With ZEHER, now being declared an official hit in the trade, director Mohit Suri is on cloud nine.

"It's a cause for celebration no doubt. It is even more laudable considering that the Rs 3.5 crore film was released against a Rs 15 crore multistarrer, which had everything going for it. In fact the film has already been ranked the third successful film in recent times in the category of PAGE 3 and BLACK," says Suri, who had been closely following the box-office response to the film.

The first week distributors' share for ZEHER in Mumbai alone is said to be Rs 71 lakhs (with the net collections in Mumbai at Rs 1 crore, 40 lakhs), while the film has reportedly got an equally encouraging response in Delhi-U.P and C.I..

"It is an indication that the word-of-mouth publicity has worked tremendously for the film. At a time when a majority of films are having a tough time breaking even, the distributors of ZEHER are looking at the profit margins they are likely to derive from the film," Suri smiles.

So how much has the sex factor contributed to this success?

"I don't deny that the sex factor and the perception about it being a film with hot scenes, got me the first three days initial but after that it was the sheer merit of the film that made the difference. If sex alone was enough to generate business, why did FUN go unnoticed? Or for that matter, why does a film like LAILA have no takers,?" Suri asks.