Saaransh 1984

Anupam Kher as B.V. Pradhan wakes up early to write a letter to his son Ajay, who lives in New York. Midway through the missive, a painful memory returns: he has just learned from a friend of Ajay that Ajay was killed in a mugging in the United States. Pradhan’s best friend, Vishwanath, and his wife Parvati worry that, even after three long months, Pradhan has not yet come to terms with the loss of his only son. He confesses to Vishwanath that the death has gnawed away at his will to live.

With the family finances collapsed by Ajay’s absence, they rent out a room in their Shivaji Park apartment to Sujata Suman, a budding Bollywood actress, who is Soni Razdan in the cast. Sujata is involved with Vilas Chitre, the only son of the influential politician Gajanan Chitre. Vilas wants to marry Sujata but keeps his father in the dark, postponing the nuptials out of fear or cowardice.

Meanwhile, Pradhan receives a registered letter stating that Ajay’s ashes, along with a few other belongings like a TV, VCR, and a refrigerator, have arrived from the USA. At the customs office, he is shown disrespect and denied help by the Public Relations Officer. In a moment of desperate resolve, Pradhan forcibly enters the office of the head of customs and demands that Ajay’s ashes be handed over immediately. The officer consoles him, apologizes for the inconvenience, and promises that the remaining items will soon be transferred.

Pradhan, an atheist, gives Ajay’s ashes to Parvati, who takes them to a Pandit. The Pandit proclaims that Ajay will soon be reincarnated in the form of a baby nearby. Disheartened, Pradhan takes some ashes and scatters them near a kids’ park bench. Realizing how hollow life feels to him, he attempts suicide by stepping in front of a speeding car, but survives. Parvati begs him to reconsider, yet he remains resolute. Eventually, they decide to end their lives by consuming poison together.

Just as they are about to act, Sujata tells Vilas that she is pregnant. Vilas remains indecisive about the marriage, and Sujata calls him a coward, ultimately driving him away. Pradhan offers to take Sujata to meet Gajanan in hopes of securing his approval for a marriage between Sujata and Vilas. Vilas refuses to accept that the baby could be his, and Gajanan—knowing Vilas is lying—refuses their proposal and threatens dire consequences if Sujata does not abort and move away.

Pradhan, guided by his sense of principle, refuses to let Sujata drift away and provides her a safe haven in his house. Parvati, hearing of the baby, becomes convinced that the child is Ajay’s reincarnation and grows more certain in her beliefs. The couple’s attempts to dissuade Sujata fail, and Gajanan resorts to every trick of the trade: bribing Pradhan, cutting electricity to their home, and having his goons beat Vishwanath to disrupt the milk supply. Gajanan himself even arranges for an abortion in a doctor’s clinic, bribing a local practitioner to terminate the pregnancy.

When Pradhan tries to seek help from the Commissioner, red tape blocks him. He storms into the Mantralaya, the Chief Minister’s office, and confronts the powers that be. The Chief Minister—Akash Khurana, a former student of Pradhan—immediately rings up the Commissioner and the Remand Home where Sujata is being held, demanding that Gajanan be produced to ensure justice is served.

Pradhan finally realizes that Parvati’s insistence on Ajay’s reincarnation in Sujata’s baby could complicate things for Sujata and Vilas, so he urges them to leave the city and seek a fresh start. He hands over Ajay’s belongings to them, and Sujata asks to see Parvati one last time. Parvati’s stubbornness to let them go clashes with Pradhan’s desire to protect them. He steadies her and explains that Ajay is no longer coming back, and that both of them have already done a good deed by helping Sujata’s baby survive.

The film closes with Pradhan taking Parvati for an early-morning walk to the nearby kids’ park. There, flowers sprout where Ajay’s ashes were once scattered. Pradhan tells Parvati that the true beauty of life lies in our shared mortality, while life itself keeps moving forward.