Insaaf Ki Awaaz was a box office hit.^[11] In the same year Basu Chatterjee directed Chameli Ki Shaadi and he displayed his crackling flare in comedy.^[12]

Kapoor generated wide applause from audience of all walks of life for his title role in Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi film Mr. India (1987), the biggest hit of the year.^[13] The film became one of his biggest box office hits and shot him to superstar status.^[14] Anil kapoor was equally impressive in Mahesh Bhatt directed film Thikana.^[15] In 1988, he was rewarded with his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his rivetting performance in the hit film, Tezaab, the biggest blockbuster of 1988.^[16] Anil proved to be the only saving grace even in flops like Ram-Avtar.^[17] The following year he delivered more mega commercial and critical successes with Ram Lakhan (which became the second highest box office earner of 1989)^[18] and the audience went berserk with the song One Two Ka Four. In the highly acclaimed film Parinda, Kapoor played his role with conviction, and his biggest achievement was displaying the vulnerability of his character so perfectly.^[19] In Rakhwala, Kapoor played a tapori again and the film was declared a success.^[14][20] Kapoor excelled in his eccentric portrayal of an autistic person in the 1989 hit, Eeshwar and this film proved his versatility as an actor.^[21]

1990s[link]

The year 1990 saw him play a dual role, as twin brothers in the highly successful Kishen Kanhaiya and in the same year he further attained reasonable box office success with Ghar Ho To Aisa.^[22] Kapoor came up with a critically acclaimed performance in Awaargi. Many critics called that his best performance ever.^[23] This was followed by a restrained yet striking performance as a middle age man in Yash Chopra's romantic drama Lamhe, a landmark film of Indian cinema and Yash Chopra's best work to date. It was the first film in which he appeared without a moustache. Although the film was a box office failure in India, it proved to be a success overseas. Kapoor's 1991 release, Benaam Badshaah was accorded above average status at the ticket window.^[24]

In 1992, Kapoor received his second Filmfare Best Actor Award for his hard-hitting performance in Indra Kumar's Beta — the biggest blockbuster of the year — opposite Madhuri Dixit.^[25] Kapoor was highly impressive with his comic act in Khel and his comic timing was one of the highlights of the film.^[26] In 1993, Boney Kapoor's much delayed mega-budget, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja was a disaster at the box office and damaged Kapoor's reputation as the industry's biggest star at the time. The only major success in these years was Laadla with Sridevi, a film produced by Nitin Manmohan.^[27] Kapoor gave a splendid performance as a simpleton lover in the hit musical 1942: A Love Story. His 1995 release, Trimurti (film) was a box office disaster, though Kapoor's performance was creditable.^[28] Kapoor came up with a decent performance in the average performer Gharwali Bharwali.^[29]

After a few box office failures, he had box office success with films like Loafer (1996),.^[30] In Judaai, Kapoor's depiction of a loving husband twisted between his two wives was appreciated and this film fared well at the box office.^[31] Deewana Mastana (1997), Biwi No.1 (1999) and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999) were box office hits.^[32] Kapoor’s unusual characterization of a zealous, crooked musical superstar in Taal (1999) shocked both audience and critics alike.^[33] He also won rave reviews for his superb performance in Virasat, a remake of the Tamil film, Thevar Magan (1992), in which Kamal Hassan had played Kapoor's role. He also starred in the unsuccessful Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate, which was legendary filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherji's last commercial release, along with Juhi Chawla. He shaved his moustache once again for the film, in the second half, where he played actor Sajid Khan's wife and his delightful comic timing was a real treat to watch.

