Chup is a darkly beautiful and thoroughly engaging watch with an unconvincing climax!
Read Full Chup Movie Review –
Rating: 3/5
Director: R Balki (Cheeni Kum, Paa, Ki and Ka)
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sunny Deol and Pooja Bhatt
Runtime: 2h 15m
Storyline:
A mysterious young man and an avid Guru Dutt fan (Dulquer) runs a flower shop. A young entertainment journalist (Shreya), who is aspiring to be a film critic, starts patronizing the shop and romance blooms between them.
But something is not quite right about this charming lad, who’s clearly grappling with some mental illness.
Meanwhile, in the world of cinema – critics are getting murdered in a poetically grotesque manner by a serial killer. Is it the work of a disgruntled actor, an underworld gangster or some psychopath cinema-lover?
Sunny Deol plays the cop who is tasked with finding this out. Pooja Bhatt appears as a criminal psychiatrist who helps him in understanding the profile and psyche of the killer.
What Do We Think?
Chup is no doubt a truly entertaining watch from start-to-finish. There are quite a few GORY scenes, so some of you might have to watch those squeamish murders through your fingers.
The thriller has an original and fascinating premise. The set-up takes time to establish but the pacing is still smooth in the 1st half. Chup maintains the balance between the funny, dark and romantic elements.
The background score really works in adding tension to the scenes. Gaya Gaya Gaya was such a sweet track added to the mix!
2nd half is interesting, albeit there are moments where things are a tad bit absurd and convenient. The ending is the chink in the armour here -it feels abrupt and mildly confusing.
Dulquer Salmaan gives a restrained and layered performance but is somewhere missing the sinister edge that his character requires. However, after Sita Ramam, this film is a must-watch for his fans, since the role in itself is so different.
Shreya Dhanwarthy brings that earnestness and idealism into play nicely. Sunny Deol has a meaty role but Dulquer overshadows him in Chup though. (cue Darr deja vu) Pooja Bhatt has a very charismatic screen appearance!
Overall, Chup evokes a very melancholic, nostalgic and darkly beautiful vibe. It is not exactly an edge-of-the-seat nail-biter (in fact it feels pretentious in some bits) but it maintains an immersive atmosphere nonetheless.
Hit Or Miss:
Definitely worth watching once in the theatres! Plus, it’s National Cinema Day tomorrow, so tickets are selling like hot cakes for a mere Rs 75. Book yours ASAP!