Nearly 26000 foreigners come to Kullu Manali every year.
Many of them do not return.
Some are found dead.
Some don't want to be found.

The reason is Charas (opium) - a narcotic drug grown in the Himalayan valleys of India. And this drug trafficking is the theme of director Tigmanshu Dhulia's second directorial venture 'Charas - A Joint Effort'. Dhulia who assisted directors like Ketan Mehta (Sardar Patel) and Shekhar Kapur (Bandit Queen) and penned dialogues for films like Dil Se and Bus Itna Sa Khwab Hai, won critical acclaim for his debut film Haasil based on university politics, which established the acting credentials of the talented Irrfan Khan.

Parents from across the Globe - Britain, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Israel and Russia have formed an Amateur investigative network after their sons and daughters had all vanished in the valley of Kullu and Manali.

A boy named Joel Kitchen from England had come to Himachal on a paragliding trip. He did not return home. His parents think he is alive. For the police it is closed case.

Joel's parents being well connected in the political circles manage to send an Indian cop from the Scotland Yard (Jimmy Shergill) to India for investigation.

For some people in England, the case becomes a serious issue. They do not want the Scotland Yard cop to get the right information because they are the ones who are directly connected in the drug trade. A minister in England, Union Transport minister in Delhi and the IG police (Irrfan Khan) are the three pillars of the trade.

An Indian cop (Uday Chopra) is assigned the duty to keep a watch on this cop from England. Both become friends without revealing their real identities to each other.

As the cop from England gets closer to his answers, he is implicated as a Pakistani spy. The Indian counterpart has orders to arrest him.

Circumstances motivate both men to go up to the mountains where the actual crime is being committed and find the answers.

With a thick plot running on a multi-dimensional track, Charas promises to be an interesting adventure thriller. The real geographical identity of the film has been maintained by shooting the film at actual locations. And because the backdrop is real and a big problem for the state government and the country, the scenario becomes interesting and intriguing.

Produced by Anjum Rizvi the female lead comprises of Namrata Shirodkar and Hrishitaa Bhatt. Raju Singh has composed tunes on lyrics penned by Javed Akthar and Dhulia himself. Allan Amin adds to the thrill with his action sequences.

The film is slated for a May release.