'Chup' movie review: A brutal warning to film critics

Chup: Revenge of the Artist

Hindi (Theatres)

Director: R Balki

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, Shreya Dhawanthary

Rating: 3/5

‘Chup: Revenge of the Artist’ by R Balki’s is a psychological thriller that feels fresh in a year marked by remakes in Bollywood.

The plot revolves around cops trying to hunt down a serial killer who targets film critics. He murders them in a gruesome manner and marks the same amount of stars they gave to a film on their foreheads. Yes, it’s as gory as it sounds! The film, co-written by popular film critic Raja Sen and Balki, nicely pays tribute to Indian cinema great Guru Dutt as well. The movie tries to highlight the importance of film reviews.

After an eerie opening, the film wastes no time in setting up the story as we witness a gruesome murder of a film critic. Sunny Deol, who plays cop Arvind Mathur, is assigned to nab the killer and he begins unravelling the mystery surrounding the murder.

While that happens, we are also introduced to a florist, Danny, played by Dulquer Salmaan and later, we are shown a cub entertainment reporter Nila, played by ‘Family Man’ fame Shreya Dhawanthary.

It’s quite easy to guess the killer and also know the plot’s progress. Instead of irrational plot twists, the film does a fantastic job of building the killer’s character. Dulquer, essaying a complex character, is the film’s best performer.

Apart from the cat and mouse game between the killer and the cop, the film also throws light on the impact reviews and critics on the film industry by taking Guru Dutt’s final film and its aftermath as an example.

The movie’s pace takes a beating a bit in the second half. Some convenient plot decisions pull down the film a bit. Deol’s one dimensional cop character fails to strike a connect with the audience. While predictability bogs the film down, its gripping climax and original concept warrants a watch.