Mahesh bhatt created a oscar level movie ...Such a intense portrayel of complexity of life ..Pain ,grief ,never ending struggle of life ,great great ...Direction & story by mahesh ji Huge applause for Anupam kher such a outstanding debut by him..Stellar performance..great actor he is..Great work by mahesh ji ,anupam kher & Rohini hattengiri . A genuine masterpiece..Must watch it..

I thought "Saaransh" was a terrific movie, but as I watched it I also worried about other viewers. After all, it's one of the more depressing films I've ever seen and if you are already seriously depressed, it could push you over the edge! So, if you want a feel-good movie, keep looking! However, if you don't mind that the film is numbingly depressing at times, then you should definitely give it a look.A word also about this film and other Indian films from this era. While the Bollywood formula today is very well established today, this is not what you'll necessarily see in older Indian movies. Giant choreographed song and dance numbers aren't in this one and the musical interludes (there are a couple) sound very canned. I've seen this before in films from the 70s and 80s and don't mind it--just don't expect a romance or the same vibe you get from more recent films.The film begins with Professor Pradhan having trouble sleeping yet again. This is because his son was murdered three months earlier and he still is struggling with the depression. His wife, on the other hand, is more optimistic and buries herself in religion. But, as he is an atheist, he feels alone and miserable. Eventually he sees the only way out is suicide.Fortunately, something snaps him out of his depression. The couple recently took in a border and now he sees the woman need their help. It seems that she's pregnant and her fiancée is a weak man with a horribly evil father. In fact, the father is prepared to do ANYTHING to stop the baby from being born--and because he's a government official, he seems ready, willing AND able. Poor Mr. and Mrs. Pradhan don't stand a chance against him and his power--yet, inexplicably, they stand firm--defying the powers that be.As far as the ending goes, I won't go into it here--it would spoil the film. Just be prepared--it IS depressing. So, this combined with the son's death, the father's suicide attempts and the violence that the politician unleashes upon them, it is a lot to take in one film. But, it also provided a wonderful opportunity to see a truly remarkable performance. Anupam Kher played the professor and appeared to be about 70 years old more or less. However, he was only 29 at the time!! You can't tell he's wearing makeup and coloring his hair--and he ACTS like a depressed elderly man. In fact, he is the reason to watch the film--a really special performance that you need to see to appreciate. It's also interesting to see just how cynical an Indian film can be about government corruption--a theme I've actually seen in quite a few Indian films.By the way, although I strongly recommend the film, I should point out that the captions were terrible. They were significantly delayed and occasionally sentences weren't even captioned. It's a real shame.

Mahesh Bhatt the filmmaker made several superb films in the 80s and 90s SARAANSH(1984) is one of his rare films which was more art-house like ARTH then commercial. The film was rare as it dealt with the problems faced by an old age couple who lose their son The first half establishes it's characters slowly, we are given insights on their lives, There are several poignant moments like Anupam Kher confrontation at the Airport Customs Office, Anupam Kher's scenes with his wife and with his best friend. The film does have it's share of clichés and stereotypes but yet the handling of the film is simply awesome by Mahesh Bhatt. The film gathers momentum once the battle lines are drawn between Anupam and The Politician and right till the finale the movie is simply outstanding A few flaws like the pacing can be ignored.Direction by Mahesh Bhatt is awesome, this ranks amongst his best Music is in limited doses and all songs blend well This film had editing by David Dhawan and AD was Sooraj Bharjatya both went on to become big directors later.Anupam Kher who was just 28 and launched in this film gave his heart and soul and gave such a flawless performance as a middle aged retired headmaster that he got typecast in such roles Anupam kept playing father roles to actors younger and older to him but Saraansh is a landmark and he won the award that year against DK for Mashaal. Rohini Hattangady too does a great job though she too was in her late 20's yet it doesn't come across, she is perfect Soni Razdan is decent, Nilu Phule is theatrical but works well Alok Nath has one scene, Madan Jain is okay Several well known artistes contribute in one scene or two like Arun Bakshi, Akash Khurana and all leave a mark The actor playing Anupam's friend is superb too

You can't help but wonder, especially as an immigrant, what happens to the family of the people who get killed in a foreign country. You see this on the news nearly everyday and this film tells you just that story you've always imagined but never like this. I saw this film recently on Zee TV, I can't believe how old it truly is when I looked at the year it was acted. Anupam Kher hasn't aged a single day. He looks exactly the same in 2006, the way he looked back in 1983. Shocking! His acting is very compelling here, as he plays the father of a young man who was murdered while studying abroad by goons who jumped him for his wallet during a festival he attended. You slowly watch the father sink deeper and deeper to the depths of bereavement and disbelief in the truth that surround him. A lot of this is to be blamed on the lack of solace that he experiences in the wake of his son's death. The impersonality in the way the news was broken to him (over the phone). Plus the fact that his son was cremated in New York and the ashes sent to him(the father) in India, which is part of a sequence of events that affect him and his wife psychologically and lead them to plan an unthinkable chain of events.