Chup is R. Balki’s Chilling Hat Tip to Art and the Artist

A troubled filmmaker falls in love with an orphaned woman and transforms her into a famous star.The year was 1959. The film, Kaagaz ke Phool; the actor-director, Guru Dutt. The film bombed dismally at the box office despite it being Dutt’s most self-reflective and personal piece of work. Disillusioned and broken by the scathing criticism, Dutt never directed another film again and tragically died a few years later by what is believed to be suicide. Ironically, after his death, Kaagaz ke Phool was rediscovered and labelled a masterpiece in Indian cinema and served as a cornerstone for aspiring filmmakers.

With Chup, R Balki takes the saga of Kaagaz Ke Phool and the troubled legacy of Guru Dutt and and adapts it into a cleverly-written narrative about a diabolical serial killer, who hunts down and brutally murders prominent film critics based on the star rating they give a film. It is an ingenious idea that elaborates on and questions the complicated relationship between the film industry and the people who critique them. As we prod deeper into the killer’s motive, Balki throws up many contemplative points for discussion. What constitutes a good review? Is it the star rating that seals the fate of a film? Conversely, does a negative review denote its abject failure? Is there a space that allows for originality, authenticity and hard work to be appreciated and celebrated? Are box office numbers and financial success the only important markers that determine a film’s longevity? Does art and the sacrifice and toil it takes to become an artist, really matter? 

Enveloping this narrative is a love story that mirrors the timeless romances of a Guru Dutt film. Balki builds the relationship of Danny, the mysterious florist (Dulquer Salman) and Nila, an aspiring journalist (Shreya Dhanwanthary) around the mellifluous voice of Geeta Dutt in the classic “Jaane Kya Tune Kahi” from Pyaasa. The film is peppered with many such retro tunes like “Waqt Ne Kiya Haseen Sitam” and “Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan”. The final montage, set against the haunting reprise of “Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye Toh” from Pyaasa is a brilliantly envisioned culmination of the events that inspired the killer’s motive.

A film is only as good as its actors. The cast of Chup pull their collective weight to create an immersive experience. Dulquer Salman uses his universal likability across industries to turn in a calm yet unhinged performance that is arresting and memorable. The always relatable Shreya Dhanwanthary makes being natural and charming look so easy while Saranya Ponnvanan, who plays her mother, is refreshingly cast in a spunky avatar, thankfully rid of her cliche Tamil-film “Amma” persona. Sunny Deol, as IG Aravind Mathur, reigns in his trademark angry-action-hero persona with subdued intensity. 

Chup is Balki’s inventive, engrossing and disturbing homage to movies and its visionaries. If you love old Hindi cinema, crime thrillers and can stomach scenes of a graphic nature, then Chup is right up your alley.