Though RAAKH is arriving for commercial release with a mid sized release being planned (there are talks that 200 odd prints of the film would be dispatched across the country), SAARANSH is coming due to purely emotional reasons.
Says a nostalgic Anupam Kher says, "It was way back on 25th May 1984 when my first film SAARANSH has released. I was a new comer then and 25 years from then, I continue to feel like a newcomer.
To celebrate my countless highs and lows that I have seen in my career so far, I thought of bringing back the film. After all, it would be great to relive the moments from the past and also gauge audience reaction for this film of mine which continues to be my most special till date."
Incidentally the film is not seeing a full fledged release and is arriving for only one show at BIG Cinemas Metro, Mumbai, on 24th May, 2009 to celebrate 25 years of SAARANSH. Anupam Kher would be hosting this special premier in association with his acting school Actor Prepares & Metro BIG Cinemas.
"Since the film was released in Metro 25 years back, we all thought that it would be nice to premiere it here only", says Anupam Kher who has worked hard to hunt and extend invitation to majority of cast and crew members from SAARANSH that has fetched a cult status for itself over the years.
While Rohini Hattangadi and Soni Razdan, his co-stars from the film, have confirmed their presence for the event, director Mahesh Bhatt (who had also written story, screenplay and dialogues of the film) will also be present at the premiere along with many other friends from the industry.
The film was India's entry for Oscars in 1984 and had gone on to establish Anupam Kher firmly and squarely in the industry.
As B.V. Pradhan, he played the role of a stubborn old man to perfection that resulted in many a clone in dozens of films to come. The film was about an old couple (played by Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangadi) who were trying hard to come to terms with the death of their only son, who was killed in a mugging incident in New York.
As a 29 year old, Anupam Kher was tremendous in the role of an aged man, especially in the most remembered sequence in the film where his character haggles with the customs officials to get the ashes of his son.
Also starring Madan Jain, Nilu Phule, Alok Nath, Akash Khurana, Salim Ghouse and Aroon Bakshi in principal roles, this Rajshri Production was not just a box office success but has seen several reruns on television over the couple of decades gone by.
The film was also special for David Dhawan who was an editor then and showed his finesse with the scissors with aplomb. Also Mahesh Bhatt found his bearings in the industry as he came up with two back sensitive tales with SAARANSH coming soon after ARTH.