2000s[link]

Kapoor's first release of 2000 was Bulandi (2000 film), in which he played a double role, showing restraint and maturity as the elder Thakur.^[34] He won his first National Film Award in the Best Actor category for his role in Rajkumar Santoshi's critically acclaimed Pukar in 2000. Kapoor again tasted critical and commercial success with Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai in 2000.^[35][36] Kapoor stole the show as Rajeev in the much delayed, Karobaar, a film directed by Rakesh Roshan, where Kapoor’s dialogue delivery was appreciated.^[37] He delivered a powerhouse performance in Shanker's Nayak which is considered to be his best performance by many.^{[38][39][40][41]}

In 2002, Kapoor gave an excellent performance in the role of a fat man in Badhaai Ho Badhaai, a takeoff from the Hollywood hit, Nutty Professor.^[42][43] He notched up yet another glorious performance in the Indra Kumar directed film Rishtey.^[44][45] In Om Jai Jagadish, he gave an amazing performance.^[46] Kapoor shared the screen with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan for the first time in Armaan, and underplayed his character of a neurosurgeon superbly.^[47][48]

In his 2003 release, Calcutta Mail, he delivered one of his best performances. His character was defined with ample scope to perform in this screenplay-driven performance and in spite of the strong supporting cast, this really came out as Kapoor's one-man show.^[49][50] He ignited the silver screen with an authoritative performance in Musafir.^[51][52] Kapoor gave an incredibly restrained performance as the stricken husband in the thriller My Wife's Murder, which he also produced.^{[53][54][55][56]} Anees Bazmee's super-hit comedy No Entry (2005), followed for Kapoor that year. The film went on to become the highest grossing film of the year.^[57] He was also in the film Bewafaa, playing a rich businessman who is forced to marry the sister of his wife after she passes away in childbirth.

Kapoor played a grey character with finesse in the 2005 thriller, Chocolate.^[58][59] Anil's first release of 2007 Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love was a box office hit in overseas though a flop in India.^[60] Anees Bazmee's Welcome, which released on 21 December 2007 and was declared the biggest success of the year.^[61] Kapoor's understated performance in Subhash Ghai's Black and White was highly lauded.^[62][63][64] His first release in 2008, Abbas Mustan's thriller, Race became a box office hit. Vijay Krishna Acharya's, Tashan marked Anil's comeback to Yash Raj Films but failed to do well at the box office.

His most recent films were his first English-language film, Slumdog Millionaire, which was released on 12 November 2008, and Yuvvraaj, which was released on 21 November 2008. Yuvvraaj, with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles, failed to do well at the box office. On the other hand, Slumdog Millionaire has won a number of international awards and received rave reviews from critics, costing only US $15 million to produce, but pulling in more than $352 million worldwide. In January 2009, he attended the 66th Golden Globe Awards ceremony along with the team of Slumdog Millionaire, which won four Golden Globe Awards. Kapoor demonstrated his well-known enthusiasm after Slumdog won the Academy Award for Best Picture (one of eight awards). also received a nomination for Best Ensemble at the Black Reel Awards of 2008 and has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

2010s[link]

In 2010, Kapoor starred in the eighth season of the American television series 24, portraying Omar Hassan, President of the fictional Islamic Republic of Kamistan. In October of that year he was cast to play a villain in both Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (released in December 2011) and Power.^[65] Power was to be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi but was shelved due to unknown reasons. Other projects that he currently has in the pipeline include Cities (a Hollywood project co-starring Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom), Mr. India 2, the sequel to No Entry, Priyadarshan's Tezz with Ajay Devgn, Race 2 and Sanjay Gupta's Shootout at Wadala. He has also signed Khiladi 786, that is scheduled to release during Diwali.^[66]

As producer[link]

In 2002, Kapoor produced his first film, the comedy Badhaai Ho Badhaai, in which he also starred in. It was followed by My Wife's Murder (2005), and Gandhi, My Father (2007). Gandhi, My Father focuses on the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal Gandhi (2007) and was awarded the National Film Award - Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film). He produced the movie Shortkut: The con is on starring Akshaye Khanna and Arshad Warsi. In 2010, he produced the movie Aisha, starring his daughter Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol in the lead roles. The film performed moderately at the box office, grossing Rs. 15.50 crore in its theatrical run.^[67] He has acquired the remake rights for the American TV success, 24, reportedly for an amount of INR 100 cr. It took him about 1.5 years to license the rights to create an Indian rendition of the popular TV show.^[68] Kapoor will be stepping in the protagonist's (Jack Bauer) role as well. Kapoor played the role of President Hassan in the 8th season of the original series aired on Fox Network.

