Suris Zaher will be released in Feb 2005Hes only 23 and has already worked on seven Bollywood films. Now on his way to completing his new movie Zaher, written by Mahesh Bhatt, Mohit Suri is possibly the youngest Bollywood director today.

Though Mohit stumbled on to the movie sets when he was 17 to earn pocket money, after spending three months in tinsel town he knew he wanted to direct.

When I saw the kind of high you get from controlling the way an entire film is made, thats when I knew I wanted to be a director, says Suri, matter-of-factly. Of course, my love for cinema motivated me too, he adds.

However, Suri claims his entry into Bollywood has not been a cakewalk.

Having an uncle in Bollywood did give me a base. But I started out as an errand boy doing odd jobs like arranging flowerpots on the sets, claims this Shirley Rajan Road resident, who graduated from Jai Hind College with a degree in BMS.

After graduation, he assisted Vikram Bhatt on his first film Kasoor and then worked as an assistant director in films like Raaz, Aitbaar, Footpath and Murder, all of which are Bhatt ventures.

Zaher is this 23-year-olds first solo directorial venture about a married couple. The wife is more successful than the husband and the movie is about how that affects their marriage, he reveals.

Suri says that he has a great team for his maiden venture. I have Mahesh Bhatt as my writer and Mukesh Bhatt as my producer. I couldnt ask for a more talented team, reveals Suri. Ask me how nervous Ill be on the day of the release, laughs this young director, whose film is due for release in Feb 2005.

kanika@mid-day.com