4 min readNew DelhiMay 21, 2026 02:57 PM IST
Over four decades ago, Anupam Kher impressed everyone with his portrayal of B.V Pradhan in Mahesh Bhatt’s Saaransh. The veteran actor, who was just 27 back then, takes a lot of pride for playing a 65-year-old elderly man at such a young age. The inspired portrayal also established Anupam in the industry. At an event, Anupam had opened up about being removed from his debut film and his decision to leave the city. He also revealed confronting Bhatt at his house and how the director gave him back the role after his angry outburst.
While speaking at the Jagran Film Festival last year, Anupam recalled getting replaced ten days before the shoot of Saaransh. “I was 27 when Mahesh Bhatt sahab narrated the story to me for my first film. When I turned 28, I rehearsed for around 6 months for the film. I was going to play the role of a 65-year-old, aged man. But, I was removed from the film 10 days before the shoot, because they wanted to cast a big actor, Sanjeev Kumar ji. They thought it would be a more viable choice commercially,” he shared.
The actor continued, “I packed all my things and decided to leave the city. I was being told by Mahesh Bhatt since six months that I am playing the main role, I had rehearsed so much. And I was kicked 10 days before the shoot! I packed all my stuff and headed towards VT (Victoria Terminus) station. But before leaving, I thought that I should tell Bhatt sahab what I think of him. There’s nothing left anyway, what can he do to me now?”
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Heartbroken and ready to quit, the veteran actor went to Mahesh Bhatt’s house to confront him about his actions. “I went to his house, but the lift wasn’t working. He used to live on the sixth floor. I was angry and had a lot of energy, so I climbed the stairs. Bhatt sahab said that I am doing another smaller role in the film. I told him that my taxi is waiting outside and I am going to leave Mumbai, but before that I want tell you that you are the biggest ‘fraud’ and ‘cheat’ in the whole world. I said, ‘You are making a film on honesty, and you yourself are not honest’,” Anupam said.
He ended up giving the filmmaker a ‘curse’ because he couldn’t come up with anything else to conclude his rant. “I was crying inconsolably because I was very upset and stressed. I was then thinking what I should say at the end, because anger has to conclude with a great punchline. I couldn’t think of anything at that moment so I said, ‘Main aapko shraap deta hu’. He saw this scene and called Rajshri productions to cast me in that role.”
Saaransh (1984) was directed and written by Mahesh Bhatt. It marked the big screen debut of Anupam Kher and was also an official entry from India for the 1985 Oscars.
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On the work front, Anupam Kher was last seen in his self-directed film Tanvi: The Great (2025). The actor will next be seen in Khosla Ka Ghosla 2 (August 28, 2026) and The India House (June 4, 2026).
