Reviewer's Rating 3 out of 5
Zeher (Poison) (2005)
12aContains moderate violence and sex

There was a time when Bollywood's idea of a love scene involved two parrots pecking beaks. Mohit Suri's Zeher is a shining example of how those innocent days are long gone. In its place we have handsome young police chief Siddarth Mehta (Emran Hashmi), falling in lust and into bed with married woman Anna (Udita Goswami) just months after separating from his wife - and fellow officer - Sonia (Shamita Shetty). Instead of comfort, Siddarth finds only death and deceit in this primitive but enjoyable thriller.

When good cop Siddarth helps Anna (Goswami) home one evening, little does he know that their brief sexual encounter will soon turn into a dangerous liaison. As the sultry wife of Goan drug dealer Sean (Sameer Kochhar), it's not good news when she tells Siddarth that she is both pregnant with his child and suffering from cancer. But before he can help her, both Anna and Sean are found dead in mysterious circumstances and, yep, you've guessed it: Siddarth's the chief suspect. The fun, however, is only just beginning, as who better to investigate the crime than his estranged wife Sonia?

"IMPRESSIVE AND BELIEVABLE"

Weaving together a murder mystery and husband-wife relationship drama, Suri's script holds your attention as the fairly predictable plot thickens. Similarly, both Hashmi and Shetty's performances as the warring, but obviously hurting, separated couple are impressive and believable. With the love scenes steering clear of clich茅s, Zeher is a good example of how the new generation of contemporary Bollywood films are capable of handling sexual themes in a mature and entertaining manner.

In Hindi with English subtitles.

Music by Anu Malik, Mithun Sharma and Naresh Sharma.

End Credits

Director: Mohit Suri

Writer: Mohit Suri

Stars: Emran Hashmi, Shamita Shetty, Udita Goswami, Sameer Kochhar, Ninad Kamat

Genre: Bollywood

Length: 132 minutes

Cinema: 25 March 2005

Country: India

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