'Chup: Revenge Of The Artist' is currently streaming on ZEE5 in Telugu and other languages. In this section, we are going to review the crime thriller.
Story:
A prominent film critic is murdered brutally in Mumbai. This sets the tone for the crime thriller. Soon, another well-known critic gets killed. None of them have enemies or were controversial, their only sin being trashing Bollywood movies mercilessly.
Dulquer Salmaan plays Danny, a florist, who is on a killing spree. He is a loner who is clearly psychotic. Does he hate film critics for personal reasons? Or, is it purely for artistic reasons? Where does his budding love story with Shreya Dhanwanthary's Nila Menon, an entertainment reporter, lead to? Can Sunny Deol's Inspector General (IG) Arvind Mathur, Head of Crime Branch, Mumbai, solve the murder mysteries rocking the city?
Analysis:
The R Balki directorial has its story set in Mumbai but the idiom of the film is universal. The Hyderabad-based film media truly believes, much like the film journalists in 'Chup', that film journalism is about critiquing movies analytically and not superficially. The reviews are always cutting-edge here, complete with hair-raising obsevations. Film journalism is not just about exclusive news stories. It's about maintaining independence and displaying inquisitiveness every Friday morning, which Tollywood media undoubtedly abides by.
Coming to the film under review, the screenplay writers (R Balki, Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani) have nailed it in the second hour. The first hour doesn't have any surprises in store, but the story sequencing does give us a kick. The scenes are written effectively; the viewer doesn't have any complaints with the pacing even if he or she is aware of the story. Every time Sunny Deol's character decodes the crime scene and what might be going on in the killer's mind, it's quite tight.
This is no whodunit. As such, the subtext and the morality discourse are what matters. And the final 30 minutes are gripping.
The blooming romance between the psychopath (played by the versatile Dulquer) and a reporter is no 'Kaagaz Ke Phool', the Hindi classic the film pays homage to. Had 'Chup' been a Telugu original, one wonders which movie would have been paid tribute. 'Sankarabharanam'? But it might have invited mixed reactions, given the genre of the K Viswanath directorial. The guest appearance by Amitabh Bachchan would be done by, say, a Chiranjeevi.
The film critiques the critics, terrifies the reviewers in its universe, and all. It also talks about the ethicality of the reviewing phenomenon. But the star-rating system is not questioned. It's a welcome sign. One feels even a psychopath killer would welcome the star-rating system with an open mind.
Saranya Ponvannan makes her Bollywood debut as the female lead's mother. Pooja Bhatt as Dr. Zenobia Shroff, a criminal psychologist, is nice. Aman Pant's background score is eerie, while Nayan HK Bhadra's editing and Vishal Sinha's cinematography are exquisite.
Verdict:
'Chup' is a must-watch crime thriller with a terrific final act. Watch it for the thrills, the riveting performances, and the unique premise.
