Chup: Revenge of the Artist Review: An unconventionally structured powerful tale of revenge with terrific performances from the lead cast

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist Movie Review Rating: 4/5

Filmmaker R Balki, whose filmography boasts of some amazing films including Cheeni Kum (2007), Ki & Ka (2016), and Padman (2018), has come up with a new film called Chup: Revenge of the Artist. This is the first time the director has entered the thriller space. The trailer of Chup generated a lot of curiosity when it hit YouTube a few weeks ago, but does the film really have enough thrill and suspense to merit audiences’ curiosity? Let’s find out.

STORY: Chup: Revenge of the Artist narrates the story of a serial killer who is on a killing spree murdering one critic after the other. Inspector Arvind Mathur (Sunny Deol) is tasked with the responsibility of nabbing him before he makes his next move. Mathur and his team have no idea whether the killer is a failed director, a flop actor, or just a regular film lover. How Mathur pieces together various links and catches the killer forms the crux of the story.

HIGHS: Well, when R Balki is behind a project, you know you are in for a cinematic treat. His latest film is yet another example of his brilliance as a filmmaker. He chooses different subjects every time and manages to pull at audiences’ heartstrings. The screenplay by Balki, Raja Sen, and Rishi Virmani is the backbone of Chup. It is unlike anything that you have seen before in a Hindi film.

Coming to performances, Dulquer Salmaan is thoroughly charming in the film. Be it any language or any film, the first thing that you notice in him is his charming aura. In Chup, he plays a man with a mental disorder. However, he approaches his character with a lot of subtlety and does not go overboard.

Shreya Dhanwanthary seems to have taken a pledge to never disappoint the audience with her performance. She is so utterly convincing in her performance that you want to watch her more and more on the screen. She draws you in with her fine and convincing act as an entertainment journalist.

Coming to Sunny Deol whose He-man acts always manage to elicit whistles. Though the superstar plays a supporting character in Chup, he manages to steal the thunder from his co-stars in every scene that he is a part of. He is the perfect choice for the role that he essays in Chup.

Pooja Bhatt in an extended cameo also leaves her mark. She lights up the screen every time she appears on it. You do feel that she is underutilised in the film, but the actress makes the most of every single second and delivers a class performance.

LOWS: While everything seems perfect in the film, the investigation part could have been more convincing. The pace of the film is a tad bit slow.

FINAL VERDICT: If you have not watched a taut, gripping thriller for a while, Chup: Revenge of the Artist should be on the top of your watch list. It is a well-made, brilliantly-performed piece of cinema that has got everything to attain cult status in times to come. I am going with 4 stars. Both brutal and lyrical, R Balki’s nail-biter has scenes that will stay with you long after you have watched the film. It is inarguably the most satisfying Hindi film of late.

Watch Chup: Revenge Of The Artist trailer:

MOVIE CREDITS

Banner: Hope Productions

Director: R Balki

Cast: Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan, Pooja Bhatt, Shreya Dhanwanthary

Runtime: 135 Minutes