chup movie review critics

Thanks For Rating

Reminder successfully set, select a city.

• Nashik Times
• Aurangabad Times
• Badlapur Times

You can change your city from here. We serve personalized stories based on the selected city

• Edit Profile
• Briefs Movies TV Web Series Lifestyle Trending Medithon Visual Stories Music Events Videos Theatre Photos Gaming

'Tanu Weds Manu 3': Aanand L Rai confirms the threequel of the R. Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut starrer - Details inside

John Abraham breaks silence on getting angry on journalists at the 'Vedaa' trailer launch event: 'I was provoked, they won because I got angry'

Vicky Kaushal, R Madhavan, Malaika Arora and other celebs congratulate Neeraj Chopra for winning silver medal in Paris Olympics 2024

Naga Chaitanya-Sobhita Dhulipala, Arbaaz Khan-Sshura Khan, Imran Khan-Lekha Washington: Celebs who gave love a second chance

Taapsee Pannu recalls being inappropriately touched on public transport as a teenager: 'Delhi is unsafe, but Mumbai's mindset is more relaxed'

John Abraham reflects on facing harsh comments from Bollywood celebs on Koffee With Karan, addresses his anger at Vedaa press conference

• Movie Reviews

Movie Listings

Aliya Basu Gayab Hai

Hocus Focus

Ghuspaithiya

Auron Mein Kahan Dum T...

Uparwala & Sons

The UP Files

Malavika Mohanan to Sobhita Dhulipala, best photos of the week

​Dimple Hayathi mesmerises in timeless traditional ensembles​

​In pics: Stunning looks of Rakul Preet Singh​

Madhuri Braganza: A ray of sunshine in new pics!

Jacqueline Fernandez to Zareen Khan: Celebrating feline moms on International Cat Day

Decoding the essence of Hansika Motwani's true beauty

​Keerthy Suresh looks stunning in sarees​

Stunning pictures of Anupama Parameswaran

Dazzling pictures of Rashami Desai

Karishma Tanna stuns in effortless casual chic looks

The Instigators

Project Silence

Modern Masters: SS Raja...

Mothers' Instinct

Sleeping Dogs

The Ministry Of Ungentl...

Deadpool & Wolverine

Find Me Falling

Nanban Oruvan Vantha Pi...

Mazhai Pidikkatha Manit...

VascoDaGama

Chiyaan Vikram goes sty...

Purushothamudu

Sarangadhariya

Prabuthwa Junior Kalash...

Music Shop Murthy

Bhaje Vaayu Vegam

Gam Gam Ganesha

Level Cross

Agathokakological

Nadanna Sambavam

Little Hearts

Gaganachari

CID Ramachandran Retd. ...

Avatara Purusha 2

Chow Chow Bath

Hide And Seek

Somu Sound Engineer

Manikbabur Megh: The Cl...

Rajnandini Paul and Ama...

Chaalchitra Ekhon

Nayan Rahasya

Teriya Meriya Hera Pher...

Kudi Haryane Val Di

Shinda Shinda No Papa

Sarabha: Cry For Freedo...

Zindagi Zindabaad

Maujaan Hi Maujaan

Chidiyan Da Chamba

White Punjab

Any How Mitti Pao

Gharat Ganpati

Ek Don Teen Chaar

Danka Hari Namacha

Aamhi Jarange

Vishay Hard

Swargandharva Sudhir Ph...

Naach Ga Ghuma

Juna Furniture

Devra Pe Manva Dole

Dil Ta Pagal Hola

Ittaa Kittaa

Jaishree Krishh

Bushirt T-shirt

Shubh Yatra

• Chup: Revenge Of The Artist

Your Rating

Write a review (optional).

• Movie Reviews /

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist A

Would you like to review this movie?

Cast & Crew

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist Movie Review : ‘Chup’ cannot silence its critics

• Times Of India

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist - Official Traile...

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist - Official Teaser

ETimes Movie Review 'Chup': Watch this edge-o...

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist | Song - Mera Lov...

Chup: Revenge Of The Artist | Song - Gaya Gay...

Users' Reviews

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

RAHUL HAZRA 16 152 days ago

This is the best of best film I have ever seen in my whole life. Mujhe lagta hai sabhi filmo ko uski ratings audiance ko Deni chahiye chahe wo 1 star ho ya phir 5 star. Kiu ki audiance ke liye hi to film bante hai, agar hum audiance us film ko Bina dekhe hi sirf aur sirf ratings per based karke na dekhe to kya fayda. Humhe us film ko dekhna chahiye, dekhne ke baad hum use ratings denge. Wo vi honest review. Hume pata hai ki Jo ratings dete hai unhe to film ke producers, actors koyi bhi Paisa khila sakta hai, magar hum audiance ko kabhi nhi... Chahe wo koyi bhi bada actor ho hum audiance ke Bina uska koyi namo nishan Tak nhi hai. Hum hi unke plus point hai aur minus point bhi. Mind it <br/>And I have this movie 5 out of 5 stars ❤️

Srj Hg 72 249 days ago

Mohammadyeasin 1 369 days ago, user mohanty 412 days ago.

The script of the movie and the title is so justified but few loopholes were there in the execution. The split personality of the actress in the first half completely vanished in the second half. And then how the killer got the victims at those murder sites was not clear. Except these all the actors were so accurate in their roles specially Salman and sreya . I completely loved the love story how it goes slowly and then got intensified . The dialogues were good , the plot and the cast were at the point . And yes I am ignoring the well predictable story line and all of know who was the killer from the first but the movie really wanted the audience to know that fact ... Over all the movie was worth watching. The ending could have had a twisted story like the protagonist killed the actress then got caught but I was really asking for a happy ending so yes it is a good movie to watch...enjoy ��

Suban 443 days ago

Visual stories.

Entertainment

​10 animals using vocal mimicry to thrive​

8 reasons why your child doesn’t listen to you

Anjali Anand’s stunning transformation pics

Rashmika Mandanna exudes wedding fashion inspiration in a dazzling ivory-coloured lehenga

​Sonam Kapoor excels at coat slinging​

​In pics: Saree tales by Sasilaya​

How to make Dhaba-Style Dal Makhani at home

News - Chup: Revenge Of The Artist

King of Kotha: Rana Daggubati applauds Dulquer Salmaan'...

Adhyayan Suman reveals he was dropped from two very big...

Dulquer Salmaan reveals he was petrified of the camera ...

'Chup: Revenge of the Artist' and 'Dhokha - Round D Cor...

'Chup: Revenge of the Artist' takes a decent start at t...

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Get reviews of the latest theatrical releases every week, right in your inbox every Friday.

Thanks for subscribing.

Please Click Here to subscribe other newsletters that may interest you, and you'll always find stories you want to read in your inbox.

Popular Movie Reviews

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Bloody Ishq

Kalki 2898 - AD

• India Today
• Business Today
• Harper's Bazaar
• Brides Today
• Cosmopolitan
• India Today Hindi
• Reader’s Digest
• Aaj Tak Campus

Chup Movie Review: Film critics, beware. You're about to lose your organs

Chup, starring sunny deol and dulquer salmaan, is a riveting thriller that makes an impact without trying too hard. it also features romance and a strong message..

Listen to Story

• Chup will be released in theatres on September 23.
• The film is directed by R Balki.
• Chup features Sunny Deol and Dulquer Salmaan in the lead.

Cast & Crew

Dulquer Salmaan Actor

Release Date: 23 Sep, 2022

R Balki's latest movie, Chup, starring Dulquer Salmaan and Sunny Deol, is an intense and thought-provoking thriller that tries to examine the true purpose of film criticism. The flick luckily does so without being preachy or overly dramatic. Chup revolves around a serial killer who brutally murders critics for insulting artistes with their ruthless remarks. The authorities soon rope in the bold cop Arvind Mathur (Sunny) to investigate the case. He finds a few striking similarities between the killings, which sets the stage for a cat-and-mouse game.

Broadly speaking, a thriller can work only if it packs a punch without trying too hard to do so. Take Drishyam, for instance. The Mohanlal-led movie, which was remade in Hindi under the same title with Ajay Devgn in the lead, attained cult status as everything about it felt as organic as possible. This is exactly where Chup succeeds. The film moves at its own pace initially as director R Balki carefully constructs its world. Given the genre, violence is an integral part of the narrative. None of the scenes try to shock the audience. The focus instead is on using these scenes to explore the serial killer's psyche.

