Not even bad in a good way

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

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

Well,I saw this movie late last night,and I must say I wouldn't have seen a better movie.Mahesh Bhatt had set a standard for him in the 80s to be the I-don't-care-a-damn-about-the-commercial-success director.And he practiced what he preached unlike many others.This movie is a perfect example.Not only was Saraansh India's official entry to the Academy Awards that year,but it also marked the beginning of one of India's most able actors till date-Anupam Kher.He's as good as it can get in this flick.The movie's realistic portrayal of the Indian society deserves a standing applause and the performances were just the icing on the cake.Rohini Hattangidy shines as she always has.Mahesh Bhatt has proved time and time again that this country would always miss his trademark movies for decades to come now.