Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi's co-star is missing for more than 20 years, Salman Khan's ex Somy Ali is still searching for him

Born in 1949, Raj Kiran Mahtani was a popular Bollywood actor in the 1980s. He worked with multiple stars such as Rishi Kapoor, Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Rekha, Sridevi, Deepti Naval, and Hema Malini in several hits such as Baseraa, Arth, Teri Meherbaniyan, Mazdoor, and Ghar Ek Mandir. His most popular role remains the original Ravi Verma in Subhash Ghai's Karz.

After giving several hits, when his career started to decline, Raj Kiran went into depression and was reportedly admitted in a mental asylum in the early 2000s. He mysteriously disappeared from there and has been missing for more than 20 years. There have been conflicting reports about him being seen while driving a cab in New York and being admitted in a mental asylum in America.

Raj's co-stars Deepti Naval and Rishi Kapoor even tried locating him, but their efforts failed. Pakistani-American actress Somy Ali, who dated Salman Khan for around eight years in the 1990s and also did a few Bollywood films, is still searching for the missing actor, with whom she had worked on a film. She has often written about her struggles of finding her co-star on her Instagram.

In January this year, Somy Ali slammed Bollywood for giving up on Raj. She wrote, "Raj Kiran, the charismatic actor who stole hearts in classics like Karz and Arth, shared the screen with me, Somy Ali, in my final Bollywood film, Agnichakra. Despite his brilliance, Raj’s disappearance remains an unsolved tragedy—a mystery that reveals an unsettling indifference in the industry that once celebrated him. Why has no one stepped forward? Why have influential figures like Mahesh Bhatt, who often explores human vulnerability, or Shabana Azmi ji, a staunch advocate for justice, not demanded answers about Raj’s fate? Where are his co-stars, directors, and producers? Their silence is deafening, raising troubling questions about Bollywood’s commitment to its own."

"Decades after his disappearance, I have begun filing official missing person reports across Atlanta, New York, New Jersey, and Mumbai. Stories of Raj driving taxis, being institutionalized, or even facing a tragic end at the hands of family linger, but clarity is absent. Even the late Rishi Kapoor, who suspected foul play, encouraged me to never give up. And yet, the collective apathy surrounding Raj’s case remains. If Bollywood, with its powerful voices and platforms, turns away from someone like Raj Kiran, what does that say about its values? Raj deserves more than rumors - he deserves truth, honor, and justice. Let’s start asking why", Ali further added.

 

 

 

 

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Raj Kiran tied the knot with Roopa Mahtani and they had two daughters, Rishika and Mannat. After waiting for her husband for many years, Roopa remarried and is now known as Roopa Mashuruwala. In 2011, Rishika had issued a public statement that their family is still searching for Raj with the help of the New York police and private detectives, but he hasn't been found yet.