Bollywood has witnessed its share of unsolved mysteries over the years. While some stars faded from public memory, others disappeared under circumstances that remain unexplained. One of these cases is that of the actor Raj Kiranbest remembered for his performances in ‘Karz’ and ‘Arth’. Despite being missing for more than two decades, his family continues to search for him in hopes of finding out what happened.Raj Kiran started his acting career with ‘Kaagaz Ki Nao’ in 1975. He later appeared in the political satire ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’, a film that was banned during the Emergency. However, it was Subhash Ghai’s ‘Karz’, starring Rishi Kapoor, that brought her major recognition. He further established himself with his acclaimed performance Mahesh Bhatt”Art” next door Shabana Azmi. Throughout the 1980s, Raj enjoyed a steady run in Bollywood, but his career slowed in the 1990s, with major lead roles becoming increasingly rare.In 1996, Raj found himself in the headlines for non-cinematic reasons. Reports claimed that he was arrested after entering the Puttaparthi Sai Baba ashram. He was reported to have hired a tractor and a ladder to enter the compound at night. He was later granted bail and his father secured his freedom.A year later, Raj spoke to Cineblitz about the emotional toll of spending more than a month in jail. Looking back on the experience, he said: “The trauma I faced when I was put in jail is indescribable. You can never understand the fear you feel when you’re told you can’t bail yourself out. I spent 34 days in jail and sitting there, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be free. It’s a very scary feeling.”During his years in the film industry, Raj married Roopa and the couple had two daughters, Rishika Mahtani and Mannat Mahtani. As acting opportunities dwindled, Raj fell into a depression, which also affected his personal life. He eventually moved to the United States and stayed in touch with his family for a while. However, according to his daughter, all communication stopped and he has not been seen since 2003.His family has maintained that Raj was struggling with mental health issues before he disappeared. filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who directed him in ‘Arth’, recalled once visiting Raj at Mumbai’s Masina Hospital, where he was undergoing psychiatric treatment. Speaking to Rediff, Bhatt said, “Many years ago, when I was in the psychiatric ward of Masina Hospital. He was not the Raj Kiran I had interacted with. He was a gloomy-looking, depressed individual who had a lot of difficulty communicating with me. There was no joie de vivre, no energy that he exuded whenever he met us, meaning;“At one point, there were reports suggesting that Raj had been committed to a mental health institution in Atlanta. Talking to Subhash K. Jha, Rishi Kapoor, who had worked with Raj in ‘Karz’, said that he got this information from Raj’s brother.“I was so relieved when Govind told me that Raj was alive. But he was confined to an institution in Atlanta due to health issues.” However, these claims were later disputed by Raj’s family. In 2011, his daughter Rishika Mahtani clarified that there was no confirmation that her father was receiving treatment in Atlanta. He said the family had been unable to locate him and continued to search for him. Although she acknowledges that Raj had been dealing with mental health issues before he disappeared, the family has never given up hope of finding him.