Celebrating 35 years of the Bollywood blockbuster Karma

 

Karma (1986)

Released on August 8, 1986, today is the 35th anniversary of the Hindi blockbuster Karma, the biggest hit of 1986. 

“I was working with Sridevi for the first time. She was the top star at that time. She was a personality with two different persons in her, in front of camera, and off the camera. The moment there was a cut, she'd become normal, the moment the camera's on, she's different. I was amazed and I was surprised during Karma how Sridevi as a person can switch off and switch on as an actress in front of the camera. And with such a wide range."

- Subash Ghai, 2011.

.“I did a small song in Karma when Subhashji met me. At that time, since we were not from the industry, we did not know what small role or big role meant, how... But Subhashji told me that if I stop doing small roles, he would  cast me in his film which he was doing, which was Ram Lakhan. Then, we had to make this decision to devote my time completely to this and not juggle.”

- Madhuri Dixit, 2020.

“His vocabulary was so good! He was graceful and gracious. Of course, he was motivated by his craft, but what made him special was that he was a good human being. On Karma, we were initially inhibited, but we broke the ice soon. My fondest memories involve those in which we’d huddle together to play scrabble on set. Sometimes, he would use words which were challenging, to comprehend. And Naseer would suspiciously tell him, “No, sir. That’s not a word.” He would make up words and I would nag him and say, “Yusuf uncle, you are cheating.” He was adorable. When busted, he’d handle it cutely. His innocence and childlike quality wooed all of us.”

- Poonam Dhillon, 2021.

“My favourite actor is Dilip Kumar…. He is such a complete actor, a brilliant performer. And my favourite actress is Nutan. She was a thorough professional, well-mannered and knew the minutest nuances of acting. It is always a delight to see her in a film.”

- Subhash Ghai, 2012.

Karma was the first film of Dilip Kumar and Nutan together. At their peak they were shooting for a film together in 1951 but unfortunately it was shelved. Stay tuned for the next post to know more about the unreleased gem.

Check out the gallery and all the factoids on the film in our archive here.