Hindi cinema is indeed going through a transmutation. While a few film-makers continue to have that laidback attitude, refusing to adjust to the fast-changing times and churning out products that are an extension of what they attempted in the 1970s and 1980s, a majority have decided to explore the uncharted path.

And with the new generation entering Bollywood, new-fangled ideas are being attempted with amazing regularity. The stories are different and the style of narrating a tale is poles apart from that of the predecessors.

A shining example of this statement is Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt's ZEHER, which marks the directorial debut of Mohit Suri. The story is daringly different, but it's the execution of the enterprise that catches you unaware from the word 'go'.

Talking strictly from the commerce point of view, the debate within and outside the industry is, will ZEHER go the MURDER way? After all, the producers and the lead man [Emran Hashmi] did strike gold in MURDER and like MURDER, ZEHER also talks of issues such as extra-marital affairs and deceit.

But, to be honest, comparing MURDER and ZEHER would be erroneous since the two films are as different as chalk and cheese. The major difference between MURDER and ZEHER lies in the fact that the former devoted substantial footage to lust, but in ZEHER, lust is a mere tiny segment.

In ZEHER, two tracks - a murder mystery and the husband-wife relationship - have been juxtaposed to create a 14 reeler. The film works primarily because it holds your attention in most parts, with the climax hitting you like a ton of bricks.

 

In a small town in Goa, the chief of the local police station, Siddharth [Emran Hashmi], finds himself caught in the eye of a storm.

Siddharth, who is on the verge of a divorce with his wife Sonia [Shamita Shetty], whom he still loves, finds himself involved with a married woman named Anna [Udita Goswami].

Things get complicated when Siddharth learns that Anna's husband [Sameer Kochhar] is a wife beater, besides she's pregnant with his [Siddharth] child and is also suffering from cancer. Being a good samaritan, Siddharth does not have it in him to abandon Anna, who seems to have given him some affection in recent times.

In the heat of the moment, Siddharth takes an irrational decision to give Anna the money he had recovered in a drug raid, for her medication in one final effort to save her. But Anna dies in a bomb blast that very night.

With his estranged wife Sonia heading the case, Siddharth is now in a race against time to find out the real truth behind Anna's murder, recover the drug money and also win his wife's love back.

ZEHER is reminiscent to Oliver Stone's U-TURN [1997; Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Bob Thornton; the film had also inspired Sanjay Gupta's MUSAFIR], but barring three characters that bear a resemblance to the ones in U-TURN, ZEHER also looks at the husband-wife relationship as well as the angle of deceit and treachery.

As the writer of the film [ZEHER is scripted by Mohit Suri, not Mahesh Bhatt, who has scripted almost all home-productions], Suri lays open the cards at the very outset. The viewer is told in very clear words that the plot revolves around two unhappy marriages - Emran-Shamita and Sameer-Udita. And the plot thickens as incident after incident leads Emran to committing something he shouldn't have.

The first half is gripping and actually races past at a missile's speed. The narrative twists and turns in a serpentine fashion, rarely proceeding in a predictable or straightforward manner. But the pace slackens slightly in the post-interval portions. The plot reaches the crescendo towards the climax, when the unexpected happens.

Debutante director Mohit Suri succeeds in keeping you hooked to the drama for most parts of the film. Suri's style of narration is very contemporary and to his credit, the debutante director concentrates more on narrating a taut story than merely making the film appear visually enticing. This clearly indicates that Suri is well aware that content is supreme, not just technique.

There's not much scope for music in a film of this genre. Yet, a few songs truly stand out, 'Agar Tum Mil Jao Zamana Chhod Dennge Hum' [Anu Malik] and 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein' [Mithun Sharma, Naresh Sharma]. Cinematography [Fuwad Khan] is appropriate. Dialogues [Jay Dixit] are excellent.

ZEHER rests on three major performances - Emran Hashmi, Shamita Shetty and Udita Goswami. Emran delivers, what can be rightly termed, as his finest performance to date. The immensely talented actor takes to the character like a fish takes to water and emerges trumps. The performance is consistent right through, which speaks volumes about his dedication to the craft.

Shamita Shetty is a surprise, a revelation. The actress, who had wasted herself and her talent in inconsequential roles, proves that she can deliver if given an opportunity. She looks gorgeous all through, but more than anything else, it's her talent that you notice at the end of the show. This film should prove a turning point in the actress' career!

Udita Goswami is first-rate. Her role may not be lengthy, but the hammer-strong impact of her character remains right through the end. Also, she looks every bit a seductress - so vital for the role in question. Ninad Kamat, as Emran's friend, is another actor to watch out. He is fantastic! Sameer Kochhar leaves a strong impact in a key role.

On the whole, ZEHER is targeted mainly at those who enjoy intelligent thrillers. A well-made crime story, it should appeal to viewers of metropolis mainly. At the box-office, the film's fate rests on a strong word of mouth.