The same applies to the big twists as well. The work, despite being obvious mainly as the staging, is as good as it gets.

The writing, however, peaks in the romantic scenes. Dulquer Salmaan's exchanges with Shreya Dhanwanthary cater to those fond of breezy yet realistic love stories. There is absolutely nothing filmi or pretentious about these sequences.

The film features several short yet watchable scenes that examine the complex relationship between art and its critics. The second half feels a bit slow in the portions but does a fair job of setting the stage for the thrilling finale. The closing sequences of Chup touch upon a sensitive topic while celebrating the magic of cinema.

Chup's true beauty lies in the fact that it manages to deal with three distinct aspects or subplots rather competently. None of these tracks feel undercooked.

Coming to the performances, Dulquer does justice to a complex character. His chemistry with Shreya may initially remind one of his breezy rapport with Nithya Menen in OK Kanmani.

The way he deals with the scenes depicting his character's trauma, however, is quite different from the approach adopted by Fahadh Faasil in films such as Joji and Maheshinte Pratikaaram. FaFa used his eyes to internalise his characters. DQ, on the other hand, uses his body language to bring out the complexities of his character.

Shreya, who plays a young journalist, channels her character's innocence .

It is, however, Sunny Doel who proves to be the scene stealer here. The veteran actor delivers a beautifully restrained performance. He packs a punch without even flexing his muscles. The natural intensity that he brings to the table in Chup may remind one of his work in the underrated Ghayal 2.

Saranya and Pooja Bhatt are a bit underutilised. The former, however, makes her presence felt despite the limited screen time.

The dialogues have situational appeal, and lines such as 'Scorcese nahi Shetty' and 'Galti Se Tax' stand out. The editing is good as Chup doesn't drag. The romantic song featured in the film, however, could have been catchier. The other technical aspects are up to the mark.

To sum up, Chup is a highly watchable and layered thriller that may 'silence' its critics, courtesy of its refreshing concept.

We're going with 3.5 stars out of 5. Published By: Roktim Rajpal Published On: Sep 22, 2022 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ | Amitabh Bachchan shares Chup Revenge Of The Artist teaser. Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan's film is an ode to Guru Dutt

• Program Guide
• Sports News
• New & Trending NEW
• Streaming Services
• Newsletters
• OTTplay Awards
• OTT Replay 2023
• Changemakers

Home » Review » Chup review: Dulquer Salmaan gets a perfect score for bringing his A-game in R Balki's gory thriller »

Chup review: Dulquer Salmaan gets a perfect score for bringing his A-game in R Balki's gory thriller

One cannot deny the fact that Chup: Revenge of the Artist is flawed, but R. Balki's charm with his work is undeniable and crisp.

• Aishwarya Vasudevan

Last Updated: 02.22 PM, Sep 22, 2022

The story of Chup is about a psychopath killer who preys on movie critics. Mumbai is being rocked by a string of strange and disturbing murders. Every new film's release results in the weekly murder of cinema critics. In charge of the Mumbai Crime Branch, Arvind Mathur (Sunny Deol) has a case to solve. He tries to grasp the killer's thoughts in order to catch him with the aid of Zenobia (Pooja Bhatt), a criminal psychologist.

" Jane Kya Tune Kahi " is a romantic song from Pyaasa (1957) that is constantly played in Chup: Revenge of the Artist . The track shows an aloof Guru Dutt looking at a joyous Waheeda Rehman (sung by Geeta Dutt) while she sings her heart out. However, in the film, the song, even though it comes during a romantic sequence, is also an indication to the masses about how a filmmaker speaks about a film and how the audience/critics take it.

Chup starts off in the most thrilling way, and we just have to be prepared to see how one can be murdered in the goriest way. The first killing shows that the film is going to leave you on the edge of your seat, and there's no way you can turn around now.

R. Balki, the filmmaker, is known to bring twisted plots that are true to nature and execute them in the most entertaining way. We have seen him do that with Cheeni Kum, Paa, Ki & Ka , and more. Here, in Chup , he attempts something heinous that we have not seen before: a serial killer who is slashing film critics and marking their foreheads with stars.

Also Read: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol’s film set for grand opening with positive buzz, Rs 75 tickets  

The assignment is understood and the execution takes the plunge in the right way. We've become accustomed to the gruesome visuals that cinema has reserved in every way thanks to the era of OTT, with less regulation. But with Chup , we just can't deal with it right then and there while preparing how the next murder will be performed.

The psychopath's nature is shown through patterns, such as taking a paragraph out of a review and performing the murder in exactly the same way. "Bang on with that execution!"

I, still being an amateur critic, was dreading how to perceive this film, with fear or just as another piece of art and a filmmaker's labour of love.

Chup is a film that pays homage to cinephiles who live, breathe, and sleep cinema. Their lives revolve around giving references to movies every now and then, watching movies, and even getting their hearts broken when movies fail to impress. The film shows all kinds of critics, from the world of print to videos; some are genuine, while others are paid. So how does the killer decide on his next target? He is such a film buff that he has not only seen Indian films but has also been exposed to global culture.

The psyche of the serial killer is kind of convenient, but hey, mental illness cannot be put into a box and the motive cannot be always justified. A movie lover can take cues from any of the films he has watched over the years or cook up a mission that looks like a perfect script to be made into a movie or a series in the future.

Also Read: Chup 'free screening': Tickets for Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan starrer sold within 10 minutes!   

There's no intended cat-and-mouse chase between Sunny Deol's character as investigating officer Arvind Mathur and the serial killer. But as the story unfolds, the pattern looks very interesting, so to speak.

On one hand, Deol's character is solving this man, who is making the world of movies a slaughterhouse with the killings of film critics. On the other hand, there's a love story brewing between Danny (Dulquer Salmaan), the owner of a flower shop, and an entertainment reporter, Nila Menon (Shreya Dhanwanthary).

Their love story in the first half gives another mysterious angle on how it's related to the serial killer. The first half thus runs parallelly well and leaves you intrigued. However, in the second half, the romantic angle doesn't help much with the story and makes you impatient to know about the hunt for the serial killer.

As mentioned earlier, Jane Kya Tune Kahi 's context in this film. Another beautiful song, Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam from Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), is also a kind of metaphor for Chup . We saw Guru Dutt never direct a film after Kaagaz Ke Phool , knowing how the film was heavily criticised for its content. He died just a few years after the release of the film. But now, times have changed, and the criticism has become harsher with the rise of social media too.

These metaphors work beautifully with Chup , as Guru Dutt is remembered with utmost respect and regret that he didn't get his due for his contribution to Indian cinema when he was alive.

However, a little criticism of Chup would indeed be a matter of convenience. The film slightly loses logic and seems fictitious in terms of giving the benefit of the doubt to the plot. It thickens once Zenobia (Pooja Bhatt), a criminal psychologist, comes into the picture. Her way of showing the "pattern" of the serial killer is kind of a known fact but is shown as a shocking twist in the film.

When it comes to performances, Chup is an out-and-out Dulquer Salmaan show. The actor is terrific in every scene, and you can't take your eyes off him. Knowing his body of work in the past decade, the actor has shown every shade in the films he has starred in, irrespective of the language. But the way Balki oozes out the more hidden talent he has is incredible to watch.

Sunny Deol as a cop is brilliant and brings back the charm he had with his performances in Damini, Ghayal, Ghatak and more. The one scene where he jumps off from the top floor and limps while he walks shows that he has aged but will never be less than the action hero he has been.

Pooja Bhatt's presence in the second half is just fabulous and proves how she has always been a talented actor. She deserves to be on screen more often.

Shreya Dhanwanthary looks promising with the way her character starts. But it just doesn't gel well as the film shapes up. The actor feels like a love interest who does have a role to play in the climax, but it is less impactful.

Saranya Ponvannan as the visually impaired mother of Shreya's character is just picture-perfect. She is the kind of millennial mother one would root for and want in their lives.

The music, which is a blend of the old-world charm of tracks from Guru Dutt movies composed by SD Burman and a modern twist by Amit Trivedi and Sneha Khanwalkar, sets Chup apart from the rest of the serial killer movies. Even the background score by Aman Pant is top-notch, which sets the thrilling pace just right. Even the constant sounds of crickets fit in perfectly between the songs.

