Dimple Chunnilal Kapadia was born in Mumbai and aspired to join the film industry at an early age. At 13, she was noticed by the pioneer of Indian cinema, Raj Kapoor who cast her opposite his son Rishi Kapoor in the teenage romance Bobby (1973). She married the reigning superstar, Rajesh Khanna even before the release of this film, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Dimple then took over a 12-year hiatus from acting to raise her two daughters Twinkle and Rinke, both of whom went on to become actresses. Dimple was seen making a comeback opposite Jeetendra in the film Zakhmi Sher (1984).

The 80s saw Dimple evolve as an actress with movies like Saagar (1985) which was also India`s official entry to the Oscar`s that year. She also starred in movies like Janbaaz (1986) that dealt with drug abuse and Kaash (1987) that chronicled the lives of a couple who, during a legal battle over the custody of their son, learn that he is suffering from leukemia. She also starred in the 1988 film Zakhmi Aurat where she portrayed a rape victim.

The 90s saw her in films such as Prahaar (1991) Dil Aashna Hai (1992) and Rudaali (1993) for which she won a National Award. Over the next few years, we saw her playing varied roles in many successful movies which included Krantiveer (1994), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Being Cyrus (2005), Dabanng (2010), Cocktail (2012) and Finding Fanny (2015).

Her 2020 release includes Christopher Nolan`s action thriller Tenet. Starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in prominent roles.