As singer[link]

Anil Kapoor has on rare occasions contributed to the soundtracks of his movies, as a singer. One of his first playback songs was the title track of the 1986 Bollywood comedy Chameli Ki Shaadi. The song was comedic in nature and depicted the love story of the titular Chameli and her lover Charandas, played by Kapoor. Chameli was portrayed by Amrita Singh. In the same decade, he was credited on the song "Tere Bina Main Nahin Mere Bina Tu Nahin" for the film Woh Saat Din. He is also credited on the song "I Love You" from Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. In 2008, Kapoor provided a rhyme-like-dialogue to introduce his character in Yashraj's Tashan. His theme was titled "Bhaiyaji ka Tashan". Interestingly, his co-stars in the movie also had their introductions incorporated in the soundtrack, which was composed by Vishal-Shekhar. Akshay Kumar 's theme was titled "Bachchan Pandey ka Tashan". Kareena Kapoor 's was "Pooja ka Tashan". Saif Ali Khan was credited for "Jimmy ka Tashan". he had one full album"WELCOME" as a co-singer with SALMA AGHA in 1986.the album was scored by BHAPPI LAHIRI.it is rollicking album which exemplifies his singing prowess.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

• 2002: Badhaai Ho Badhaai
• 2005: My Wife's Murder
• 2007: Gandhi, My Father
• 2009: Short Kut: The Con is On
• 2010: Aisha
• 2010: No Problem

Director[link]

• 2010: Aisha

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anil Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anil Kapoor

• The Anil Kapoor Fan Club on Facebook

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

Kapoor or Kapur and sometimes but rarely Capoor (Punjabi: ਕਪੂਰ‌, Hindi: कपूर‌) is the name of a gotra of Punjabi descent belonging to the Khatri (Kshatriya or warrior) Varna.

Lineage and Marriage Rules[link]

They are part of the "Dhai Ghar", meaning two and a half houses^{[citation needed]}. Kapurs, Malhotra (also called Mehras or Mehrotras), Khanna and Seth (also called Kakkar) marry their children with each other. Kapoor can not marry a Kapoor but can only marry Malhotra, Khanna or Seth^{[citation needed]}. This leaves three "Ghars" to marry out of which they are not supposed to marry any of their mother's side relatives with mother's paternal last name (it could be Khanna, Malhotra or Seth). Which makes it "Dhai Ghar Marriage that is why the word "Dhai Ghar".

The Maharajas of Burdwan[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The Zamindars of Burdwan in Bengal belong to the Kapoor clan, and held the title of Maharajah. Maharajah Bahadur Tedj Chand Ray adopted Chinilal Kapur. His descendants continued as the Maharajas of Burdwan. The family continued as rulers of Burdwan until zamindari was abolished by the government of India in 1955/56. The area remaining however under direct administration of the British via the Indian Civil Service officers on the Bengal State. They also were never members of the Chamber or Council of Princes such as the Maharaja of Patiala or Kapurtala. Thus the title Maharaja was only honorific as was the case in much of India. During the three centuries that they held the estate of Burdwan, the Kapoor family extended their patronage to various scholars and artists, including:

• Paramahansa Yogananda, swami and philosopher
• Sadhak Kamalakanta, Bengali poet and singer

Several famous buildings and tanks in Burdwan were built by the Maharajas of Burdwan, including the Sarbamangala temple, the Baikunthanath Siva temple, the Shyam sagar tank, the Ranisagar tank, the Bijoy Toran and the Rajbadi (palace). In 1882, the Burdwan Raj College was started in Burdwan, which was supported entirely by the estates of the Kapoor dynasty.

Rabindranath Tagore in his "The Hungry Stones And Other Stories" writes: "the Chhota Lord had been heard to say that in all Bengal, the only really respectable families were those of the Maharaja of Burdwan and the Babus of Nayanjore."

Kapoor family of Bollywood[link]

Prithviraj Kapoor (1906–1972), a noted pioneer of Indian theater and of the Hindi film industry, belonged to the Kapoor clan. He was born at Samundri,presently a tehsi of distt.faisalabad, Lyallpur, in Pakistan.Ch.ghullam nabi kamboh lumberdar of chak no 41 G.B. of samundri was one of the best friend of prithvi raj kapoor. He moved to Bombay, India in 1928 and ended up founding a dynasty of movie stars and film-makers. In 1944, he started the Prithvi Theatre, a travelling theatre troupe.

