The late Rishi Kapoor had a lot riding on the film Karz. He was certain that it would become a hit, but when the movie underperformed commercially upon release, he was heartbroken. The film’s performance was hugely impacted a week after its release by Feroz Khan’s Qurbani, and it eventually declared an ‘average’ grosser. But, over the years, Karz has become a cult classic, particularly for its music. Its reincarnation plot has influenced several other films. Rishi Kapoor witnessed the film’s growing popularity during his lifetime, but Subhash Ghai expressed his dismay about the actor not being around to celebrate its 45th anniversary this year.In an interview with Radio Nasha, he spoke about Rishi’s skeptical nature, and said that he had to prove his musical chops to the actor. For the song “Dard-E-Dil, Dard-E-Jigar Dil Mein Jagaaya Aap Ne,” there was no choreographer present on set. Rishi was concerned if Subhash Ghai could film the number without help, but when he watched the final result, he was shocked. “He was wondering if I have a sense for music,” the filmmaker said in the interview.Opening up about Rishi’s reaction after the film’s release, he said, “The poor guy had worked very hard, and he had a lot of expectations from the film. He was sure it would be a roaring success. But another film came along, Qurbani, and became a huge hit. Our film took a hit for a few weeks. He thought that the movie had flopped. He fell ill. His father, Raj Kapoor, called me up and told me to knock some sense into him. ‘Dost ko samjhao yaar, filmein chalti hain aur nahi chalti, yeh paagal hogaya hai’.”Also read – Rishi Kapoor, Katrina Kaif got up and left when it was time for Vir Das’ close-up: ‘They had umbrellas, I was left to bake in sun’The film picked up the pace eventually. “He’d have been celebrating the 45th anniversary with us had he been alive,” the filmmaker said. Rishi Kapoor died in 2020 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was undergoing treatment in New York for several months, and had filmed portions of what would become his final project, Sharmaji Namkeen.In his autobiography, Khullam Khulla, Rishi had written about the blow he felt after Karz underperformed. “I felt every ounce of confidence drain out of me. Karz had held great promise, I had thought it would do wonders for my career. It had wonderful music, and some great work by the cast and crew. I believed it would be a resounding success and earn rave reviews. When that didn’t happen, I was shattered,” he wrote. Subhash Ghai said that he was concerned about Rishi’s health. “On Sunday, I learnt that he had been admitted to the hospital for depression. He had worked hard on every scene and was so proud of the film, requesting several preview shows for his friends before its release. The no-show came as a shock and I had to get Raj saab (Kapoor) to reassure him that we’d made a good film irrespective of its commercial failure,” he said.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd