New Delhi, Nov 16 (PTI) Actor Dimple Kapadia says cinema is 'not a school' but still imparts values and spreads awareness about medical conditions and other issues.
Kapadia was speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an event here on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of India's first liver transplant.
Asked what role cinema can play in raising awareness on medical conditions, the actor said, 'I am sure cinema does whatever it can, in its own way, sort of spreading awareness about every aspect of life, not just medicine... I can say this for myself, having grown up seeing cinema all my life. There are some great values that come and they just get imbibed... And, it gets imbibed because you are bombarded with good values.' 'That is what our cinema is all about, actually. I think that is what I got from it, to do for others, do your best, so much one has learned from cinema without actually trying (to preach)... it's not a school, it's not preaching. But it imparts a lot. And I hope it will go on like this,' Kapadia, 66, added.
Indian cinema history is filled with movies that highlight various types of medical issues, often using them as a plot device to drive the narrative of the stories.
Films such as 'Sadma' (1983), starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, revolved around amnesia, while the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 'Paa' (2009) was a story about a child with a rare genetic disorder called progeria.
The plot of 'Anand', a 1971 classic starring Rajesh Khanna and Bachchan, revolved around lymphosarcoma, a type of cancer.
Kapadia attended the event to felicitate Sanjay Kandasamy, the receiver of India's first-ever successful liver transplant on the 25th anniversary of the historic operation that was conducted at an Apollo hospital in Delhi.
In 1998, a team of doctors performed a liver transplant on Tamil Nadu native Kandasamy, who was 20 months old at that time. Now a doctor himself, Kandasamy had received a portion of liver from his father. He and his parents attended the event.
One-and-half-year-old Prisha -- the recipient in Apollo hospital's 500th paediatric liver transplant surgery -- also attended the event with her parents, who hail from Bihar.
Kapadia felicitated Kandasamy and the parents of Prisha, who underwent the transplant in January.
'I am so happy that I came to this event today and it is such an eye-opener that we can save so many lives. I wasn't aware that the liver regrows and becomes whole again. That means fantastic and so many of us can actually make a difference to somebody in life,' Kapadia said.
'I would like to, and I hope I can, and have the guts ... But I would like to lead by example, one day. And do this for the people who are suffering so much,' she added.
The actor also praised the work done by Apollo hospitals and its doctors in the field of liver transplant.
Asked about her message to the public on organ donation, Kapadia expressed hope that more people will come forward.
'Best part is, you are not at the losing end. You are not going to lose out at all... So, it's a great message out there... It's wonderful and we should do our best... Live and let live,' she said.
Apollo Hospitals Group Medical Director and senior paediatric gastroenterologist Dr Anupam Sibal said more than 4,300 liver transplants, including 515 procedures on children, have been conducted at group-run hospitals since the landmark transplant 25 years ago.
He also alluded to Kapadia's character in 2001's 'Dil Chahta Hai' who dies of liver cirrhosis, which he called 'a silent killer'. PTI KND SZM RB BK RB RB
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