# Zeher (ज़हर)
**Zeher** (ज़हर, "Poison") is a 2005 Hindi-language suspense thriller directed by [Mohit Suri](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohit-suri) in his directorial debut, produced by [Mukesh Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mukesh-bhatt) under the Vishesh Films banner, and released in India on 25 March 2005.[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/cast/) It stars [Emraan Hashmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/emraan-hashmi) as police officer Siddharth Mehra, with Shamita Shetty as his wife Sonia and Udita Goswami as Anna Verghese, a married woman with whom Siddharth begins an affair.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/) The plot turns on Anna's killing and a suitcase of embezzled drug money, with Sonia leading the investigation.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/movies/zeher.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 25 March 2005 (India), Hindi language, thriller genre[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/cast/) |
| Director / producer | Mohit Suri (directorial debut); Mukesh Bhatt, Vishesh Films[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/cast/) • [4](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/zeher/20050325.htm) |
| Lead cast | Emraan Hashmi (Siddharth Mehra), Shamita Shetty (Sonia Mehra), Udita Goswami (Anna Verghese)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/) |
| Runtime | 132 minutes (2h 12m)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/) |
| Music | Roop Kumar Rathod credited as music director; songs by Anu Malik, Roop Kumar Rathod, and Jal the Band[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/cast/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/soundtrack/) |
| Box office | India net ₹73.4 million (₹7.34 crore); worldwide gross ₹107.2 million (₹10.72 crore); trade verdict "Average"[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/box-office/) |
| Reception | IMDb 5.6/10 from about 2,600 users; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 50%[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zeher) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Siddharth and Sonia Mehra are a married couple, both police officers in the Goa police force, where Sonia holds the senior rank.[4](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/zeher/20050325.htm) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/movies/zeher.html) Their marriage is strained, in part over Sonia's professional success, and Siddharth begins an affair with Anna Verghese, the wife of a drug dealer named Shaun.[4](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/zeher/20050325.htm) • [8](https://iol.co.za/entertainment/whats-on/2005-05-20-zeher/) When Siddharth learns that Anna has a terminal illness, he decides to help her with a large sum of money confiscated in a drug raid.[8](https://iol.co.za/entertainment/whats-on/2005-05-20-zeher/) On the night he hands over the money, Anna is found dead, and Sonia is placed in charge of the investigation, which closes in on Siddharth as the suspect.[8](https://iol.co.za/entertainment/whats-on/2005-05-20-zeher/) • [9](https://www.primevideo.com/-/es_419/detail/0KZX1C91DQYHGP6X1LOGEHLAD3) The story unfolds as what one trade synopsis calls "a murky tale of drug money, murder and deceit," in which things are not what they seem.[10](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/zeher-821)
## Production and debut
Zeher marked the first film directed by Mohit Suri, who was 24 years old at release and is Emraan Hashmi's cousin; he had previously worked as an assistant director on the Bhatt productions Raaz and Kasoor.[4](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/zeher/20050325.htm) Mahesh Bhatt received screenplay credit on IMDb, while Box Office India credits Mohit Suri with screenplay and dialogue and Jay Dixit with the story.[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/fullcredits/) • [12](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=413) Udita Goswami's dialogue was dubbed by the dubbing artist Mona Ghosh Shetty.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/)
In November 2023, the actor and filmmaker [Deepak Tijori](https://www.edgepedia.org/deepak-tijori) claimed in an interview that the idea for Zeher, Mohit Suri's directorial debut, had been his, calling it the "first betrayal of his second career."[13](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/)
