‘Karz’, protagonist Rishi Kapoorreleased more than four decades ago, it is remembered today for its unique music and story, even though it was a flop when it was released. He directed the film Subhash Ghai and the setback affected Rishi Kapoor a lot. He later described this phase as “deep depression”.
Competition of ‘Qurbani’
In his autobiography Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, the actor spoke about the poor performance of the film. He revealed that ‘Qurbani’ was released barely a week after ‘Karz’. He was the star of the film ferocious Khan, Zeenat Amanand Vinod Khanna. The huge buzz around ‘Qurbani’ overshadowed ‘Karz’ and reflecting on the time, he wrote, “I lost my nerve, plunged into a deep depression.”
Rishi Kapoor’s struggles on film sets
Rishi Kapoor admitted that the defeat shook his confidence. It became difficult for him to continue working. He shared how the situation affected him physically and emotionally. “On set I would shake and feel weak. I would sink into my chair, go to the make-up room and ask for water.” The ‘Bobby’ actor also revealed that facing the camera became a challenge. Fear and anxiety affected his daily work on the sets.
Rishi Kapoor’s personal turmoil A
This phase coincided with his marriage to Neetu Kapoor. The failure of the film began to be associated with the decline of his popularity. Reflecting on her emotional state, she wrote, “I felt every ounce of confidence slipping away from me. ‘Karz’ had so much promise, I thought it would do wonders for my career. It had wonderful music, and a great cast and crew. I thought it would be a huge hit and garner rave reviews. When that didn’t happen, I broke down.”Director Subhash Ghai also expressed disappointment. As he recalled, “we opened with 20 percent collections”.He later added that the film was ahead of its time. Ghai also revealed that the actor was hospitalized soon after his release. “On Sunday, I found out that he had been admitted to the hospital for depression. He worked hard on every scene and was so proud of the film, he asked his friends for several previews before the release. He was surprised by the lack of screenings and I had to get Raj Saab (Kapoor) to make sure we made a good film, regardless of the commercial failure,” he said.
Rishi Kapoor’s revival
At that time, Rishi Kapoor was working on several films including ‘Prem Rog’, directed by Raj Kapoor.Despite the commitments, it was difficult for him to return to work. “My father was a worried man. Doctors were called to examine my condition, psychiatrists were consulted. Meanwhile, four film crews were considered enough to hold everything and wait for me to recover,” he shared.Looking back, he understood the reason for his breakdown. “It was only much later that I understood that my breakdown was a direct result of ‘Karz’s misfortune at the box office. I would regain some of my lost confidence when I had a drink with friends in the evening. But the next morning on set, I would be shaking with fear. I became paranoid and continued to fear that one of the large lights in the set would fall on me. But even in my brief moments of clarity I knew I had to pick myself up and get back to normal. And even though the process was slow, I managed to get out of there and get back to normal,” she shared.With time, ‘Karz’ achieved cult status. It is now considered a classic, despite its initial box office failure. Songs like “Om Shanti Om” and “Ek Haseena Thi” remain popular.Rishi Kapoor passed away on 30th April 2020 due to leukemia and today marks his 6th death anniversary.