Chup is a brave attempt by Balki in every sense, which he penned with former critic Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani. Brave for taking on a subject that no one had considered, braver for carrying it out by demonstrating how a film can be gory and uncomfortable to watch, and bravest for pulling off such a casting coup that will be remembered for a long time.

Chup: Revenge of the Artist has one scene which shows a poster saying "Woody Allen is innocent," which is equally disturbing to be present at a woman's house. That's another metaphor for how the film is designed to be. Moreover, Dulquer Salmaan takes the cake that Balki bakes and decorates it with a sharp icing.

• New OTT Releases
• Web Stories
• Streaming services
• Latest News
• Movies Releases
• Cookie Policy
• Shows Releases
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Subscriber Agreement

• Documentary
• Trailer Breakdown
• DMT News APP
• Privacy Policy
• Crime Thriller
• Drama Thriller
• Mystery Drama

‘Chup: Revenge Of The Artist’ Review: A Darkly Comedic Critique Of Those Who Misunderstand Cinema

The strained relationship between artists and critics is as old as cinema itself. Artists argue that they create. Hence, they are superior to critics, who are usually negative about everything they consume. And since critics only consume instead of creating something substantial, their opinions are invalid. Critics argue that art cannot thrive if they don’t talk about it, and the medium cannot evolve if the only thing that an artist receives is praise. And since critics are the ones who often champion indie darlings and passion projects that the audience will usually pass by because it hasn’t been marketed properly, their opinion is important. But both agree on one thing: that it’s the audience who makes or breaks a film. They can tank a well-made, well-reviewed film, and they can turn a poorly crafted, horribly reviewed dumpster fire into a raging success. “Chup: Revenge of the Artist” tries to wrestle with every aspect of this very relationship.

Directed and co-written by R. Balki, along with co-writers Raja Sen (who is a professional film critic, BTW) and Rishi Virmani, “Chup: Revenge of the Artist” opens with the murder of a film critic in Mumbai. Head of the Crime Branch, Arvind Mathur (Sunny Deol), and his partner Srini Shetty (Rajeev Ravindranathan) are brought in to investigate the case. In parallel to this, we see a man apparently named Danny (Dulquer Salmaan) going about his day as a florist, having “bhurji pau” and talking to himself. The character that connects these two plots is entertainment reporter Nila Menon (Shreya Dhanwanthary). Due to the nature of her job, she inhabits the same circles as the critics who are being murdered by a serial killer. Due to her mother’s (Saranya Ponvannan) love for tulips, she becomes a frequent customer at Danny’s shop. And while the number of murders increases, Nila and Danny’s bond grows stronger, with neither of them being aware that eventually, they’ll find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum of humanity.

When the trailers for “Chup: Revenge of the Artist” or just “Chup” were released, the general consensus was that it was going to be a hit job against critics. Artists love to hate them for the aforementioned reasons. Audiences love to hate them because when critics don’t praise their favorite movies or love their favorite stars as much as they do, they don’t get the validation they need. And, if I can be honest, a massive chunk of film critics writing for independent websites (such as the one you are on right now) love to hate critics working for multi-million-dollar corporations and getting paid for writing absolute trash. The surprising element of this R. Balki film is that it is not actually a hate letter to critics (which is more surprising than the reveal of the killer and his motivations). In fact, it’s a hate letter to everyone from jilted artists to abusive fans and those who don’t have a fundamental understanding of the world of cinema for intentionally or inadvertently ruining the artform.

Balki, Sen, and Virmani understand that we have a bad habit of generalizing people in every profession and thereby creating a false image of them in our minds. Filmmakers make movies that reach hundreds of thousands of people and influence them in various ways. But does that make them impervious to political, societal, or studio pressure? No. Despite being backed by millions, they stoop to various lows. Critics critique movies and their articles are read by almost everyone who has watched the film they are writing about. But are they powerful enough to make or break cinema? No. Because if that’s the case, every critical darling must be a hit, and every badly reviewed film must be a flop. “Chup,” says that we need to understand the reality of this dynamic. We need to have a discussion based on the material of the film and the points raised by those who are reviewing it. If you are resorting to the deification of artists (and critics) or abuse of critics (and artists), then you are the one hurting cinema.

This nuanced commentary is both elevated by the dark comedy and messed up by the romantic subplot, all the handholding, and the rushed handling of the topic of psychopathy. “Chup” is absolutely hilarious when it focuses on its slasher aspect. The murders are incredibly creative. Balki uses the freedom that comes with the A-rating to its fullest. Hence, mutilated bodies are on full display. The blood and guts are almost spilling out of the frame. The special effects and visual effects are immaculate as you can feel the griminess and smelliness of each of the crime scenes. And the laughs come from the notion that someone has gone to town on people who review films. The absurdity of this concept is furthered by the urgency with which various levels of security are assigned to the critics who are in danger. Because that’s when you realize that Balki is aware that there’s nothing realistic about this plot. He knows something like this will likely never happen, and he’s showing how dumb it’s going to look if someone gets violent about cinema.

Vishal Sinha’s cinematography is competent, and so is the overall production design of “Chup.” Nayan H. K. Bhadra’s editing has high highs and low lows. There is a cut from the serial killer enjoying the crime scene he has created at night to Arvind Mathur examining the same during the day. And it’s perfect. But then Bhadra’s editing becomes unnecessarily frenetic during the investigation scenes as well as the conversation scenes. The score by Aman Pant and the songs by Amit Trivedi and Sneha Khanwalkar are overwhelming and forgettable, respectively. Only S. D. Burman’s tunes seem fitting. The performances from the entire cast are excellent. Dulquer Salmaan gets the most meaty character. However, he doesn’t treat it frivolously. He puts so much life into it and thus lights up the screen every time he is on it. Shreya Dhanwanthary is efficient and effortless. She portrays love, passion, and panic with so much ease that it’s mind-blowing. Sunny Deol hits it out of the park as a grizzled, all brawn but not too much brain, cop. I think the movie needed more of him!

That brings us to the problems of “Chup.” As good as Dulquer and Shreya are, their romance has zero chemistry. It brings the pacing of the film to a halt. And since what’s going to happen between them is so predictable, the whole effort seems pointless. Maybe a better alternative would’ve been to develop their characters separately and then go about the conclusion? Because their romance doesn’t really impact the killer’s plan. Even if it does, we don’t spend enough time in that moment of dilemma. As for the killer’s motivations, and as much as I like what Balki, Sen, and Virmani are (probably) trying to say, the movie spends more time on the killer’s misplaced emotions and less time on why the killer is wrong. For a brief moment, we see the killer being asked to rethink the reasoning behind his murder, which in a way, asks artists to critique the product they’ve made instead of getting angry at those who are critiquing it. But it’s so fleeting that the killer’s bad-faith opinion about film criticism ends up getting more screen time.

The reason why this happens is that “Chup” spends too much time explaining the killer’s backstory and going over why he is doing what he is doing through copious amounts of exposition instead of dissecting why his whole mission is so wrong. We know he’s a “psychopath” who laughs after knowing a critic died of COVID-19. We don’t need the cliche story about an abusive childhood because it adds nothing to the story. Why do I know that? Because Zenobia (Pooja Bhatt) essentially says that his abusive childhood didn’t make him a killer, the criticism of Guru Dutt’s “Kaagaz Ke Phool” did. You can say that she’s talking about how he misattributed the reason behind Dutt’s death to the poor criticism of “Kaagaz Ke Phool” and echoed it when his own film (also named “Chup”) got panned. But that’s not very clear. What’s also not clear is if the killer’s film was actually good and wrongly reviewed or if he took the criticisms too personally because the film was about his life. FYI, it’s not necessary for a film to be good just because it’s close to the makers’ hearts. Those feelings need to be conveyed cinematically, or else what’s the point?

With all that said, do you know what the most problematic element in “Chup: Revenge of the Artist” is? It’s not gratuitous violence. It’s not the convoluted message about cinema, artists, critics, and the general audience. It’s the poster in Nila’s house that reads, “Woody Allen is innocent.” Yes, Woody Allen, the director who was accused by his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, of molesting her when she was seven. Woody Allen was accused of having an intimate relationship with another one of Mia Farrow’s adoptive daughters, Soon-Yi Previn, someone who he went on to marry. That Woody Allen. Now, I am not sure if this is a statement from R. Balki or one of his writers. Or if this is a way of showing that film critics have a tendency to champion abusers just because they like their work, thereby ruining the sanctity of cinema. I am hoping it’s the latter because if it’s the former, “Chup” deserves zero stars.

