Bollywood's 'unluckiest' title: 9 films, all flops; hero battled depression, star lost all work, makers went bankrupt
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Even before numerology became almost omnipresent in movie titles in Hindi cinema, superstitions governed how makers selected the titles of their mega projects, right down from the choice of words and even spellings. If a word, phrase, or letter seemed to work, it was often repeated. Director Arjun Hingorani was known to use three Ks in his movie titles, be it in Kab? Kyoon? Aur Kahan?, Kahani Kismat Ki, or Katilon Ke Kaati. So perhaps it is surprising that one movie titled managed to give flop after flop and yet filmmakers persisted with it. This one word, used either fully or in part, in various spellings, gave Bollywood nine flops over 40 years, ending many careers and stalling others.
Adding to this, Simi Garewal in a still from Subhash Ghai's Karz. Bollywood’s ‘unluckiest’ movie title Karz (Urdu for debt or loan) is the word that caused Bollywood grief nine times. Three films have been made over the years with this title. While on six other occasions, it was part of the movie’s title. On all nine occasions, the films bombed at the ticket-window, with no respite. The first Karz, starring Rishi Kapoor and Simi Garewal, rolled out in 1980 and bombed. Its remake, starring Himesh Reshammiya and Urmila Matondkar, faced a similar fate. In between was Sunny Deol’s Karz: A Burden of Truth, also a flop.
Meanwhile, Subhash Ghai made Karz in 1980, the first movie with the title. Inspired by the 1975 Hollywood thriller, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, the movie starred Rishi Kapoor as a rockstar who finds he is the reincarnation of Raj Kiran’s character and must avenge his murder. Also starring Simi, Tina Munim, and Pran, the movie only collected ₹ 4 crore rupees at the ticket-window, defeated by Feroz Khan’s Qurbani, which also rolled out at the same time and drew the audience away. In his autobiography, Rishi would later write that the movie’s failure left him unsure about his career, leaving him depressed. The movie later gained a cult following, particularly for its music.
Notably, A remake, titled Karzzzz, was rolled out in 2008. It starred Himesh in Rishi’s role, with Urmila, Shweta Kumar, Danny Denzongpa, and Dino Morea alongside. Made on a budget of ₹ 24 crore rupees, it managed to earn only ₹ 16 crore rupees. As per reports, the movie's makers were left on the verge of bankruptcy as a result. The movie’s failure particularly affected the two female leads. Urmila, a star before the rollout, found no work after this, and was never seen in a major movie again. Shweta Kumar, who debuted with this movie, also disappeared from Bollywood after this.
As per the latest buzz, Harry Baweja’s 2002 movie Karz: The Burden of Truth, starred Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, and Shilpa Shetty. The movie made only ₹ 15 crore rupees at the ticket-window and was heavily panned by critics. Of the other six films using the title, none crossed even ₹ 5 crore rupees at the Indian ticket-window.
In further updates, With a decrease in the usage of Urdu words and phrases in Hindi movie titles (arguably as they don’t appeal to younger audiences), there hasn’t been a ‘karz’ movie in Hindi cinema in 10 years.
On top of that, Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times