Directed
by Mahesh Bhatt, the film also starred Rohini Hattangadi, Soni
Razdan and Madan Jain.
Now the 54-year-old actor is reliving his dream
by hosting its premiere May 24 at Metro Big Cinemas in Mumbai
and the entire cast of the movie is invited.
"Like any other actor I too had this dream
of going for the premiere of my first movie...this idea came to
my mind to cherish that unfulfilled dream with the crew of the
movie and relive those moments," explained Kher, who went
on to feature in movies like "Daddy", "Lamhe",
"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Khosla Ka Ghosla"
and "A Wednesday".
In "Saaransh", Anupam had played the
role of a retired school principal who had lost interest in life
after his son's death abroad and has to fight to get back his
son's ashes. He later fights for his tenant's rights too, taking
on powerful politicians.
It was also India's official entry to the Oscars
in 1985 in the best foreign language film category.
For a debutant, it was unusual to play the role
of a much older man, but Anupam says he grabbed the offer of a
lifetime.
"That role was a challenge for me. You can
say it was a do-or-die situation. But why I chose to play someone
double my age was because any actor who would have refused to
play the role would have been the biggest fool on this earth,"
Kher said.
He also remembers how he waited outside the cinema
hall to see whether people could recognise him.
"I used to stand outside Metro Cinema to
see whether people could recognise me, but unfortunately they
didn't because for them I was an old man and not someone so young,"
he said.
With this premiere, the actor will also be celebrating
his 25 years in the film industry and one thing that will always
remain close to his heart is a compliment from legendary actor
Sanjeev Kumar, who was initially offered the role.
"He saw this movie alone before it was released.
He cried a lot during the movie and the moment he stepped out,
he complimented me for my acting and said even he couldn't have
done justice to the role," said the actor.
With remakes being the current trend in Bollywood,
Kher is okay with the idea of the film being remade but doesn't
want to star in it.
"Today no one from the industry can do justice
to this role...not even me. Because I too don't have that hunger
that I used to have 25 years back. Any newcomer who has the passion
and hunger that I had 25 years ago can fit into the remake,"
he explained.
Kher added that he is "emotionally attached"
to "Saaransh" because he would love to be like the character
B.B. Pradahan, who stood for his rights.
"I wish I could just be 50 percent of what
Pradhan was. This role has influenced my life and left a lasting
impression on me," he said.
The actor, who has dabbled in almost all genres,
will soon be seen in Walt Disney's production "Zokommon"
with Darsheel Safary, "Hawai Dada", "Wake Up Sid"
and many more.
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