Until we get a clarification on that poster, though, I’ll say that “Chup” is definitely worth a watch. Is it totally original? I don’t think so. Edgar Wright made “Hot Fuzz” back in 2007, where the Neighborhood Watch Alliance of the small town of Sandford went around killing reporters who told the truth about the town while making spelling mistakes in their articles, police officers who critiqued the town’s murderous tendencies, or kids who did graffiti. That way, they upheld the rustic aesthetic of the town and kept winning the “Village of the Year” award without realizing how fascist they were being about something that should be so simple. Still, R. Balki’s spin on it with a fascist “savior” of cinema at its center is interesting, to say the least. When it works, it will make you laugh. When it doesn’t, it will have you blankly staring at the screen. The acting is fantastic, with Dulquer Salmaan clearly taking the cake. And, in the weirdest way possible, the film is a reminder of the greatness of Guru Dutt. So, once you are done watching “Chup,” maybe go watch his films, starting with “Kaagaz Ke Phool.”

“Chup: Revenge of the Artist” is a 2022 Drama Thriller film directed by R. Balki.

Jennifer And The Cleanse In ‘Umbrella Academy 4’ Explained: How Did She Get The Durango?

‘the instigators’ apple tv review: matt damon & casey affleck are entertaining in the dumbest heist, ‘shahmaran’ season 2 ending explained: is davut dead will there be a season 3, ‘shahmaran’ season 2 (episodes 1-6) explained: is sahsu dead or alive, more like this, subway timeline travel explained in ‘the umbrella academy’ season 4: why didn’t five and lila get old, ‘one fast move’ movie ending explained & summary: did wes and camila end up together.

• Write For DMT

COPYRIGHT © DMT. All rights Reserved. All Images property of their respective owners.

• Latest News
• Emergencies
• Environment
• Ask the Law
• Visa+Immigration
• Phone+Internet
• Reader Queries
• Safety+Security
• Banking & Insurance
• Corporate Tax
• Travel & Tourism
• Corporate News
• Electronics
• Home and Kitchen
• Consumables
• Saving and Investment
• Budget Living
• Expert Columns
• Community Tips
• Cryptocurrency
• Cooking and Cuisines
• Guide to Cooking
• Art & People
• Friday Partner
• Daily Crossword
• Word Search
• Philippines
• Australia-New Zealand
• Corrections
• Special Reports
• Pregnancy & Baby
• Learning & Play
• Child Health
• For Mums & Dads
• UAE Success Stories
• Photos & Videos
• Course Reviews
• Learn to Play
• Schedule | Medal Tally
• South Indian
• Health+Fitness
• Best Of Bollywood

Entertainment

• Special Features
• Gratuity Calculator
• Notifications
• Prayer Times

Film review: ‘Chup: Revenge of the Artist’ led by Dulquer Salmaan strikes hot and cold

Entertainment bollywood.

R Balki shines the spotlight on a dark and twisted mind in his sobering thriller ‘Chup’

How do you review a bloody thriller about a brutal serial killer who hunts down film critics and slices them open for their written words?

A whole lot of trepidation and a smidgen of survivor’s guilt, I say.

But jokes aside, director R Balki’s atmospheric ‘why-dunnit’ transports you into a dreamy-yet-dreary world of a florist recluse Danny (Dulquer Salmaan) living in the metropolis if Mumbai with a gore-happy serial killer on the loose.

The rakish and reserved Danny, with his tousled hair and nervous energy, talks more to his carefully-tended flowers than his customers.

He’s socially awkward and tense, but his sombre existence blooms when a twentysomething entertainment journalist Nila Menon, played efficiently by Shreya Dhanwanthary, walks into his nursery/store.

Sparks fly instantly and they embark on this sweet and meditative adventure of discovering each other. Guru Dutt’s haunting melody from his critically-mutilated classic ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ lends incredible atmospherics to their monsoon rendezvous. The effective background score and the moody visuals work.

But their whimsical love story is playing out in a city that’s being terrorised by a serial killer who chooses his victims based on their film reviews and star ratings. ‘A critic’s critic’ is how the cop (Sunny Deol) describes the deviant mind. It’s a definite dampener, but these two young guns seem immune to it largely as they lean into each other.

After every kill, the violent murderer carves out a star rating on his prey’s forehead. The degree of violence and gore is directly proportional to the killer’s critiquing of their review. If it doesn’t pass muster, then your death shall be more grotesque and violent.

From very early on, we are given broad cues on who the killer is, but the focus is largely on what triggered those bloody and brazenly butchering episodes. The body count is mounting and the serial killer is getting emboldened with each target.

When it comes to setting a scene and building a tense tone of a film, nobody does it better than director R Balki. The cloudy skies and the murky weather is a fair match to the dark, disturbed, and warped mind at work. The build-up is real and raw.

But be warned, it’s a thriller that takes its own time to unravel and the violence on display is not for the faint hearted. The critics — mostly ageing rotund males — who are perhaps just doing their job shabbily, meet undignified ends. Their crime and punishment is unevenly balanced.

But it’s the assured acting by the lead pair — Salmaan and Dhanwanthary — that makes this dark thriller with a wicked sense of humour throb with life. Both are in impressive form and have an easy chemistry. Both exude an aching vulnerability and are an emotional minefield.

Barring cinephile and Guru Dutt groupie Dhanwanthary’s questionable poster choices that has ‘Woody Allen is Innocent’ emblazoned on it (for those in the dark, acclaimed filmmaker Woody Allen has been accused of sexually abusing his daughter, an allegation that he has consistently denied), she exhibits a good grip on her character. Her equation with her sassy specially-abled mother (Saranya Ponvannan) is wonderfully captured. While these actors seem to be marching to tunes of subtlety, a bit of star dust appeared in the form of Sunny Deol.

Deol as the cop facing the heat for the rise in crime under his watch exercises considerable restraint, but he lets loose towards the end and succumbs to overdramatic histrionics. Just when you think that the high-decibel stereotype around Deol had faded, he’s back in his screechy hyper-masculine role screeching ‘bastard’ and jumping off a building in rage after he’s outwitted by a criminal. All the good work that he did when it came to being sardonic was undone with that melodramatic screech.

Actress Pooja Bhatt on call as an expert on serial killers’ psychology does what’s on the tin, but her dialogues sometimes appear contrived. But she nailed the part where she questions the cop about manipulating an idealistic journalist to pose as a prey for the serial killer. The film is filled with some shining moments, but there are bits that appear laboured. The climax, that’s supposed to provide us with all the answers, is underwhelming and pedestrian.

Perhaps it’s the makers’s bid to humanise the serial killer that doesn’t land well.

His motives seem almost romantic, making you forget that here’s a desperate sick man who bludgeons someone to death because he’s narcissistic and is averse to criticism — constructive or otherwise. His back-story isn’t wholly convincing and the ease with which he carries out his murders makes it look borderline silly. But if you can silence those thoughts, then you might enjoy this thriller that’s adequately sly and sobering.

More From BollyWood

Fahadh Faasil's pic with Big B, Rajinikanth goes viral

Bollywood stars extend their support towards Vinesh

All about Ananya Panday's new romantic comedy 'CTRL'

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh's shout out to Lakshya Sen

Here's what to know about Usher's new concert film

Swift's Vienna shows cancelled after terrorism threat

Zendaya, Robert Pattinson in talks to star in new film?

Why did BTS member Suga apologise?

10 amazing movies with the most sequels

Pakistan's nadeem wins olympic men's javelin gold, us f-22 stealth warplanes arrive in middle east, portugal defender pepe announces retirement at 41, tebogo becomes first african to win olympic 200m, mac mini gets m4 chip, becomes apple's smallest pc.

Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

'Chup' review: The nuttiest R Balki film

Balki’s Chup unfolds in an alternate universe where film critics call the shots. I’m not kidding. This is a world where film critics wield tremendous, impossible power. They’re capable — or so the film will like us to believe — of great cultural influence, making or breaking movies with a withheld half-star here or an effusive headline there.

This is all, of course, an exaggeration. “Who would kill a film critic?” wonders Sunny Deol’s investigative cop at one point. The sad (yet wholly realistic) answer is that no one, absolutely no one would kill a film critic. We don’t matter and that’s just the way it is.

