'Chup: Revenge of the Artist' makes you witness psyche of artist, makings of murderer: R Balki

Mumbai: Filmmaker R Balki on Monday said his upcoming film "Chup: Revenge of the Artist" is a peek into the mind of an artist and how they may end up on the wrong side of the law.

The psychological thriller, set to be released on September 23, stars Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sunny Deol and Pooja Bhatt.

"Chup", the trailer of which was launched today on social media, is billed as an homage to master filmmaker Guru Dutt and his 1959 classic "Kaagaz Ke Phool".

Balki, known for "Cheeni Kum" and "Paa", said he nurtured the idea of the story for a long time.

"I don't know why I took so long to pen it down and get it to the screen. It’s a proper thriller that makes you witness the psyche of an artist and the makings of a murderer. It’s a project I hold dear to my heart and I’m very proud of getting to share it with the world," the filmmaker said in a statement.

In the chilling trailer of "Chup", the viewers see Deol as a cop racing against time to unmask a serial murderer on the loose who targets film critics, referred to as "killers" by Bhatt's character Deol's character describes the murderer as "the critic of critics", someone who carves bloody 'stars' as ratings on the foreheads of the victims.

Flowers - both real and of paper - appear as leitmotif as a tribute to "Kaagaz Ke Phool", Dutt's last directorial, which was subjected to severe criticism upon its release in 1959 and was later resurrected as a world cinema classic.

Songs from Dutt's another masterpiece "Pyaasa" (1957), such as "Jaane Kya Tune Kahi", "Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To Kya Hai" and "Sar Jo Tera Chakraye" also feature in the trailer.

Shooting for "Chup" was an interesting experience for him, said Deol.

"Balki’s vision for this story was so crystal clear that the film seemed to have its own pace during shooting," he said.

Salmaan, who most recently starred in Telugu period drama "Sita Ramam", said this film hits it out of the park in terms of the character and story.

"It feels like you're looking into someone’s inner workings and the character I play is especially unique so it was an altogether new experience for me," he added.

"Chup" also marks the debut of Balki's frequent collaborator and megastar Amitabh Bachchan as a music composer who has created the end title track of the movie.

The screenplay and dialogues are co-written by Balki, critic-turned-writer Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani. Vishal Sinha is credited as director of photography on the project.

The film is produced by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Anil Naidu, Dr. Jayantilal Gada (PEN Studios) and Gauri Shinde.

Gada (Pen Studios) presents "Chup" and all India distribution is by Pen Marudhar.

Music directors are S D Burman, Amit Trivedi, Sneha Khanwalkar and Aman Pant with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi, Kaifi Azmi, and Swanand Kirkire. Pranab Kapadia and Anirudh Sharma are attached as co-producers on the film.