Dulquer Salmaan-starrer ‘Chup’ is well crafted, well thought of and well executed

Balki’s 'Chup' is a silently promoted tribute to the class and clause that was Guru Dutt.

Hyderabad: When did you imagine Geeta Dutt doing a ‘Jaane Kya Tune Kahi’ for a contemporary Hindi film? Did you ever envisage ‘Eh Dil Hai Mushkil’ or ‘Yeh Mehlon Yeh Takhthon’ reaching out to the contemporary viewer through mainstream Bollywood?

Yes, R Balki gives you this. Gives you more. Balki’s ‘Chup’ is a silently promoted tribute to the class and clause that was Guru Dutt. Once a filmmaker sits to salute arguably one of the greatest filmmakers ever – Guru Dutt, the sky is the limit. Strangely, just like Guru Dutt moved from whodunits and crime thrillers to profound love stories to make a composite filmography, Balki from Cheeni Kum and Ki and Ka moves to a crime thriller.

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A tribute to Guru Dutt is not just a passing acknowledgement to the master. He is part of Chup. If only Chup was marketed less silently, it would have made much better news and surely won a larger audience. Balki chooses Pyasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool to play around the thematic narrative of a serial killer whose targets are film critics.

The serial killer sees the film critic as perennially dishonest, uninformed, judgmental and one who enjoys the power to make or mar a film. In fact, the film starts with a gory murder of a film critic. Inspector Arvind (Sunny Deol) walks in to investigate. As the serial killer’s pattern falls in place, the investigating team are clear of the motive but are clueless of the killer.

There is also a parallel story going on between a florist who runs Danny Flowers (Dulquer Salmaan) who gets steadily attracted to his customer Nila (Shreya Dhanwanthary). Nila herself is an aspiring critic. The twain need meet. Why, how will be known when you see the film.

Full marks to Balki for the cast. Choosing Dulquer to play the florist and to go about connecting him to the central theme is Balki’s challenge. When you choose and endearingly pleasant character, you have done your homework. Also, as many in the south know Dulquer is more than a chocolate-boy hero.

After Damini and in a very interesting contrast, Chup would arguably be Sunny’s best outing. For once, he eschews the loud, larger than life jingoistic melodrama and does what Pappa did in his more sober days. The Sunny Deol fan would love to see him in this new avatar underplaying the role of the investigating officer on the prowl.

The cinematography (Vishal Sinha) is reminiscent of VK Murthy. In fact, there is imitative tribute to the Guru Dutt whiff of cinematography that you watch when ‘Waqt Ne Kiya’ is played in the backdrop.

For a film well crafted, well thought of, and substantially well executed, the problem is with the editing. The entire epilogue to the story of the intent of the killer moving beyond personal frustration into juvenile baggage robs the film of its suave, texture and injects an ill-fitting trajectory in the later part of the narrative.

To have amputated it at the editing table would not only have enhanced the salutation to the master and the theory or rejected frustration but would have also held the film in the two-hour capsule making it far more effective.

Chup is a silence worth experiencing.