Sunny is fantastic in the new movie. I had a blast watching him keep his hair on and solve crimes diligently (It’s worth the `75 on National Cinema Day ticket price alone). Stroking his chin, scratching his beard, Sunny pieces together clues instead of, you know, beating them out of people.

He’s investigating a spate of murders that have rocked Mumbai: the city’s finest film critics are falling. The killer (whoever he or she might be) isn’t playing around. He’s murdering them in gruesome, painstaking detail. This is death by wordplay. Writing “the first half stays on track…”, for instance, lands one dead critic on the railway tracks.

In a parallel storyline, far from all the violence and gore, newbie entertainment journalist Nila (Shreya Dhanwanthary) is falling for reclusive florist Danny (Dulquer Salmaan). Their budding love story—get it? plays out in the streets and bylanes of Bandra.

The eminently Catholic neighbourhood is nicely captured Danny cycling down the famous zig-zagging Bandra steps is a neat idea—though the overall bluish colour grade makes everything look dull. Meanwhile, any proof of Nila’s gullibility lies in the ‘Woody Allen is innocent’ quote hanging on her wall.

Chup, with its tagline of ‘Revenge of the Artist’, is also meant as a tribute to Guru Dutt. ‘Yeh Duniya’, ‘Jaane Kya Tune Kahi’ and ‘Waqt Ne Kiya’ play on the soundtrack (the two original songs, ‘Gaya Gaya Gaya’ and ‘Mera Love,’ aren’t much, though it’s nice to see Swanand Kirkire share a lyrics credit with Kaifi Azmi and Sahir Ludhianvi). Guru Dutt’s seminal Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) is referenced as an example of critics sounding the death knell of a great artistic voice.

“You critics are killers”—Zenobia, a criminal psychologist played by Pooja Bhatt with bad teeth, says. Yet this is a shallow assessment of Guru Dutt’s legacy. Dutt, for all his heartbreak and acrimony over his rejected masterpiece, continued to act in films till the early 60s. And isn’t Kaagaz Ke Phool all the richer for its initial dismissal, since it also tells the story of a shunned and forgotten filmmaker?

Indeed, Balki (with co-writers Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani) seems to want to have it both ways: sympathizing with the obscure artist while extolling the virtues of fair and unbiased criticism. It doesn’t matter. I, for one, don’t watch serial killer movies for deep insights into life and art.

ALSO READ | You can't be scared in a creative profession: R Balki on latest film 'Chup'

I watch them for the thrill, the chase, the cheesy yet entertaining genre beats. All of Balki’s films are essentially comedies, and the same is true of Chup. Three critics stand around at a compatriot’s funeral. “There’s a screening at 6,” one says. “Isn’t it tomorrow?” asks another, clearly debarred from exclusive preview shows.

The made-up film names are equally hilarious: Ding Dong, Pani Pani Re, Kalinga: The War is Not Over. Sunny’s cool demeanour is broken by sudden flashes of anger (“I feel like killing somebody!” he shouts in frustration in one scene).

Dulquer effortlessly accommodates dark shades in his shaggy romantic lead. The ‘Is he, isn’t he?’ portions of the film clearly bring out his best. He’s helped, in no small part, by Shreya, who’s become Hindi cinema’s go-to girl for earnest journalist types. “One day, one day,” she sighs, labouring over an interview while the cooler cats in her office go out for reviews.

ALSO READ | Teaser : R Balki's thriller 'Chup' unveiled an ode to Guru Dutt

Just let it go, friend. Just let it go.

Director: R Balki Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, Shreya Dhanwanthary Rating : 3/5

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp  

Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest

Related Stories

• Entertainment
• Life & Style

To enjoy additional benefits

CONNECT WITH US

‘Chup!’ movie review: R. Balki’s thriller has its moments, but falls short of zipping up the critics

Despite dulquer salmaan and shreya dhanwanthary in fine form, the primary conceit of ‘chup’ doesn’t hold, and the smart wordplay and topical observations start feeling superficial.

September 23, 2022 12:33 pm | Updated 12:33 pm IST

Dulquer Salmaan in ‘Chup: Revenge of the Artist’

Writer-director R. Balki has a knack for finding intriguing premises and dressing them with technical flourishes and sharp observations on society and its hypocrisies. But, usually, after an engrossing build-up, his customised vehicles get stuck in the gear of self-awareness.  Chup  is no different.

It is not a surprise that  Kagaz Ke Phool , one of the brightest examples of self-reflection in world cinema, serves the plot of his crime thriller. With Guru Dutt’s classic — which was panned by critics of the time — as the reference point,  Chup , on the surface is about a psychopath maiming film critics for giving inappropriate ratings to films.

But at the core, the three writers of the film, one of whom is a noted movie critic Raja Sen, project the killer as a kind of self-appointed vigilante who is out there to save cinema from mediocrity and impose the tyranny of taste. However, curiously, the film doesn’t question the rating system itself. It doesn’t ask whether art should be quantified or understood within a time frame.  Kagaz Ke Phool  was crushed by the critics of the time, but it survived and found a new life because it was written about by another set of critics who focussed more on its craft than its content. In any democracy, mediocrity and excellence coexist. Cleansing one for the interest of others is no way to progress; the fun lies in the subjectivity of the art.

To make the indie idea palatable for a larger audience, Balki advertises Amitabh Bachchan in a cameo to educate us that critics are crucial for the growth of the art form, and that a ‘hit film’ doesn’t necessarily be a ‘good film’. To make things meta and massy at the same time, he has cast Sunny Deol — who usually gets short shrift from critics — as the police officer on the trail of the critic of critics. Then there is Pooja Bhatt, whose father has made self-referential cinema, as a criminal psychologist to read the mind of the killer on the prowl.

But even as we chew on the interesting details of crime and casting, romance is blooming in the Christian neighbourhood of Bandra, where a reticent florist Danny (Dulquer Salmaan) finds his voice after a perky entertainment journalist Nila Menon (Shreya Dhanwanthary) walks into his life.

Supported by stimulating cinematography, rousing music, and witty conversations, the two generate some electric moments with Jaane Kya Tune Kahi , an unusual S.D. Burman composition from  Pyaasa,  providing a lilting background. The unmistakable signature sound of Chinese temple blocks stirs something inside every time it is played.

A natural performer, Shreya Dhanwanthary has cracked the role of a journalist. This is her third role as a scribe with a conscience, but this time she gets a romantic track and has a more robust character arc. Together with seasoned south Indian actor Saranya Ponvannan (as Nila’s outspoken mother), Dulquer and Shreya make the middle overs engrossing. Dulquer is winsome as a lover who loves to talk to himself, but as the film progresses to the business end, he is let down by the script.

With no red herrings to tackle, Chup is less of a whodunit and rather makes us wait for the motivation behind the gruesome murders. When the backstory doesn’t match the punishment meted out to critics, the climax is reduced to a charade. When the primary conceit doesn’t hold, the smart wordplay and topical observations start feeling superficial. The connection between the action on-screen and the director’s harangue on criticism no longer remains organic, and the film peters out without a punch. Overall,  Chup  has its moments, but falls short of zipping up the critics!

Chup! is currently running in theatres

Related Topics

Hindi cinema / Indian cinema / reviews

Top News Today

• Access 10 free stories every month
• Save stories to read later
• Access to comment on every story
• Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
• Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products

Terms & conditions   |   Institutional Subscriber

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A lonesome florist with a new-found love interest and a psychopath killer who targets film critics in Mumbai. Are the two related? Inspector Arvind Mathur and Dr. Zenobia are about to find o... Read all A lonesome florist with a new-found love interest and a psychopath killer who targets film critics in Mumbai. Are the two related? Inspector Arvind Mathur and Dr. Zenobia are about to find out. A lonesome florist with a new-found love interest and a psychopath killer who targets film critics in Mumbai. Are the two related? Inspector Arvind Mathur and Dr. Zenobia are about to find out.

