Saaransh (1984)

Devastated to learn that their only child, a son, has been killed by muggers in New York City, former Headmaster B.B. Pradhan and his wife, Parvati, grieve. With their son dead, there is no... See full summary »

Director:

Mahesh Bhatt

Writers:

Mahesh Bhatt (dialogue), Mahesh Bhatt (screenplay),

Stars:

Rohini Hattangadi, Anupam Kher, Soni Razdan

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rohini Hattangadi	...	Parvati Pradhan (as Rohini Hattangady)
Anupam Kher	...	B.V. Pradhan
Soni Razdan	...	Sujata Suman
Madan Jain	...	Vilas Chitre
Suhas Bhalekar	...	Vishwanath
Alok Nath	...	Pandit / Astrologer
Akash Khurana	...	Chief Minister Shashikant (as Aakash Khurana)
Vijay Kashyap	...	Dr. Bhatt
Kishore Jariwala
Suresh Chatwal	...	Police Inspector
Salim Ghouse	...	Gajanan Chitre's Goon (with acid)
Arun Bakshi	...	Gajanan Chitre's Goon
Sankalp Dubey
Rajesh Kumar
Haidar Ali	...	Hyder Ali

Storyline

Devastated to learn that their only child, a son, has been killed by muggers in New York City, former Headmaster B.B. Pradhan and his wife, Parvati, grieve. With their son dead, there is no income coming in, so they rent out a room, in their Shivaji Park (Bombay) apartment to a budding Bollywood actress, Sujata Suman, who has been having an illicit affair with the only son (Vilas) of a politician named Gajanan Chitre. Vilas lacks the guts to tell his father that he is in love and would like to marry Sujata, and hence puts off any marriage plans. They do get intimate and as a result Sujata gets pregnant. When Pradhan finds out, he offers to take Sujata to meet Gajanan with the hope that he will permit her to become his daughter-in-law. But Gajanan not only refuses, he also threatens them, he warns them of dire consequences if Sujata does not abort the child, and moves away to another town. Pradhan refuses to let Sujata out of his house, and then begins the stalking and harassment by ...

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Plot Keywords:

park | children | hooligan | acid | one word title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

25 May 1984 (India)

Also Known As:

The Gist

Filming Locations:

India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rajshri Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

B.V. Pradhan: Parvati, the lines on your face symbolize the gist of my life!

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Connections

References Mother India (1957)

User Reviews

The Grief Of Losing Your Only Child

When one has the pleasure of watching movies like 'Arth' and 'Saaransh' the question that lingers is what happened to the Mahesh Bhatt who was such an amazing storyteller? 'Saaransh' tells the story of an grief-stricken elderly couple whose son was brutally murdered three months ago in the streets of New York. The film essentially shows how B.V. and Parvati deal differently with the tragedy. While B.V. is mourning his son's death, Parvati seeks enlightenment in her faith which allows her to be positive but at the same time, in denial. Entering their life is a young actress, Sujata, who will put them to test.

'Saaransh' is a very well made film. It is on the quiet side but there is a lot of subtlety and symbolism. Bhatt tackles numerous themes such as corruption, discrimination against the elderly and poverty but he always manages to link them back to the main story. The visuals are simplistic but also suggestive. The dialogues work very well and the songs are thankfully limited.

Anupam Kher is phenomenal in his debut film performance. At such a young age he plays the part of a 60+ so convincingly, capturing his nuances and every essence. To say the least, it is an admirable debut. Rohini Hattangadi is equally stupendous. A beautiful Sony Razdan holds her own and makes her presence felt.

'Saaransh' is an enlightening and satisfying film experience. It is easily one of Bhatt's best.