Mahesh Bhatt reveals that Jagjit Singh bribed officers to get his son's body: 'Understood the importance of Saaransh'

Mahesh Bhatt revealed that Jagjit Singh had to resort to bribery to retrieve his son's body, a tragic ordeal that made him understand the significance of Saaransh.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt recently shared an anecdote highlighting the impact of his film Saaransh on the legendary ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh. Bhatt revealed that Singh had to resort to bribery to retrieve his son's body, a tragic ordeal that made him understand the meaning of the film. It all happened during a special event to celebrate 40 years of film. Mahesh Bhatt was talking to Anupam Kher when the former candidly recalled the above-mentioned incident.

“When Jagjit Singh's son died in a tragic accident, he told me that he had to pay bribes to junior officers to get his son's body and then he understood the importance of Saaransh. That's how much a common man struggles to get his own dead body. These are all living reference points for the film,” says the filmmaker.

For those unfamiliar, the ghazal maestro lost his only son Vivek from his wife Chitra in a car accident in 1990. He was just 20.

Coming back to Saaransh, The film, starring Anupam Kher and directed by Mahesh Bhatt, tells the story of an elderly couple struggling with tragedy and loss in the aftermath of their son's untimely death. It was also Anupam Kher's debut as a leading actor, in which he played the role of a 65-year-old man at the age of 28. In honor of the milestone, Kher had recently dedicated a heartwarming Instagram post to the film.