• Rishi Virmani
• Dulquer Salmaan
• Shreya Dhanwanthary
• 250 User reviews
• 24 Critic reviews
• 3 wins & 3 nominations

Top cast 60

• Sebastian Gomes

• Arvind Mathur

• Dr. Zenobia Shroff

• Nila's Mother

• Police Commissioner

• Insp. Srinivas Shetty

• Purab Kapoor
• Nitin Shrivastav

• Mrs. Shrivastav

• Govind Pandey

• Irshaad Ali
• Parikshit Prabhu
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Film pays grand tribute to legend Guru Dutt and his masterpiece Kaagaz Ke Phool 1959 which was slammed by critics as flop.But in coming years it gained a cult status.
• Connections Features Thirst (1957)

User reviews 250

• anirudh-khandal
• Nov 28, 2022
• How long is Chup? Powered by Alexa
• September 23, 2022 (India)
• Chup - The Revenge of an Artist
• Hope Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 15 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

• Firstpost Defence Summit
• Entertainment
• Web Stories
• Health Supplement
• First Sports
• Fast and Factual
• Between The Lines
• Firstpost America

Chup: Revenge of the Artist movie review: Dulquer Salmaan is better than the Hindi films he’s choosing

Chup’s story of a serial killer who targets critics is spun into a tribute to Guru Dutt. The idea is interesting but the film fails to grasp the essence of the late legend’s magic.

Language: Hindi

A thriller on a serial killer who targets critics – I had a good laugh when I learnt of the theme of Chup: Revenge of the Artist since it sounded like certain filmmakers’ fantasy more than a concept for a film. It took me back to an interview in which director Rohit Shetty had told me he views critics as “frustrated people” and “vultures”, adding: “…a few of them are even scared to meet me because they know that the moment I meet them, I’m going to thrash them and go to jail for a day.” (Source: The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic )

So yeah, the theme is unwittingly funny although it is dead serious. For the record, Chup  is not directed by Rohit, but by R. Balki ( Shamitabh , Ki & Ka , Padman ) who has also written the story. The screenplay and dialogues are by Balki, Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani. And the mystery in the foreground is spun into a tribute to the film icon Guru Dutt whose Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) was famously trashed by critics and rejected by the audience, only to attain a cult status decades afterwards. He never officially directed a film again but is rumoured to have ghost directed the ones he produced in subsequent years, before dying tragically in 1964.

Guru Dutt’s biography is made-for-cinema material, but that is not what Chup  is. The story does, however, feature elements from the filmmaker’s life, it overtly references his oeuvre, and in its technique and narrative style takes inspiration from the late legend.

A senior Mumbai policeman ( Sunny Deol ) in Chup  is desperately trying to solve a series of gruesome murders of film critics. While he conducts his investigation, in the same city a young journalist called Nila ( Shreya Dhanwanthary ) dreams of becoming a critic. Nila meets a florist (Dulquer Salmaan), and they are immediately drawn to each other.

In the first half of Chup , Balki succeeds in creating an atmosphere of intrigue, with a blend of a deliberately languorous pace that is a curious contrast to the urgency of the police’s task, Vishal Sinha’s cinematography that is designed to hark back to the great V.K. Murthy’s play with light and shadow in Guru Dutt’s works, and memorable old Hindi film songs including Jaane kya tune kahi . The suspense lasts for a while after the murderer’s identity is revealed much earlier than you might expect, because the question of why and how next remain.

Despite this, the film’s grip loosens considerably as it rolls along, due to the weakness of the love saga at the centre of these proceedings. Chup  is not constructed as a how/whodunnit or a police procedural, and its impact is heavily dependent on the appeal of Nila’s gradually developing bond with her handsome boyfriend whose eccentricities are made known to the viewer early on but not to her. The scenes with them, however, seem more focused on looking and sounding like an old-world screen romance than feeling right. Shreya and Dulquer are both capable of fine acting, but any emotional resonance they might have achieved is overshadowed by the director’s preoccupation with ambience and appearance.

The starting point of their affair is off-putting. When she is still no more than his customer, he follows her home, and one day lands up at her house with a bouquet. Instead of getting creeped out and/or terrified by such stalking or at the very least, being wary of him as almost every woman I know would be, she invites him in.

Chup  gets other things right. Its critique of criticism is largely on point, taking on financially corrupt reviewers, those who act like astrologers predicting a film’s box-office fate, and those with insufficient knowledge of cinema, all this without coming across as a condescending lecture and without caricaturing individual critics or lampooning the job. Chup  is off the mark though in its portrayal of gender diversity in the profession, depicting the overwhelming majority of Mumbai/Hindi film critics as male, which is not the reality.

In an era when Christians have more or less disappeared from Hindi cinema, Chup  gives us a rare protagonist from this religious minority, that too a chap who is shorn of the cringe-worthy stereotypes of pre-1990s Hindi film Christians back when the community was a familiar presence in stories. The late arrival in Chup of a second significant Christian character who is an alcoholic gave me pause, since drunkenness was once part of the stereotype, but the normalised representation of the hero without his religious background being over-emphasised has the effect of turning the other man into just another person with a drinking problem rather than a fellow fitted into the long-prevalent template of Tony The Drunk with the open shirt and massive cross on his chest who would say “ hum God se bolta ” and “ hum pray karenga ”.

The leading lady is southern Indian and of mixed parentage, another primary player’s name suggests that she is Parsi, again both are written and acted sans stereotypes.

That said, Pooja Bhatt’s character has a terribly politically incorrect, fat-shaming explanation for how she arrives at the gender of the murderer, and while I don’t know if psychologists would agree with her analysis, the tacky manner in which she conveys the point had me sorely missing the intelligent dialogue writing of the American series Criminal Minds that is focused on serial killings. Pooja’s Zenobia, who specialises in the study of serial killers, gets some of the film’s most poorly written lines, and her acting makes them even more awkward.

Sunny Deol is unusually restrained in Chup  until a Gadar -esque moment that ruins everything for him and is strangely out of character for the policeman he plays, when he screams the word “bastard” into emptiness and leaps out of a building in anger.

Chup  never fully rises above being interesting in theory. At one point, Nila makes a crucial career decision that should, logically, have had a strong influence on the murderer’s plans, but surprisingly, despite a build-up, does not. And the revelation about this violent person’s motivations are clearly intended to be moving, but I found myself struggling to care.

Even Chup ’s prettiness wears thin early on. V.K. Murthy’s lighting and cinematography always served to enhance the mood of a film while lending an aura to its characters and luminescence to their faces. Chup  achieves the former in its pre-interval portion, but does not have the same visual outcome. And in the end, when Dulquer is called upon to replicate Guru Dutt’s body language and postures from well-remembered scenes, the effort is strained.

DQ, as the young superstar is known to fans, has made some excellent choices in Malayalam cinema during his decade-long career, with forays into Tamil and Telugu that have stood him in good stead. He is way better than any of the Hindi films he has done. Despite its positives, Chup ’s aspirations to grandeur make it far less engaging than its uncommon theme might suggest. Balki’s film fails to grasp the essence of Guru Dutt’s magic, which was rooted not merely in the beauty of visuals and music, but in the ability to use both to capture the pain, mischief, sense of humour, love and longing of his characters with empathy. In contrast, Chup  feels distant from its characters and uninvolved.

Rating: 2.5 (out of 5 stars)  

This review was first published when Chup! Revenge of the Artist was released in theatres in September 2022. The film is now streaming on Zee5.

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. She specialises in the intersection of cinema with feminist and other socio-political concerns. Twitter: @annavetticad, Instagram: @annammvetticad, Facebook: AnnaMMVetticadOfficial

Read all the   Latest News _,_  Trending News _,_  Cricket News _,_  Bollywood News _,_  India News   and   Entertainment News   here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .

Find us on YouTube

Related Stories

'Bigg Boss' fame Nimrit Kaur passes on her role in 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2' due to explicit scenes: Report

Crew: Singer Badshah drops teaser of his collaboration with Diljit Dosanjh from Kareena Kapoor, Tabu, Kriti Sanon's comedy

Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant's Pre-Wedding Festivities: Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor, Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone exude royalty for the 'Desi Romance' theme

WATCH: Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan dance on 'Naatu Naatu' at Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant's pre-wedding festivities

By clicking the button, I accept the Terms of Use of the service and its Privacy Policy , as well as consent to the processing of personal data.

• Manage Subscription
• Entertainment
• Health and Hygiene
• Rule Breaker
• First Women
• Women At Olympics

Powered by :

Chup Review: An Unconventional Take On Movie Critics, Childhood Trauma and More

The romance and the crime entwine in the second half, which hooks the audience, as to what next is going to happen. the climax force you to sympathise with the serial killer danny. it can make you all teary eyes when a movie directed by him is watched by nila and police staff..

Chup the film is as exciting as its name. R. Balakrishnan's directorial Chup: Revenge of the Artist starts with a solid message for critics to be sensitive about their writing. For them, it may be just another piece they wrote, but for a director, it is his life. 

