Saaransh

The film opens with Pradhan waking early to pen a letter to his son in New York. He voices his longing and the unbearable ache of loss. The moment sets up his fragile emotional state and lack of purpose.

A friend in New York informs Pradhan that Ajay was killed in a mugging. The news lands with crushing finality as the family tries to process the tragedy. The event anchors the rest of the film in grief and disbelief.

Three months pass and Pradhan shows little will to live while Vishwanath and Parvati worry for him. They fear his sorrow may destroy him or sever their bond with him. The house feels heavy with unspoken grief.

With no income, Pradhan and Parvati rent a room to Sujata Suman, a budding Bollywood actress. Sujata becomes entangled with Vilas, the son of a powerful politician, adding new tensions to the household. Her arrival stirs hope and complication in equal measure.

Pradhan receives a registered letter announcing Ajay's ashes and a few belongings have arrived from the USA. He goes to the customs office to collect them but is met with indifference from a Public Relations Officer. The moment highlights the gulf between his personal grief and bureaucratic procedure.

Pradhan forcibly enters the customs chief’s office and demands that only Ajay's ashes be handed over. He breaks down in tears, and the officer consoles him and promises the rest of the items will follow. The scene marks a turning point in his resolve to claim his son's memory.

Parvati takes Ajay's ashes to a Pandit, who tells them Ajay will be reincarnated as a baby nearby. The idea offers a glimmer of consolation that life can continue. Pradhan remains skeptical and emotionally exhausted by the prediction.

Disillusioned, Pradhan scatters part of Ajay's ashes near a nearby kids park. He then attempts to end his life by stepping in front of a speeding car, but Parvati pleads with him to choose life. The moment crystallizes his breakdown and fragile hope.

Pradhan and Parvati resolve to end their lives together, but Sujata informs Vilas that she is pregnant. Vilas remains indecisive about marriage, turning the moment away from self-destruction toward responsibility and conflict.

Pradhan offers to take Sujata to meet Gajanan Chitre, hoping for approval of the marriage. Gajanan refuses to acknowledge the child and begins to undermine the couple, triggering a new round of battles.

Gajanan's goons harass Pradhan by cutting electricity, blocking milk supply, and throwing crackers into the house. He collaborates with a doctor to illegally abort Sujata's baby, intensifying the peril for Sujata and the unborn child. Red tape and fear complicate every path forward.

Desperate, Pradhan storms into Mantralaya seeking justice. The Chief Minister—an old student of his—orders the Commissioner of Police to produce Gajanan and ensure justice is served against him. The scene rekindles Pradhan's faith in authority, even as doubt remains.

Pradhan realizes Parvati's belief will complicate Sujata and Vilas's lives and asks them to leave the city. He also hands over Ajay's belongings, which have been retrieved from the customs, to Sujata. The act symbolizes a reluctant release and permanent change.

Parvati demands to see Sujata, but Pradhan stops her to preserve Sujata's future. Parvati is heartbroken, yet she begins to accept that Ajay is gone and that their duty was to support Sujata's baby. The moment marks a quiet turning point in her grief.

In the final scene, Pradhan and Parvati walk to the park at dawn. Flowers bloom where Ajay's ashes were scattered, and Pradhan proclaims that while life is mortal, life goes on. The film closes on a note of quiet resilience.