Filmmaker R Balki’s upcoming feature, starring Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwantary, Sunny Deol and Pooja Bhatt, has been titled Chup, the team announced on Sunday. The psychological thriller along with its primary cast was announced in August. At that time the title wasn’t locked. Dulquer and Shreya took to their respective social media handles to share the title and the film’s first look.
The motion poster interestingly features late filmmaker Guru Dutt and has “Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye Toh Kya” from his film Pyaasa, hinting that Chup is a dedication to the genius, who gave Indian cinema classics like Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. What also confirms that Chup is an ode to the filmmaker is that Balki chose Guru Dutt’s death anniversary to announce the title and launch the first look.
Taking to Twitter to share the poster, Shreya Dhanwanthary wrote, “I have been dreaming, sitting, waiting, wishing, hoping for the day I can yell, “CHUP!” . This is a dream come true & I cannot wait to bring this to all of you!!! #chuprevengeoftheartist.” While Dulquer wrote on Instagram that Chup was an “ambitious” project for the team.
Chup marks Balki’s foray into the thriller genre. At the time of announcement in August, the director of films like Cheeni Kum and Paa had said, “After months of waiting, for me, it is exciting to start shooting anything. And to make a film in a genre that I haven’t attempted before is even more exciting. I have had the idea for a long time but never quite got around to writing it, and while it’s fundamentally a thriller, it banks so much on these four stunning performers. I just can’t wait to get into the edit room.”
The screenplay and dialogues of Chup have been co-written by Balki and film critic-turned-writer Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani. The film’s score has been composed by Amit Trivedi. Chup is expected to release in early 2022.