The movie's plot revolves around the serial killer who directed a film. His film received heavy criticism, which Danny (Salman Dulquer) couldn't take. The critics threw him into the trap of depression and caused mental trauma. 

Spoiler Alert

R. Balakrishnan has tried to experiment with the crime-thriller. One cannot call it an absolute thriller because he uses a love story and social issues to connect the entire plot and deliver the thriller. Writers team Balakrishnan, Raja Sen, and Rishi Virmani put in a lot of effort to deliver a meaningful story. They used Guru Dutt's flop film Kaagaz Ke Phool as the film's backdrop. A teaser of Chup was also  unveiled on 9th July to mark Dutt's 97th birth anniversary, paying homage to the late director's film Kaagaz Ke Phool. 

The movie has a few unnecessary elements that seem forcibly inserted. For instance - the mother (Saranya Ponvannan) of the Nila Menon (Shreya Dhanwanthary) being blind and Amitabh Bachchan's monologue on how important critics are unnecessary. Other than that film has a good storyline. 

Chup-Revenge of the Artist Review

From star cast to dialogues to scene sequences had a freshness and were packed with creativity. The dialogues are hilarious, and Salman Dulquer and Sunny Deol shined in their roles. 

Romance does not eat the thriller aspect of the film. It is well-balanced. The dialogues are relatable, and the aesthetics of the romantic scene are blissful and give you awe amid the criminality vibes. Mumbai tour on cycle sets some romantic goals. Danny and Nila's onscreen chemistry with little bubbliness is top-notch. Nila is a young entertainment journalist, whereas Danny is charming. The two exchange smiles over bouquets of tulips, their easy chemistry giving  Chup  some of its best moments. Danny also has Norman Bates-styled conversations with himself, which is the first sign of him being a psychopath. Their romance flourishes as quickly as the body count of critics. 

The romance and the crime entwine in the second half, which hooks the audience as to what will happen next. The climax force you to sympathise with the killer. It can make you teary-eyed when Nila and the police staff watch a movie directed by him. The film tells you how childhood is important and what trauma can do to a person. If society makes fun of that trauma, it is more disheartening. Why the film title is C hup, one gets to know it in the film, so to know that film is a must watch. 

The views expressed are the author's own.

Suggested Reading:

Hush Hush Review: Noteworthy Cast Shines In Thriller Murder Mystery

Share this article

If you liked this article share it with your friends. they will thank you later

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Gulte Telugu news

Chup Review: Film Critics Are In Danger!

Article by Cinephile Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 12:50 pm, 21 September 2022

Direcor : R. Balki Producers : Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Jayantilal Gada, Anil Naidu, Gauri Shinde Cast : Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Pooja Bhatt Music : Aman Pant Banner : Hope Production Release Date: 23 Sep 2022

R. Balki always comes up with films with interesting premises. Paa, Shamitabh and Ki&Ka are such films which had interesting storylines. Now, he came up with another film with an intriguing plot point. Titled Chup, this movie features Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, Shreya Dhanwantary and Pooja Bhatt in the lead roles. Let’s see how this film turned out to be:

Chup is basically an investigative thriller. The city of Mumbai is shaken by the sudden deaths of film critics. Crime Branch Cop Aravind Mathur (Sunny Deol) gets appointed to investigate the case. He starts digging into the details of these serial killings of critics. There is a parallel romantic track running between florist Danny (Dulquer Salmaan) and journalist Nila Menon (Shreya Dhanwantary). Eventually, the couple gets connected to these serial killings. What happens next forms the major crux of the film.

First of all, there is no movie that deals with the serial killings of film critics. Balki impresses us right away with his story idea. He opens the film very well, with the murder of a film critic. Thus, we get introduced to the story within five minutes of the film. The investigation begins right from the second scene. Balki cleverly takes satirical digs at film critics with his witty one-liners. Dulquer Salmaan gets introduced as a florist and a fan of legendary filmmaker/actor Guru Dutt. The way Balki used Dutt’s references in this movie is highly appreciable.

Dulquer gets into the skin of his character and delivers a power-packed performance. This can go down as one of his best works. It is good to see him choosing varied subjects like Sita Ramam and Chup and making sure to give stunning performances. Sunny Deol impresses as a tough cop. He is a perfect fit for that character. Shreya Dhanwantary gets an author-backed role and she delivers a neat performance. It is high time for filmmakers to shift her from the OTT arena to the movie arena. Pooja Bhatt impresses in an extended cameo. It is good to see Sunny and Pooja sharing the screen after decades.

Chup is technically sound as well. The signature background score used in the movie complements the tone of the film very well. The way Guru Dutt’s songs are used is also very good. The cinematography brings that mysterious tone to the flick. The editing is neatly done and the film is crisp at a runtime of 135 minutes.

Chup starts off very well and makes us hooked to the seats right from the beginning. We keep guessing about the serial killer throughout the first half. Towards the end of the first half, the identity of the killer is revealed. The second half is all about how cops managed to catch up. There are many creative liberties taken in the latter half. Thus, it becomes a letdown. Otherwise, Chup is a decent film and one of the good Bollywood films in 2022.

Dulquer’s performance

Performances of the rest of the lead actors

Interesting storyline

Background score

Thumbs Down:

Last half an hour

Creative liberties were taken toward the climax

Bottom-line: On the whole, Chup is an interesting investigative thriller which has its ‘heart at the right place’ in the first half and goes ‘off-the-track’ in the final act. You can give it a watch for Dulquer’s sensational performance.

Note: This review is an individual opinion from the Chup public Free view show happened on 20th September.

Tags Chup Chup Review Dulquer Salmaan

Click Here for Recommended Movies on OTT (List Updates Daily)

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 79% Cuckoo Link to Cuckoo
• 97% Dìdi Link to Dìdi
• 96% Good One Link to Good One

New TV Tonight

• 58% The Umbrella Academy: Season 4
• 100% Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1
• 80% Mr. Throwback: Season 1
• -- Dance Moms: A New Era: Season 1
• -- Blue Ribbon Baking Championship: Season 1
• -- Love Is Blind: UK: Season 1
• -- The Mallorca Files: Season 3
• -- Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth?: Season 1
• -- PD True: Season 1
• -- Yo Gabba GabbaLand!: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 83% A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: Season 1
• 97% Batman: Caped Crusader: Season 1
• 100% Women in Blue: Season 1
• 85% House of the Dragon: Season 2
• 80% Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• 100% Supacell: Season 1
• 78% Presumed Innocent: Season 1
• 89% Sunny: Season 1
• 77% Lady in the Lake: Season 1
• 97% The Old Man: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• 97% Batman: Caped Crusader: Season 1 Link to Batman: Caped Crusader: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All Blake Lively Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Best Rom-Coms and Romance Movies of 2024

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Sing Sing ’s Colman Domingo Talks Fashion as He Breaks Down His Career

Captain America: Brave New World : Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More

• Trending on RT
• Re-Release Calendar
• Popular Complete Series
• Renewed and Cancelled TV
• Shows on Hulu

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Dulquer Salmaan

Shreya Dhanwanthary

Pooja Bhatt

Dr. Zenobia

Saranya Ponvannan

Nila's mother

More Like This

• Olympics 2024
• ₹ 10 Lakh,1" data-value="Loan ₹ 10 Lakh">Loan ₹ 10 Lakh

• Entertainment
• Latest News
• India Vs Spain Live Score
• Olympics 2024 Live
• Bangladesh News Live
• India vs Sri Lanka
• The Interview
• Web Stories
• Mumbai News
• Bengaluru News
• Daily Digest

Chup Revenge of the Artist review: Flounders as both a serial killer thriller and a discussion about film critics

Chup revenge of the artist review: r balki's film mixes a serial killer thriller with a take on film critics but fails to effectively tackle both..

