Memories of Karz still remain fresh ; Subhash Ghai

By Rajesh Ahuja

He may have given to the film industry several blockbuster films like Karma, Vidhaata, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, Pardes and Taal but for veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai,  the memories of his 1980 musical hit Karz remain fresh even today.

Subhash Ghai today went down memory lane as  Karz completed 41 years of its release today.

Sharing a poster of Karz featuring the late Rishi Kapoor,  Subhash Ghai said,'41st year of #KARZ today  My Congratulations to entire team of Mukta ⁦films started its 1st production in the name of my wife mrs MUKTA GHAI with partnership with akhtar Farooqi and Jagjit khurana and released this musical extravaganza on
27 th June 1980 Still fresh today .'

Mukra arts of Subhash Ghai also celebrated 41 years of the Rishi Kapoor  Simi Garewal and Tina Munim starrer .

Sharing a still from the musical hit, Mukta Arts said  '41 Glorious years of #Karz. Congratulations to the entire team of Mukta Arts ltdoOn this special day, #gloriousyear #41years #karz #subhashghai #rishikapoorjiiii.'

Musical hit Karz completed 41 years of its release today 

A musical thriller directed by Subhash Ghai,  Karz starred Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim in lead role and Simi Garewal in a pivotal role.

Based on the 1975 film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, the  film also  featured  Pran, Prem Nath, Pinchoo Kapoor and Raj Kiran in important roles.

The film also won accolades for its music which was scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, and featured songs  like Dard-E-Dil and Om Shanti Om.

Karz is one of the finest films of Subhash Ghai, notable for picturisation of songs like Ek Hasina Thi on stage as well as Dard-E-Dil, and set the standard for his future films, as most of them became known for his dramatic flair, and above all their music score.

Though it was an average box office earner at the time of its release,  Karz has, over the years, become a cult classic .

Karz was itself remade several times: as the Kannada film Yuga Purusha (1989), the Tamil film Enakkul Oruvan (1984), and more recently the Hindi film Karzzzz (2008). 

The songs of the film inspired several film titles in later years,  including  Paisa Yeh Paisa (1985), Main Solah Baras Ki (1998), Ek Hasina Thi (2004), Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005) and Om Shanti Om (2007).

Infact, Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, featuring Shahrukh khan in the lead,  was seen as a  tribute to Karz, as it borrowed many elements from it.

The film fetched for Laxmikant Pyarelal the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.

Karz has become a cult classic over the years