More than four decades ago, actor Anupam Kher and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt came together for Saaransh. Bhatt drew on his personal experiences for the 1984 classic, which follows an elderly couple grappling with the loss of their only son. In a recent interview, the filmmaker revealed that the story was inspired by the death of his mentor U.G. Krishnamurti’s son, an event he witnessed firsthand. He also shared that Saaransh was the first film Rajshri Productions greenlit without reading a script.During a chat on The Rashmmi Virag Show, Mahesh Bhatt shared, “I was 34 and he (Anupam Kher) was 28. It was like fitoor, madness. My situation was such that someone can take money from me and make me make this film. I had gone through an experience.”‘Was exposed to death’The filmmaker recalled witnessing the death of a young man, and said, “The young son of UG Krishnamurti had died suddenly. He was a copywriter who wrote, ‘Happy days are here again.’ The irony is that he got sarcoma cancer, galloping cancer. Two months later he died. I was very closely exposed to the death of a young man.”He added, “And, the demeanour of UG, how he took that death as a phenomena of life. He saw that as an event or happening which is separate from life. It’s a process of living, death is a part of living. That experience had gotten attached to my bones and it was seeking expression.”ALSO READ | Anupam Kher pays Mahesh Bhatt Rs 25,000 for every film he does, says it’s a ‘ritual’: ‘Started with Rs 250, he says there’s inflation’Asked what inspired him to turn the experience into a story, Mahesh Bhatt revealed that he had long been fascinated by the idea of death. He also admitted that, as a child, he would spend hours at a crematorium. “I don’t really know where it came from but it came in that phase. It was the exposure of a young individual. As a child, I was always obsessed about the topic of death. I used to spend hours and hours in the shamshaan ghaat in Shivaji park,” he said.The filmmaker added, “I would go and see people lighting the pyre of their loved ones. I realised that the person goes up, the ashes stay there, and then the family goes away. It was like a theme, which was always there in my head. And suddenly, it came out in Saaransh. If you talk about life, you have to talk about death.”Story continues below this adWhen Mahesh Bhatt pitched the idea to the Barjatyas, they gave the nod without a proper script. “Its that one film which has endured the desert of time. An actor like Anupam Kher, who has done more than 550 films, said that his entire body of work has been reduced to one film. My young writers say that it is a reference film for them. The idea came and I didn’t even write a screenplay. I gave the narration to the Barjatyas, and for the first time in their establishment, they said we will be making the film without a script. I knew every scene like the back of my hand. But, I used to keep it dynamic, I used to keep on waiting to infuse it on a day-to-day basis.”Anupam Kher’s angry outburst at Mahesh BhattDespite Mahesh Bhatt’s conviction in the project, Anupam Kher’s casting was anything but certain. The veteran actor has previously revealed that he was replaced just days before filming. At the Jagran Film Festival, Kher said, “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.”ALSO READ | From living next to Jayalalithaa to staying in old-age home: How Mohan Sharma lost it allThe veteran actor added, “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?”Story continues below this adAnupam Kher even went to Mahesh Bhatt’s house and called him a “fraud” for replacing him in Saaaransh. “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.'”“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,” he concluded.