## Music
Roop Kumar Rathod is credited as the film's music director, with lyrics by [Sayeed Quadri](https://www.edgepedia.org/sayeed-quadri) and Shakeel Azmi, released on the Saregama label.[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/cast/) The soundtrack's best-known songs are Agar Tum Mil Jao, performed by [Shreya Ghoshal](https://www.edgepedia.org/shreya-ghoshal) with music by [Anu Malik](https://www.edgepedia.org/anu-malik), and Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein, performed by Atif Aslam with music credited to Jal the Band, Mithun Sharma, and Naresh Sharma.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/soundtrack/) A Telegraph India music review described the album as "simple, maddeningly melodious," noting that Agar Tum Mil Jao was the standout track and that the cassette's Side B consisted largely of additional versions of it.[14](https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/music-reviews/cid/968944) The Atif Aslam track was a remade version of a Jal song, and a 2025 Bollywood Hungama feature reported that Mohit Suri credited a then 12-year-old Alia Bhatt with helping shape the trend around the "Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein" remix.[13](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/) The Pakistani singer Atif Aslam's engagement for the soundtrack was also noted in academic writing on Pakistani cinema as an example of cross-border musical collaboration in Bollywood.[15](https://lms.su.edu.pk/download?filename=1588851882-lollywoodpakistanicinemathroughatransitionallens1.pdf&lesson=13559)
## Reception and box office
Contemporary reviews were mixed. Rediff.com's reviewer called the film "barely watchable," finding it a slow thriller that picked up speed only after the interval, but praised [Shamita Shetty](https://www.edgepedia.org/shamita-shetty)'s underplayed performance and Ninad Kamat as the film's highlight, and judged that the inexperienced Suri had done a commendable job.[4](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/zeher/20050325.htm) A South African review rated it 4 out of 10 and argued that the film was directly copied from the American film *Out of Time*, becoming predictable for viewers who knew the original, though it remained engaging otherwise and was shot at attractive locations in Goa.[8](https://iol.co.za/entertainment/whats-on/2005-05-20-zeher/) User reviews on Bollywood Hungama repeated the *Out of Time* comparison.[16](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/user-reviews/)
At the Indian box office the film opened at ₹6.4 million (₹0.64 crore), reached ₹20.6 million (₹2.06 crore) in its opening weekend and ₹34.5 million (₹3.45 crore) in week one, and finished with a net total of ₹73.4 million (₹7.34 crore; ₹101.9 million (₹10.19 crore) gross in India). Overseas gross was ₹5.3 million (₹0.53 crore), for a worldwide gross of ₹107.2 million (₹10.72 crore); Bollywood Hungama's trade verdict classifies the performance as "Average."[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/box-office/) In the United Kingdom it earned a total gross of £30,763 across its run.[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/box-office/) On aggregate platforms it holds an IMDb rating of 5.6/10 from about 2,600 users[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/) and a 50% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience average of 3.2 out of 5 from more than 250 ratings.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zeher)
## Availability
Zeher was last available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video from January 2018 to October 2019, and as of the most recent [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) data it was unavailable to stream in the United States.[17](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/zeher) The film was referenced in the 2019 series *ImMATURE* episode "Pehla Pehla Pyaar, Pehla Pehla Bar."[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/)
## References
1. [Zeher Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/cast/)
2. [Zeher (2005), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/)
3. [Zeher 2005, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/movies/zeher.html)
4. [Zeher is barely watchable! Patcy N, Rediff.com, 25 March 2005](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/zeher/20050325.htm)
5. [Zeher (2005) Soundtracks, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/soundtrack/)
6. [Zeher Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/box-office/)
7. [Zeher, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zeher)
8. [Zeher review, Independent Online (South Africa), 20 May 2005](https://iol.co.za/entertainment/whats-on/2005-05-20-zeher/)
9. [Zeher, Prime Video listing](https://www.primevideo.com/-/es_419/detail/0KZX1C91DQYHGP6X1LOGEHLAD3)
10. [Zeher (2005), BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/zeher-821)
11. [Zeher (2005) Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451983/fullcredits/)
12. [Zeher, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=413)
13. [Zeher Movie page with articles, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/)
14. [Music Reviews: Zeher, The Telegraph (India), 6 May 2005](https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/music-reviews/cid/968944)
15. [Lollywood: Pakistani Cinema Through a Transitional Lens (ResearchGate-hosted paper)](https://lms.su.edu.pk/download?filename=1588851882-lollywoodpakistanicinemathroughatransitionallens1.pdf&lesson=13559)
16. [Zeher 2005 Movie User Reviews, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/zeher/user-reviews/)
17. [Zeher streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/zeher)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2000s › Action and thriller films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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