It's a thriller against erotica this week. But before you roll up your eyes in exasperation along comes a big little film, "Amu", to fill you with hope at the movies.

The first week of the year is traditionally considered a no-no at the box office. It's been ages since a film released in the first week showed any signs of a profit. Last year's new year release "Ishq Hai Tumse" sank faster than the Titanic.

But Vashu Bhagnani always likes to go against expectations. Some years ago he dared to release "Biwi No.1" during the World Cup series and got away with his audacity. Since then Bhagnani has had only one success as producer, "Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai". His last film, a cross-cultural romance entitled "Out Of Control", featuring "Baywatch" actress Brande Rodricks, sank under the weight of its hype.

His "Vaada" comes with no hype and little hope. Except for the fact that director Satish Kaushik fashioned Bhagnani's last hit "Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai" and also directed 2003's hit "Tere Naam", there's little reason to recommend "Vaada" to the audience.

The film's leading man, Arjun Rampal, has set new records of survival in showbiz by staying afloat for four years without a single success to his credit.

The film's other leading man, Zayed Khan, who plays an obsessive lover to Amisha Patel, is basking in the success of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Main Hoon Na".

The other release this week, "Rog", attempts to beat the star system by casting the eminently talented Irrfan Khan. The actor who came into unprecedented international renown with "The Warrior" two years ago made no headway in spite of the international media going ga-ga over him. Nor did he benefit from his powerhouse presence in Vishal Bhardwaj's "Maqbool" in January 2003. If "Rog" clicks it could trigger off a new beginning for character-actors as leading men, like Nana Patekar in "Krantiveer" and "Ab Tak Chhappan". The presence of South African model Ilena Hamann gives a certain erotic value to "Rog". The sizzling hot promotions will certainly bring the drooling audiences to the theatres. But those familiar with Pooja Bhatt's cinema would know there's more to her than meets the eye.

Interestingly, this is producer Bhatt's third January release in three years after "Jism" in 2003 and "Paap" in 2004. "Rog" also features model-turned-actor Himanshu Malik who at one point of time seemed to be the upcoming flavour of the season.

Curiously, industrialist and columnist Suhel Seth features in a pivotal role.

The third and most important film this week also features a non-professional actor in its cast. Well-known social and political activist Brinda Karat makes her debut in journalist-turned-filmmaker Shonali Bose's haunting nagging and unforgettable "Amu".

Moving away from the psychedelic thrills of designer-entertainers, Bose attempts to recreate some of the horrors of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. The chilling and yet pacifying plot unfolds through the eyes of a young expatriate played by Konkona Sen Sharma.

It's a small yet eminently significant film in the English language being distributed by Shringar Films in Mumbai who are rapidly becoming the champions of the meaningful cinema in India. In 2003, Shringar released such exquisite works of art as Pamela Rooks' "Dance Like A Man" and Sabiha Sumar's "Khamosh Pani".

Now they've chosen to start the year with yet another female director's hard-hitting exposé on a chapter in our history that we'd like to forget.

While "Vaada" and "Rog" can be overlooked, "Amu" is a film that must get an audience if Indian cinema is to grow.

The interesting variety of leading ladies on offer at the turnstiles this week gives us a clue into the scrambled and yet clear-headed workings of the film industry.

While Amisha Patel plays an unfaithful wife in "Vaada", Ilene Hamann is cast a seductress in "Rog". Konkona is a woman in search of her past in "Amu"s.

For all three, the search is a question of the conscience. And that's a quality that is getting rarer by the week in Indian films. "Amu" must therefore be seen.