While experimentation is continuing in Bollywood, comes another picture from the Bhatt stable. This time the cap of director goes to another nephew of former director Mahesh Bhatt, Mohit Suri. Mohit is third nephew of erstwhile filmmaker after Milan Lutharia and Emraan Hashmi to get the coveted entry in Mumbai’s glamour world.
While Milan after assisting the Bhatt camp chose to make films for other banners and show his individual brilliance with ’Kachche Dhage’ and ’Deewar-Let Us Bring Our Heroes Home’, Emraan has chosen to be exclusive smooch boy for Vishesh Films, the Bhatt camp’s film churning factory.
This is third film in row for Emraan where his kiss scenes have been promoted more than films. He kicked the smooch controversy for the first time in ’Murder’ with Mallika Sehrawat, followed by Dia Mirza in ’Tumsa Nahin Dekha’ and now comes ’Zeher’ where is he is pitted against not one but two seductive women, namely,
Shamita Shetty and Udita Goswami. Udita made her debut in Puja Bhatt’s first directorial venture in ’Paap’ and Shamita has been lying low since her debut in Yashraj films ’Mohabbatein’.
Shamita attempted to steal the limelight but in vain. Her last movie was ’Bewafaa’ opposite Manoj Bajpai. ’Zeher’ talks about extramarital affairs, and it seems that Mr. Mahesh Bhatt is all set to do a Ph.D. in the subject.
Mahesh Bhatt always weaves stories around these subjects, presumably from his own life. This time he seems to have come full circle. His formula to make a commercially viable film these days is to make erotica. But there is a thin line between erotica and vulgarity.
’Zeher’s a story that has been told many a time on celluloid; husband and wife pitted against each other. We saw this in a classic like ’Abhiman’, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri. Then there was ’Akele Hum Akele Tum’ starring Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala.
The difference between these films and ’Zeher’ is that in this movie both hero Siddharth (Emraan Hashmi) and heroine Sonia (Shamita Shetty) are cops. Siddharth is a hot cop who doesn’t mind rubbing shoulders with the people of his like; on the other hand Sonia does anything to nap a criminal.
Differences in their thoughts lead them towards divorce. While the family life of the two is going through turbulence, Siddharth feels a fresh breeze following his meeting with Anna (Udita Goswami). Siddharth likes Anna and falls in love with her only to know that she is suffering from cancer.
But, Siddharth doesn’t want to lose her. She has given him care and love in the recent past. Siddharth tries to help her with the money that he has recovered during a raid. However, before the money serves his purpose, Anna dies in an unfortunate incident. Sonia is handling the case and now all roads lead Sonia to a man who is also her husband, Siddharth.
It is wondered if Mahesh Bhatt has chosen this kind of movie on his own or because of market compulsion to do a low budget erotica with new faces. Anyway, he will be remembered more for being the father of skin shows in Indian Cinema than as a maker of ’Saaransh’, ’Daddy’, ’Arth’, ’Naam’, ’Aashiqui’ and ’Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin’. Having closely known Mr. Bhatt for a decade, my comment on his transformation is that he is always eager to move ahead of time.
He chooses to be different in his logics, what may come. He knows how to make news about nothing and sell the film on the platters of headlines. It reflects in his making too.
He chooses his characters accordingly. Taking a newcomer for a big banner is a raw deal. The film is made in a shoestring budget, and even if it fails at the box office, the maker is never a loser.
In ’Zeher’, one can make out the influence of Hollywood. The only entertainment in the film are erotic scenes of Udita, but she fails to sizzle in a role that would have been more suited to girls like Bipasha Basu or Sameera Reddy.
These latter lassoes don’t come cheap and we see a director like Mohit Suri putting his all energy to bring out the best from his cast. So, Mohit Suri needs applause. He made dolls like Udita and Shamita work well.
The only problem with ’’Zeher’ is that people fail to co-relate this with their lives. The film moves on a linear track. Much of the erotica on which the film is banking upon looks repetitive. Erotica can sell at box office but only if it is made more diligently.
’Zeher’ looks satisfying on its face. However, as cinema it fails to quench the thirst for entertainment. The music lacks melody and it doesn’t help to create any kind of mood for the viewers.
Both Shamita and Udita have given their best performances till date.
But how much their titillating acts succeed at the box office will decide the fate of the film.
May we appeal to Mr. Bhatt that to fill the moneybox, please don’t corrupt the cinema. If the only option left is to make erotica, then why not start making porn films?