NAZAR: Director: Soni Razdan India 2005 137 mins (15) in Hindi with English subtitles. Cast: Meera, Ashmit Patel, Koel Puri, Aly Khan, Rupak Mann Billed as the first joint production between Pakistan and India, Soni Razdan's Nazar (Vision)) has been in the spotlight for quite some time.

Firstly, Nazar is the launch pad for the stunning actress Meera - Pakistan's answer to Madhuri Dixit (apparently).

The film-makers claim Meera is the first Pakistani actress to appear in an Indian film. That claim is in fact untrue as there have been several actresses from across the border to try their luck in Bolly World.

If memory serves me right, Zeba Bakhtiar was that last wannabe in the big budget Raj Kapoor production, Henna, in 1991. Secondly, Nazar marks the debut of filmmaker Soni Razdan - an actress-turneddirector who happens to be the wife of leading filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Finally, their were rumours of a passionate kissing scene between Meera and Ashmit Patel that caused a storm in Pakistan.

With all the hype and confusion surrounding the film, does Nazar meet the hype?

Read on.

Visiting the sets of the film at a derelict factory on the outskirts of Mumbai last year, I was looking forward to Nazar.

Mainly for the aforementioned reasons but also because of Mahesh Bhatt's involvement as co-producer and the impressive acting I saw from Meera in a certain scene being filmed at the factory.

Bhatt, a leading figure in India for the last three decades, has of recent encouraged and nurtured young filmmakers as well as launching new actors (John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Ashmit Patel, Imraan Hashmi, Malika Sherawat). Made on a smaller budget, these films are driven by their script and in return appreciated by the audience. Recent Bhatt productions include Raaz (2002), Jism (2003) and Murder (2004) - all boxoffice successes due to a good screenplay and fresh acting ability.

I was expecting the same with Nazar but unfortunately it failed to leave a lasting impression in any department.

Divya (Meera) is a successful pop singer.

One eerie night whilst driving home, she almost runs over a woman lying in the middle of the road. Scared and confused, Divya gets out of her car to see whether the woman is okay but is unaware that this move would change her life forever.

Divya is suddenly haunted by strange visions of unnerving murders that make her believe that she is going over the edge.

As the story unfolds, she meets Special Investigating Officer Rohan (Patel), who is uncovering a case of serial killings of bar dancers.

Although Rohan's colleague (Purie) refuses to buy Divya's story, terming it as hallucination, Rohan believes in Divya and decides to pursue the case far more vigorously. In the process, Rohan and Divya are attracted to each other and gradually fall in love.

But the growing friendship between Rohan and Divya bothers Tarun (Khan), a doctor, who openly professes his feelings to Divya time and again.

It was frustrating watching Nazar because it had the potential of becoming a very good film. The main downfall is the screenplay. Razdan's directing is good but clearly she needs more guidance from her more experienced husband. But I could not help but feel confused when I walked out of the auditorium as the end credits began to roll down the screen. Why did I feel so disappointed?

There are several reasons.

Apart from the overall presentation, my main grudge was with the music compositions.

With the exception of the melodious title track Nazar Nazar , the rest of the soundtrack was a farce. Reminiscent of the laughable films we so unfortunately had to tolerate in the eighties, Nazar's soundtrack seemed out dated, uninspired and quite simply rubbish!

Considering the Bhatt's have in the past delivered awe inspiring music and are renowned for the brilliance of music in their films (Jism and Murder come to mind), what on earth or who on earth was responsible for this debacle? The annoying (even more so now, Anu Malik)!

On the acting front Meera shines as the female protagonist. The actress who made her debut in Pakistan in 1998 with Samina Peerzada's Inteha looked the part and acted convincingly in the scary scenes.

Whether she will become successful in the world of Bollywood is anybody's guess but I am sure she will give it her best shot.

The confident actress has the potential to create a foothold in the industry but will have to be aware of her many detractors from both countries. But she does need to work on her image and her identity. In some scenes she looked a lot older than she actually is and her make up looked amateurish.

On the other hand, Ashmit Patel did not impress. Relying solely on his good looks, Patel's acting was wooden and failed to play the part of the confused cop trying to track down the serial killer. His character had shades of John Abraham in Jism. Abraham wins hands down. Koel Puri is fantastic as the female cop who convinces Patel to come out of retirement. Puri is a schooled actress and one has to say her acting potential was wasted with this film. She deserves better.

On the whole, Nazar is a disappointment.

The Bhatt's will have to find a different angle to promote their films in the future as the whole Indo-Pak issue is becoming a bit of a bore.

However, Meera is impressive and if she chooses her films wisely, she could make a serious impact and moveastep closer of fulfilling her lifelong ambition to appear in a film with Shah Rukh Khan!