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Anupam Kher ’s entry into Bollywood was anything but ordinary. His debut in Mahesh Bhatt ’s Saaransh (1984) saw him play a 65-year-old grieving father at just 28, but the role nearly slipped out of his hands when the film’s producer insisted on replacing him with superstar Sanjeev Kumar .

Months of preparation almost wasted

In an interview with The Indian Express, Kher revealed, “I was thrown out of my first film Saaransh 10 days before we were supposed to start shooting. I had prepared for months—observing how old people walked, even sleeping with a stick beside me. Then suddenly, I was told I’d been replaced by Sanjeev Kumar.”

Confronting the director

The actor admitted he was heartbroken and ready to quit the industry altogether. He packed his bags to leave Mumbai but decided to confront director Mahesh Bhatt before walking away. “I told Mahesh Bhatt, ‘Can you see that cab, it has my luggage. I’m leaving this city. But before I go, I want to tell you—you are the biggest fraud on this earth. You are making a film about truth, and you don’t have the truth in you. For six months, you made me rehearse and now you’ve thrown me out. I am a Brahmin and I curse you.’”



Kher said his outburst shook Bhatt, who immediately called the producer and insisted that only Anupam could play the role. “Joh scene isne kiya hai abhi (the scene he has done just now), only he will do this film,” Bhatt reportedly told the producer.

Saaransh, which went on to become one of the most acclaimed films of the decade, was even selected as India’s official entry for the 1985 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

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