Numerology has been popular in Indian cinema for decades. This is why many actors alter the spelling of their names, while some filmmakers repeatedly use a particular letter in their movie titles. At one point, Karan Johar was known for using the letter “K” in the titles of many of his films. Similarly, director Arjun Hingorani often used the letter “K” three times in his movie titles, as seen in films such as Kahani Kismat Ki and Kaatilon Ke Kaatil. But there is one title that eventually came to be regarded as “unlucky” in the Indian film industry. The reason? Nine films featuring the word “Karz” in their titles went on to flop. Interestingly, the careers of several actors associated with these movies also reportedly suffered after their films failed. The title in question is Karz.
The word “Karz”, meaning debt, has often been described as one of the unluckiest titles in Indian cinema. Over a period of nearly four decades, nine films featuring the word in their titles reportedly failed at the box office. Bollywood has produced three films simply titled Karz, while six other movies have included the word as part of their titles. Whether it was merely a coincidence or something more, none of these films managed to become a major box-office success.
The first Karz was released in 1980 and directed by Subhash Ghai. The film starred Rishi Kapoor and Simi Garewal, while its music became extremely popular. Despite the success of its songs, the film did not perform well at the box office. In his autobiography Khullam Khulla, Rishi Kapoor revealed that the film’s failure affected him deeply and even pushed him into depression. He began questioning his future in the film industry. However, the movie eventually gained cult status, largely because of its memorable music and songs.
In 2008, a remake of the film was released under the same title. It starred Himesh Reshammiya and Urmila Matondkar. Unfortunately, the remake met a similar fate at the box office. Reportedly made on a budget of around ₹24 crore, the film earned only about ₹16 crore. It was also reported that the movie caused significant financial losses for its makers. Urmila Matondkar, who had been a popular star before the film, subsequently struggled to find substantial roles. Shweta Kumar, who made her acting debut with the movie, also disappeared from the film industry soon after.
Between these two films came Sunny Deol’s Karz: The Burden of Truth, which also failed at the box office. The other six films featuring the word “Karz” in their titles were Karz Tere Kanoon Ka (1988), Doodh Ka Karz (1990), Pyar Ka Karz (1990), Karz Chukana Hai (1991), Mahan Karz (1991), and Doodh Ka Karz (2016). None of these films managed to become successful at the box office. In fact, according to reported box-office figures, none of them even crossed the ₹5 crore mark.
These repeated failures eventually contributed to a perception within the industry that the word “Karz” was somehow unlucky for a film’s box-office prospects. Whether this was simply a string of coincidences or something else remains a matter of speculation. Interestingly, no major Hindi film carrying “Karz” in its title has been released in the last decade, adding another chapter to the curious story of this so-called “unlucky” title.