Prithviraj was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema posthumously. His son, Shashi Kapoor, along with his wife, Jennifer Kapoor, has revived Prithvi Theatre in his honour.

Other prominent Kapoors[link]

Prominent people bearing the name "Kapoor" include:

Military[link]

• General Deepak Kapoor, Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army

Arts and films[link]

• Anil Kapoor, Bollywood actor, film producer
• Anish Kapoor, sculptor
• Anu Kapoor, Bollywood Actor
• Bharat Kapoor , director , writer, producer
• Boney Kapoor Film Director and producer
• Chhaya Kapoor actor
• Dave Kapoor, known as Ranjin Singh in the WWE
• Ekta Kapoor Producer for television and movies (Bollywood)
• Gita Kapoor, Bollywood dancer
• Ishaan Kapoor, actor
• Kareena Kapoor, Bollywood Actress
• Karisma Kapoor
• Namitha Kapoor, South Indian movie actress
• Neha Kapur, Beauty queen
• Pankaj Kapur, Bollywood actor, film-maker
• Raj Kapoor, Bollywood actor, producer and director
• Ram Kapoor, TV actor
• Ranbir Kapoor, Bollywood actor, son of Rishi Kapoor
• Ravi Kapoor, British actor
• Rishi Kapoor, Bollywood actor
• Sanjana Kapoor
• Sanjay Kapoor, Bollywood actor
• Sanjeev Kapoor, gourmet chef
• Shahid Kapoor, Bollywood actor, son of Pankaj Kapur
• Shakti Kapoor, actor
• Shammi Kapoor, Bollywood actor
• Shashi Kapoor, Bollywood actor, director and producer
• Shekhar Kapur, film-maker
• Sonam Kapoor, Bollywood Actress
• Steven Kapur, also known as "Apache Indian", a pop singer
• Surinder Kapoor
• Tusshar Kapoor, Bollywood actor
• Arvind Kapoor, ART Diretor

Literature[link]

• Narinder Singh Kapoor

Computer's and Technology[link]

Sanket Kapoor, Resolution Expert at Dell

Education & Social Work[link]

• Raj Narain Kapoor

Business / Industry / Entrepreneurship[link]

• Sidharth Kapoor, Entrepreneur

See also[link]

• Caste
• Hinduism in Punjab

References[link]

External links[link]

Dimple Kapadia
Born	Dimple Chunnibhai Kapadia (1957-06-08) 8 June 1957 (age 55)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1973; 1984–present
Spouse	Rajesh Khanna (1973–1982) (separated)
Children	Twinkle Khanna Rinke Khanna

Dimple Chunnibhai Kapadia (born 8 June 1957)^[1] is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut at the age of 16, playing the title role in Raj Kapoor's teen romance Bobby (1973). In that same year she married Indian actor Rajesh Khanna, and retired from acting. Kapadia returned to the film industry in 1984 after her separation from Khanna. One of her films of that period include the drama Saagar (1985). Both films won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.^[2]

Regarded as a sex symbol, Kapadia was keen to avoid being stereotyped and expand her range of acting roles.^[3] She subsequently took on more serious parts in parallel films and received acclaim for her performances in such films as Kaash (1987), Drishti (1990), Lekin... (1990), and Rudaali (1993), which earned her a National Film Award for Best Actress and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.^[4] She followed with supporting roles in Gardish (1993) and Krantiveer (1994), the latter of which garnered her a fourth Filmfare Award.

Kapadia continued working infrequently through the 1990s and the 2000s. She played a minor part in Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and was noted for her portrayal of the title role in the American production Leela (2002). Some of her later film credits include leading roles in Hum Kaun Hai? (2004), Pyaar Mein Twist (2005), Phir Kabhi (2008) and Tum Milo Toh Sahi (2010), and supporting roles in Being Cyrus (2005), Luck by Chance (2009), Dabangg (2010) and Patiala House (2011).

Kapadia is the mother of Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna, both of whom had worked in films before settling down.

