Raj Kiran Mahtani (born 5 February 1949) is an Indian former actor, who is best known for his work in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

films. Born to a Sindhi family in Bombay, he made his debut in B. R. Ishara's '' Kaagaz Ki Nao'' in 1975 and appeared in more than 100 films, until the 1990s. He later disappeared from the film industry and was believed to have been living as a recluse in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but conflicting reports from 2011, have indicated his current whereabouts are unknown.

Career

Kiran made his acting debut opposite Sarika in B. R. Ishara's '' Kaagaz Ki Nao'' in 1975. In 1980, he appeared in 8 films and he started to get noticed. He appeared in leading roles in films such as ''

Shikshaa ''Shikshaa'' is a 1979 Hindi-language drama film directed by S. Ramanathan, starring Raj Kiran, Beena Banerjee and Iftekhar in lead roles. The film was a remake of Telugu film '' Neramu Siksha''. Cast * Raj Kiran as Vijay D. Gupta * Sush ...

'' (1979), ''Maan Abhiman'' (1980) and '' Ek Naya Rishta'' (1988). He also had supporting roles in films such as '' Karz'' (1980), '' Baseraa'' (1981), '' Arth'' (1982) and '' Raaj Tilak'' (1984). While Kiran was often cast as a kind-hearted romantic hero because of his chocolate boy good looks he also played some roles with gray shades, as in '' Justice Chaudhury'' (1983). His film career started to slow down in the 1990s. He also appeared in the acclaimed TV series ''Reporter'' (1994–1995) which also started Shekhar Suman.

Personal life

Kiran was born in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

to a Sindhi Hindu family. He is rumored to have gone into acute depression, when his career declined and faced several domestic crises and was later admitted to a mental asylum in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. He was later rumoured to have been living as a recluse, in the United States. Deepti Naval tried to look for Kiran through

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, writing: "Looking for a friend from the film world, his name is Raj Kiran – we have no news of him – last heard he was driving a cab in New York, if anyone has any clue, please tell . . ." In June 2011,

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Kapoor (4 September 1952 – 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema. ...

, who was on a trip to the

, made a phone call to Kiran's brother Gobind Mahtani and was told that Kiran was in a mental asylum in Atlanta, but was not given more details. However Kiran's daughter Rishika, subsequently issued a public statement, negating the reports of Kiran being found in Atlanta. She clarified that the family had been searching for him, with the assistance of New York police and private detectives for years.My dad's still missing: Raj Kiran's daughter
NDTV, 12 July 2011.

Filmography

Television

* ''Amrita'' (1987–1988) * ''Apariita'' (1993–1994) * ''Reporter'' (1994–1995) * ''Indrajaal'' (1995 –1996) * ''Aakhir Kaun'' (1996) * '' Aahat'' (1997–1998) * ''Yeh Hain Raaz'' (1998–1999)

References

External links