Act Two in Bollywood
Old soldiers never die; they just fade away. Not old stars of Bollywood. Not anymore. Once relegated to mother or mother-in-law roles, the trend was for the reigning stars of their time such as Waheeda Rahman and Ashok Kumar to play daddies and mommies. Today, on the screens of multiplexes and streaming OTT content on TV in millions of homes, old stars have become supernovae.
There’s a Back to the Future revolution underway in Hindi showbiz: strong storylines, experimental directors and exciting new platforms have come together in this new age of streaming to give audiences more meaningful and relatable cinema. The best part is that the faces of this new revolution are not young silicone beauties and nymphets but good old stars, as bold as gold. And as valuable. Dimple Kapadia personifies the trend.
From her teenage debut in 1973 to now, she’s been unstoppable for five decades. If headlining Bollywood classics like Bobby, Saagar, Rudaali, Ram Lakhan and Dil Chahta Hai wasn’t enough, the actor has effortlessly switched over to new-age stories. Kapadia’s extended run is so good that films and characters are now being made with her in mind.
It may not have been planned but just last year the 65-year-old star had three back-to-back releases: blockbuster Pathaan, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, and Disney + Hotstar series Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo. In the first quarter of this year, Kapadia has played pivotal roles in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Netflix’s Murder Mubarak. Kapadia’s undeniable charisma and depth of experience landed her a role in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in 2020.
Not Just a Flash in the Pan
Kapadia is no lone ranger, for good roles are being scripted for many senior actors who have come into the limelight with their 2.0 versions, refreshing avatars of their former starry selves. Look at the flourishing careers of Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Neena Gupta, Madhuri Dixit, Kajol, Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon, Sanjay Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Annu Kapoor and many more. Bollywood’s oomph girl of the last century, Zeenat Aman, is set to make a comeback into films with Bun Tikki—bankrolled by fashion designer Manish Malhotra—alongside Azmi. Netizens have also heaped praises on Karisma Kapoor for her performance as a wacky and eccentric character in the recently released Murder Mubarak.
The tech is all new, as are storylines and production values. The OTT avatar of the silver screen is now in our bedrooms but there’s one constant: the stars of the cinematic firmament today are the stars from yesterday.