Career[link]

Debut (1973)[link]

Kapadia once said she had always had aspirations to become an actress when she was a child, calling herself "film-crazy".^[5] She was discovered at age 13 by Raj Kapoor, who later introduced her in his 1973 teen romance Bobby. While the film was to be Kapoor's son Rishi Kapoor's first leading role, Kapadia was given the title role of Bobby Braganza, a middle-class Anglo-Indian Christian girl.^[6] The story follows how Bobby falls in love with Raj (Rishi), the son of a wealthy businessman, and how the two face the disapproval of their parents. Bobby was a major mainstream and critical success, and Kapadia was lauded for her performance, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (tied with Jaya Bhaduri for Abhimaan). Several of her lines in the film became popular, particularly, "Mujhse dosti karoge?" ("Will you be my friend?").^[6] In 2008, Rediff.com ranked her performance in the film as the fourth-best female debut of all-time in Hindi cinema: "An elfin little girl with big, lovely eyes, nobody quite portrayed innocence as memorably as Dimple in her first outing. She was candid, striking, and a true natural... here was a girl who would redefine glamour and grace, and make it look very, very easy indeed."^[7] In later years Kapadia would credit Raj Kapoor for her development as an actress: "the sum total of me today as an actress, whatever I am, is Raj Kapoor."^[5]

Following the success of the film, Kapadia's modern wardrobe and hairstyle in Bobby, consisting of "knotted polka-dotted blouse and earphone hairstyle", made her a youth fashion icon of the times.^[6] Consequently polka-dotted dresses were often popularly referred to as "Bobby Print". V. S. Srinivasan noted, "the sensuous ingenue with her short skirts and the ill-concealed bosom had quite a few hearts thumping away faster."^[8] According to Bhawana Somaaya of The Hindu, with this film Kapadia "started the trend of merchandising film memorabilia".^[9] Mukesh Khosla of The Tribune reported that Bobby established her as a "cult figure" as she "dictated fashion trends during the time".^[10]

By the time Bobby released, Kapadia had married actor Rajesh Khanna in March 1973 at the age of 16, and left the film industry to raise her children.^[6]

Comeback (1984) and work in the 1980s[link]

After Kapadia's separation from Khanna in 1982, she was keen on returning to acting, which she ultimately did in 1984. She later cited her need to prove to herself her own capabilities.^[5] The first film she worked on was Saagar, directed by Ramesh Sippy, after a common friend had notified Sippy about her willingness to come back to movies. She first performed a screen test, which according to her was very unsuccessful as she was extremely nervous and "literally shivering" while making it. To her surprise, Sippy ultimately signed her on to play the lead part opposite her Bobby co-star Rishi Kapoor.^[5] Scripted with her in mind, the film was intended to be her comeback vehicle, but its one-year delay meant that several of her proceeding projects would be released before, the first of which was Zakhmi Sher (1984).^[11] Saagar eventually premiered in August 1985 and was controversial for several scenes featuring Kapadia, including one scene in which she was seen topless for a split second.^[12] The film was a critical success and was eventually chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars that year. Kapadia's performance as Mona D'Silva, a young woman from Goa who is torn between her friend (Kamal Haasan) and the man she loves (Kapoor), won her a second Best Actress award at the Filmfare Awards. A review by Asiaweek labelled her "a delight".^[13] Rediff.com noted, "Dimple, caught between a friend and lover, performed solidly and memorably, grounding the two male leads and making the film work."^[2] A 1993 issue of India Today wrote, "Saagar was in many ways a paean to her incredible beauty. She looked ravishing: auburn hair, classical face, deep eyes, an aura of sensuality. It was clear she was back."^[14]

In 1984 she had a role opposite Sunny Deol in Manzil Manzil, a drama directed by Nasir Hussain. She later said making the film was "one big picnic", though she expressed her lack of comfort performing the "routine song-and-dance" nature of the part.^[5] Kapadia's first film of 1985 was Mukul Anand's Aitbaar, a Hitchcockian thriller for which she received positive reviews.^[5] Speaking of her performance, she said that during shooting she was "a bag of nerves", which eventually ended up working "to my advantage as it lent my performance the right shade of tautness, without my realising it." Among other films released that year, Kapadia was paired up with Sunny Deol in Arjun, an action film directed by Rahul Rawail and scripted by Javed Akhtar.

