Dimple Kapadia’s silver screen debut in ‘Bobby’ catapulted her to superstardom, but behind the glamour lies a tale of grit against leprosy. Diagnosed at 12, she faced ridicule and rejection, yet emerged victorious through treatment, defying odds to become a leading lady rivaling the era’s top heroines.
Leprosy, a chronic infection from Mycobacterium leprae, targets skin and nerves, manifesting as discolored spots, sensation loss, and lesions. Discovered over 150 years ago, it’s now highly curable with free antibiotics if caught early— a fact World Leprosy Day on January 23 hammers home annually, combating myths that fuel ostracism.
Dimple’s candid revelations humanize the disease. She describes ignorance-fueled jabs, like a stranger warning of expulsion from school over her elbow mark, not even knowing what ‘leprosy’ meant then. Fate intervened via ‘Bobby’, where her raw talent shone, turning pain into purpose.
Joining her are heavyweights Amitabh Bachchan, who in 2018 championed anti-discrimination efforts globally, and R. Madhavan, Lepra India’s ambassador driving awareness on treatability. They stress: post-cure, survivors thrive, but stigma shackles them to loneliness.
Their collective voice dismantles taboos. Leprosy isn’t inevitable suffering; it’s a medical footnote erasable by vigilance. Dimple’s arc—from afflicted child to icon—embodies hope, calling for empathy to eclipse fear. In Bollywood’s narrative of dreams, her real-life plot twist redefines heroism.