Bollywood has witnessed its share of unsolved mysteries over the years. While some stars disappeared from people’s memories, others disappeared in circumstances that remain unknown. One such issue is that of an actor Raj Kiranbest remembered for his performances in ‘Karz’ and ‘Arth’. Although he has been missing for more than twenty years, his family continues to search for him, hoping to find out what happened.Raj Kiran started his career with ‘Kaagaz Ki Nao’ in 1975. He later appeared in the political thriller ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’, a film that was banned during the Emergency. However, it was Subhash Ghai’s ‘Karz’, starring Rishi Kapoor, that catapulted him to the limelight. He established himself with his honorable work in Mahesh Bhatt‘s ‘Art’ aside Shabana Azmi. Throughout the 1980s, Raj enjoyed a run in Bollywood, but his career declined in the 1990s, with leading roles becoming more frequent.In 1996, Raj found himself in the headlines for reasons unrelated to the movie. Reports say he was arrested after he was suspected of entering the Puttaparthi Sai Baba Ashram. They say they hired a tractor and a ladder to enter the house at night. He was later granted bail, and his father secured his release.A year later, Raj spoke to Cineblitz about the ordeal of spending more than a month in prison. Looking back on the incident, he said: “The pain I experienced when I was put in prison is unbelievable.During his filmmaking years, Raj married Roopa, and the couple had two daughters, Rishika Mahtani and Mannat Mahtani. When acting opportunities dwindled, Raj says he became depressed, which also affected his life. He then moved to the United States and continued to communicate with his family for some time. However, according to his daughter, all communication stopped, and he has not been seen since 2003.His family has maintained that Raj was suffering from mental illness before his diagnosis. A film producer Mahesh Bhatt, who directed him in ‘Arth’, recalled a time when he visited Raj at Masina Hospital in Mumbai, where he was undergoing treatment. Speaking to Rediff, Bhatt said, “Many years ago when he was in the psychiatric hospital at Masina Hospital. He was not the Raj Kiran that I met. This was a handsome man, depressed and very difficult to communicate with me. There was no joie de vivre, no energy that came out every time he met us; his friends, who are his friends, who are his friends, who are his friends.“At one point, there were reports that Raj was admitted to a hospital in Atlanta. Speaking to Subhash K. Jha, Rishi Kapoor, who worked with Raj in ‘Karz’, said that he got this from Raj’s brother.“I was very happy when Govind told me that Raj was alive. But he was in Atlanta due to illness.” However, the claims were later denied by Raj’s family. In 2011, his daughter Rishika Mahtani explained that there was no confirmation that her father was receiving treatment in Atlanta. He said the family could not find him and continued to search for him. Despite admitting that Raj had been struggling with mental illness before his disappearance, the family has not given up hope of finding him.