Feroz Khan's Janbaaz (1986) told the story of a man fighting the drug menace. The film became known for its steamy love scene involving Kapadia and male lead Anil Kapoor, in which the two also shared a full on kiss, something Hindi movie-goers were not accustomed to in those days.^[15] In that same year she acted opposite Saagar co-star Kamal Haasan in her first regional film, Vikram, a Tamil-language sci-fi feature. She played the minor part of Inimaasi, a young princess who falls for the title character, played by Haasan.^[16] At that time, she also worked in numerous Hindi films made by producers from the South, including Pataal Bhairavi, which she detested. She has confessed to accepting these roles for financial gain rather than artistic merit during this period, noting, "I shudder even now when I think of those films. As an artiste I got totally corrupted."^[5]

In 1987, Kapadia starred in Mahesh Bhatt's drama Kaash. Kapadia and Jackie Shroff starred as an estranged couple who, during a relentless legal battle over the custody of their only son, learn that the boy is suffering from leukaemia, which makes them reunite to spend together the last months of his life. Before shooting began, she called it "the most serious artistic challenge I have ever faced in my career."^[17] Bhatt said he decided to cast her in the role because he was aware of her own marital experience, and he noted that during the making of the film she "came closer and closer to the naked truth," so much that "after a certain point, mentally I couldn't differentiate between Dimple and Pooja. She became the character."^[18] Kapadia's performance as Pooja was highly praised by critics.^[19] In an article discussing her career's best roles, The Times of India wrote, "As ... [a] long-suffering wife who tries making a living for herself and her young son by working odd jobs, Dimple showed immense strength as a performer. This has to be one of her best and most unrecognised performances."^[3] Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com noted, "She rendered her Pooja with stoic determination and touching vulnerability making her character extremely believable and sympathetic at once."^[20][21]

In 1988, she played the main protagonist in Zakhmi Aurat, that of a female police officer who gets gang-raped and, after the judicial system fails to convict the criminals, abandons the legal course and joins forces with other rape victims to get revenge by castrating the rapists. The Times of India labelled the film a "B-grade movie", but further noted that "Dimple nonetheless did a very convincing job of portraying her anguish and bitterness at being denied justice."^[3] M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune, while documenting the famous Hindi films of 1988, praised Kapadia for "proving her mettle as an actress of intensity and passion."^[22] Subhash K. Jha, however, in an article discussing Indian actresses who have played policewomen, wrote that the film "turned into quite an embarrassment for its leading lady."^[23]

The three final years of the decade saw the release of several other films featuring Kapadia, but few did well. In 1987, she appeared in two action movies: Rajkumar Kohli's Insaniyat Ke Dushman and Mukul Anand's Insaaf, in which she played a dual role of a dancer and a physician. She worked with Kohli in two more movies in 1988, the horror film Bees Saal Baad and the action drama Saazish. In that same year Mahesh Bhatt cast her again in his action thriller Kabzaa, a critical failure.^[24] Ram Lakhan (1989), directed by Subhash Ghai, was a success with both critics and audiences,^[25] but Kapadia's role was considered small with one critic saying it did not do "justice to her talent" and another reporting that she "pales into insignificance in the film."^[14][26] Other films of this period include Babbar Subhash's Pyar Ke Naam Qurbaan, opposite Mithun Chakraborty, and J.P. Dutta's Batwara.

1990s[link]

In the 1990s, Kapadia started venturing more into arthouse films, later citing an "inner yearning to exhibit my best potential."^[27] Those films include Drishti (1990), Lekin... (1990), Rudaali (1993) and Antareen (1995). Drishti, a marital drama directed by Govind Nihalani, starred Kapadia and Shekhar Kapur as a married urban couple from an intellectual milieu in Mumbai and followed their trials and tribulations, extramarital affairs, divorce, and ultimate reconciliation after years of separation. Kapadia's part was that of career-woman Sandhya, and for her portrayal she was named the Best Actress (Hindi) of the year by the Bengal Film Journalists' Association.^[28] The film was acknowledged as the Best Hindi Film of that year at the annual National Film Awards. In 1993, Frontline suggested that Kapadia's performance in the film should have earned her the Best Actress award at the same function.^[29] In Gulzar's Lekin..., she played a restless sprite named Reva, a role she has often cited as a personal favourite and wished would have had more screen time in the film.^[30] Referring to it once as "the most fantastic" part of her career, she recalled the working relationship with Gulzar as "a wonderful experience".^[31] In order to make her character more truthful, Gulzar did not let Kapadia blink even once during filming, trying to capture an "endless, fixed gaze" which would give her "a feeling of being surreal."^[32] Lekin... was popular with critics and Kapadia's performance earned her a third Filmfare nomination.^[28]

