Chup Review - An Absorbing Revenge Thriller

Ashwin Ram

Chup is a Hindi language psycho-thriller genre flick directed by the ace filmmaker R Balki. The movie stars Dulquer Salman and Sunny Deol in the lead roles.

Premise

There is a brutal psychopath serial killer in town whose target is the film critics out there. Sunny Deol is the appointed investigation Police officer for this sensational case. Who is the killer and how he cracks him down forms the crux of the story.

Writing/ Direction

Director Balki has carefully treated the mood of the film right from the opening credits. Some smart nuanced incorporations have been done depending on the essence of the core topic. The treatment is gory with respect to the crime scenes, we get to see a lot of blood-shed in this adults only flick. On a funny note, I guess the ardent film fan in Balki just popped out while writing the psychopath’s character, full of in-depth ideas that make it powerful and fresh. The reason is indeed personally scary as I’m writing this review because the serial killer is targeting all the critics out there. The backstory is simple and predictable, yet the emotional logic very much works. The investigation portions could have been more on the cat and mouse side instead of being one-sided. However the screenplay is neat and engaging, but there’s no such exceptional shocker for us to stay glued without blinking our eyes or anything. It’s a template film of the genre with an excitingly unseen reasoning for the killer. The final question raised by the victim in the climax is brilliant. The love track exists for a reason, but needlessly stretched out with unwanted songs and all. The dark humour placed is clap-worthy.

Performances

Dulquer Salman delivers a menacing performance without overdoing anything, but maybe because we are so used to seeing him as a charmer, felt he suits the latter the best. Sunny Deol leaves out a measured performance with no errors, he underplays for the most part except for the climax. Solid role for the not-so-famous Shreya Dhanwanthary, she breezes out almost for the entire movie and stands out in the finale, she has carried herself on-screen with grace. Not a noteworthy debut for Saranya Ponvannan, no complaints for her acting but her role is weak and there would have been no difference if her role was removed completely.

Technicalities

Songs are middling and the romantic numbers don't stay in the hearts, but a pretty decent background score throughout which conveys the tone of the situations clearly. Well-planned camera work, the angles are insane and interesting, the night shots are with perfect black levels. Seamless editing with straightforward flow but overall length could’ve been a bit crisper. Commendable VFX and makeup, the display of gore is disturbing but not to the disgusting level.

Bottomline

A template psychopath flick that sticks to its strengths without taking risks and going out-of-the-box. Holds the show with a steady screenplay that has some brave, brutal and brainy moments.

Rating: 3.25/ 5