Bollywood has witnessed its share of unsolved mysteries over the years. While some stars faded away from public memory, others disappeared under circumstances that remain unexplained. One such case is that of actor Raj Kiran, best remembered for his performances in ‘Karz’ and ‘Arth’. Despite being missing for over two decades, his family continues to search for him, hoping to uncover what happened.Raj Kiran began his acting career with ‘Kaagaz Ki Nao’ in 1975. He later appeared in the political satire ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’, a film that was banned during the Emergency. However, it was Subhash Ghai’s ‘Karz’, starring Rishi Kapoor, that brought him widespread recognition. He further established himself with his acclaimed performance in Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Arth’ alongside Shabana Azmi. Throughout the 1980s, Raj enjoyed a steady run in Bollywood, but his career slowed down in the 1990s, with substantial lead roles becoming increasingly rare.In 1996, Raj found himself in the headlines for reasons unrelated to cinema. Reports claimed that he was arrested after allegedly trespassing into the Puttaparthi Sai Baba Ashram. It was reported that he had hired a tractor and a ladder to enter the premises at night. He was later granted bail, with his father securing his release.A year later, Raj spoke to Cineblitz about the emotional toll of spending more than a month in jail. Looking back on the experience, he said, “The trauma that I faced when I was put in jail, is indescribable. You can never understand the fear one feels, when you are told that you cannot be bailed out. I spent 34 days in jail and sitting there, I was not sure if I would ever be free. That is a very scary feeling.”During his years in the film industry, Raj married Roopa, and the couple had two daughters, Rishika Mahtani and Mannat Mahtani. As acting opportunities declined, Raj reportedly slipped into depression, which also affected his personal life. He eventually moved to the United States and remained in contact with his family for some time. However, according to his daughter, all communication stopped, and he has not been seen since 2003.His family has maintained that Raj was struggling with mental health issues before he disappeared. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who directed him in ‘Arth’, once recalled visiting Raj at Mumbai’s Masina Hospital, where he was undergoing psychiatric treatment. Speaking to Rediff, Bhatt said, “Many years ago when he was in the psychiatric ward of Masina Hospital. He was not the Raj Kiran I had interacted with. This was a sombre-looking, depressed individual and with great difficulty he communicated with me. There was no joie de vivre, no energy that he exuded every time he met us; his friends, that is.“At one point, there were reports suggesting that Raj had been admitted to a mental health institution in Atlanta. Speaking to Subhash K. Jha, Rishi Kapoor, who had worked with Raj in ‘Karz’, said he had received this information from Raj’s brother.“I was so relieved when Govind told me Raj was alive. But he was confined to an institution in Atlanta due to health problems.” However, those claims were later disputed by Raj’s family. In 2011, his daughter Rishika Mahtani clarified that there was no confirmation that her father was receiving treatment in Atlanta. She said the family had been unable to trace him and continued to search for him. While acknowledging that Raj had been dealing with mental health issues before he went missing, the family has never given up hope of finding him.