In 1991, she appeared in Prahaar: The Final Attack, the first directorial venture of actor Nana Patekar, with whom she would collaborate in several other films. The film, co-starring Patekar and Madhuri Dixit, received a welcome reception from critics. Kapadia was noted for her "deglamourised role", but most of the praise went to the performance of Patekar himself.^[33] Kapadia starred alongside Amitabh Bachchan in Shashi Kapoor's fantasy Ajooba, an Indo-Russian co-production based on Arabian mythology and set in the Afghan kingdom of Baharistan. She played Rukhsana, a young woman who comes from India to rescue her father, court magician Ameer Baba, from prison. The critical response to Ajooba was mostly lukewarm.^[34] She played the protagonist in Haque, a political drama directed by Harish Bhosle and scripted by Mahesh Bhatt. Her role was that of Varsha B. Singh, an Orthodox woman married to an influential politician.

1992 saw the release of Maarg, her third appearance under Mahesh Bhatt's direction. The film was delayed for several years. She played the role of a prostitute, working by choice. Bhatt called her performance "stunning" and reported that when shooting ended, she was "on the point of a breakdown" as she was "exhausted battling with the nitty-gritty of a whore's character".^[18] She next played Barkha, a single woman who abandons her premarital daughter upon birth, in Hema Malini's directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai. In Shashilal K. Nair's Angaar, a crime drama based on the life of an underworld don, she played Mili, a homeless orphan collected by an unemployed man, played by Jackie Shroff. Angaar received positive reviews from critics, as did Kapadia's performance, but it was financially unsuccessful, which Meena Iyer of The Times of India—who called it "one of the most engaging mafia films to have come out of Bollywood"—attributed to its dark proceedings.^[35]

In 1993, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Rudaali, a drama directed by Kalpana Lajmi. Kapadia played the central character of Shanichari, a lonely and hardened village woman who, throughout a lifetime of misfortune, has never cried and is now challenged with a new job as a professional mourner. The citation for the award described her performance as a "compelling interpretation of the tribulations of a lonely woman ravaged by a cruel society".^[36] She received a third Filmfare Award for the role, a Critics Award for Best Actress, and was acknowledged with Best Actress honours at the Asia Pacific Film Festival and the Damascus International Film Festival. In 2010 Filmfare magazine included her work in the film in their list of "80 Iconic Performances".^[37] Another Filmfare nomination for Kapadia came that year for her supporting role as Shanti, a street prostitute, in the Priyadarshan-directed drama Gardish. An adaptation of the 1989 Malayalam film Kireedam, the film starred, among others, Jackie Shroff and Amrish Puri.

She later appeared in Mehul Kumar's Krantiveer, alongside Nana Patekar. She played journalist Meghna Dixit, a past rape victim who now tries to persuade an alcoholic and unemployed village man to be a champion of justice for those around him. Kapadia later called the film "out and out a Nana Patekar vessel," but asserted, "I had my share too," crediting the part with allowing her "the freedom to perform".^[38] The film became an economic success, emerging as India's third-highest grossing picture of the year.^[39] For her performance, Kapadia received her fourth Filmfare Award, this time in the Best Supporting Actress category. Mrinal Sen's 1995 Bengali drama Antareen was the first non-Hindi project Kapadia took part in since Vikram (1986). She played a woman caught in a loveless marriage. Her collaboration with Sen was described as "a high point in her career". Insisting to play her part spontaneously, Kapadia did not do a crash-course in Bengali, as she felt she would be able to pick the right diction.^[14] Her voice was eventually dubbed by actor Anushua Chatterjee, something Kapadia was unhappy with.^[40]