R Balki’s Chup opens with a familiar disclaimer: “No animals were harmed during the making of this film”. As soon as the words flashed on screen, my brain instinctively went “can you say the same about critics?” For context, Chup: Revenge Of An Artist follows a serial killer who goes around exclusively murdering film critics. It’s one hell of an intriguing one-liner. Using a serial killer thriller template, Balki and his co-writers Raja Sen and Rishi Vermani attempt to mount an ode to the movies, explore the turbulent relationship between filmmakers and critics and the sensitivity of artists and the importance of responsible criticism (I think?). Also read: Chup trailer: Sunny Deol tries to find murderer who kills film critics. Watch

We first mean Danny (a sincere yet stilted Dulquer Salmaan ) - a Bandra-based florist who talks to himself (a misguided attempt to depict a fractured mind, the sole purpose of which seems to be to spew exposition at us). Danny is, of course, a lover of the movies and a devotee of the ultimate tortured artist - Guru Dutt (easily the film’s most delightful idea). Danny meets up-and-coming entertainment journalist and aspiring film critic Nila (a spunky Shreya Dhanwanthary, forever cursed to play a journalist apparently). Alongside their blossoming romance, elsewhere we see the gruesome murders of critics pile up (one of the film’s very few promising elements is its use of violence and the gory imagination with which the murders take place). Aside from his choice of victim, the killer also leaves his calling card - carving star ratings on his victims’ foreheads (of course the first murder victim closely resembles a popular Bollywood critic). Enter Inspector Arvind Mathur (a well-cast Sunny Deol ), a self-serious investigator here to take down the killer before it’s too late.

As with most R Balki films, Chup offers a great premise and plays with fascinating elements. But once again his edgy ideas are fleshed out into a poor narrative (Ki And Ka, Shamitabh). The problem with Chup isn’t its violent takedown of critics, its odd messaging or that its understanding of film criticism is juvenile and reductive. The issue is that it’s a plain terrible movie. (Yes I know ha-ha, very funny - a negative review of a movie about negative reviews). Chup is a well-intentioned film born out of a love of the movie, but it’s almost impossible to appreciate and engage with its intent and heart because of how diluted, shallow, unsubtle and frequently hilarious-for all-the-wrong-reasons it is.

For one, the impressively watered down dialogue makes Brahmastra’s feel like pure poetry in comparison. The police forcefit words like “critic” and “five stars” and “review” into every conceivable conversation. At one point someone in this movie says “what time does Nature's Basket close?” I can't quite explain why, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Chup also attempts to take a balanced view on critics and is oddly all the worse for it. Instead of owning and leaning into its killer-on-a-violent-rampage-against-critics idea, the film keeps dialling it back to lecture us about credibility and how not all critics are bad. The result is strange, uneven messaging that can only be described as “critics are bad but not all critics but some are but they dont deserve to die but they should be more careful but they should be honest but some are honest”. Or something.

On the love story front, until the shaky plot kicks in, Shreya and Dulquer have a gentle, pleasant chemistry. (It’s also the first movie I’ve watched which is mostly shot in and around Bandra which adds its own charm). There are few actors as endearing and likeable as Dulquer Salmaan but earnestness and casting against type alone, can only take you so far. Between the surface level writing and Dulquer’s unconvincing unhinged-ness, Danny fails to live up to the bare basics of what a serial killer should be - just plain creepy. There’s a scene that closes the first half which sees him kill one of his victims by slashing a specific artistic design into their body. In how it’s shot and performed, it’s a rare shining moment of gloriously unsettling violence in an otherwise benign serial killer flick.

As Nila, Shreya Dhanwanthary has an inherent charm and naturalness, but that doesn’t help considering she’s playing an impressively annoying character. There’s a painfully screechy scene in the second half where she becomes instantly hysterical and scared (because the plot needs her to be). The entire sequence serves as pure unintentional comedy and I truly felt bad for her. Instead, it’s Sunny Deol as Inspector Arvind Mathur who emerges relatively unscathed. Aside from the palpable presence he brings to a calculating cop character, his permanently perplexed look feels oddly self aware. As if he knows how baffling the movie he’s inhabiting really is.

Did I mention the convoluted way in which Danny chooses his victims? He doesn’t just go for the critics whos reviews he disagrees with, he intentionally aims for those that use the most murder-friendly metaphors. (I'm serious). So, if a reviewer says a film gave them a “head splitting headache” it's a perfect opportunity for Danny to ..split their heads open. It also speaks volumes that all of Danny’s victims are men. There’s barely a female critic in sight. It’s the movie’s way of refusing to commit to its own ideas. As if showing a woman being horrifically murdered would be too real.

Thankfully Chup kept me laughing, so I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. Perhaps the best moment (and one of the funniest sequences of any movie this year) is to see Danny throw one of his victims from one building to another like a blow up doll. Or maybe it was when the police try to write a fake review to lay a trap for Danny. Did they discuss and pitch different murder-y metaphors? I imagined a junior police constable excitedly shouting “what if we said: leave your brains at home!”

• Dulquer Salmaan
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Weather Today
• HT Newsletters
• Subscription
• Print Ad Rates
• Code of Ethics

• Live Cricket Score
• Cricket Teams
• Cricket Players
• ICC Rankings
• Cricket Schedule
• Shreyas Iyer
• Harshit Rana
• Kusal Mendis
• Ravi Bishnoi
• Rinku Singh
• Riyan Parag
• Washington Sundar
• Avishka Fernando
• Charith Asalanka
• Dasun Shanaka
• Khaleel Ahmed
• Pathum Nissanka
• Other Cities
• RBI MPC Meet 2024 Live
• Budget 2024 Live
• Income Tax LIVE Updates
• Income Tax Calculator
• Petrol Prices
• Diesel Prices
• Silver Rate
• Relationships
• Art and Culture
• Taylor Swift: A Primer
• Telugu Cinema
• Tamil Cinema
• Board Exams
• Exam Results
• Admission News
• Employment News
• Competitive Exams
• BBA Colleges
• Engineering Colleges
• Medical Colleges
• BCA Colleges
• Medical Exams
• Engineering Exams
• Love Horoscope
• Annual Horoscope
• Festival Calendar
• Compatibility Calculator
• Career Horoscope
• Manifestation
• The Economist Articles
• Lok Sabha States
• Lok Sabha Parties
• Lok Sabha Candidates
• Explainer Video
• On The Record
• Vikram Chandra Daily Wrap
• Entertainment Photos
• Lifestyle Photos
• News Photos
• Olympics Medal Tally
• Other Sports
• EPL 2023-24
• ISL 2023-24
• Asian Games 2023
• Public Health
• Economic Policy
• International Affairs
• Climate Change
• Gender Equality
• future tech
• HT Friday Finance
• Explore Hindustan Times
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Subscription - Terms of Use

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Ending Explained: Who is Danny and how is he connected to Sebastian Gomes?

Chup Plot Synopsis

The 2022 psychological thriller Chup follows the story of a psychopath who is hell-bent on murdering critics that give movies unfavourable reviews without investing enough time to understand the motive of the filmmaker.

Inspector Mathur finds the bodies of popular critics with a star rating on their respective foreheads. After learning that these critics were killed and rated as per their last review of movies, he asks the Critics’ Association to stop reviewing movies negatively for a while. Now as a new movie is released, he asks the critics to write only positive reviews for the release.

How does Inspector Mathur find the motive behind the murders?

Despite Inspector Arvind Mathur’s insistence, Kartik, a film critic, chooses to write an honest review giving the movie a 1.5-star rating. The cops are sure that the psychopath will attack Kartik so Arvind and his team gather together to give him special protection waiting for the killer to arrive.

After waiting for a long time, Arvind gets a call from his subordinate informing him that another critic had been murdered and in Kartik’s stead.

Arvind wonders why the k m,iller chose to steer away from his regular modus operandi of killing reviewers who trash movies. The cops figure out that the psychopath only kills critics that give negative reviews to films without proper research. In this case, the killer attacked a critic that gave unnecessarily good reviews to a movie that was particularly bad.

Mathur also discovers that the psychopath kills these critics based on the plot of their reviews. If the critic gives the killer a good murder storyline, the psychopath chooses to murder that critic and in turn spares other critics that give equally critical reviews.

Who is Dr Zenobia? How does she help Inspector Mathur?

Together with the help of a renowned psychologist, Dr Zenobia, Arvind Mathur decodes that the psychopath is a troubled artist who dislikes the way in which movies are trashed by critics. She explains that the killer is extremely depressed and a way to channel his pain is by causing pain to others.

Dr Zenobia and Arvind together ask Kartik to help by making a list of all the filmmakers of recent times whose last movies received extremely poor reviews. Their aim is to find filmmakers who stopped making movies due to the negative reviews their films got over recent years.

How is Nila linked to the case?

Kartik asks Nila, an aspiring critic, to work on the article with him and the two are able to make a list of filmmakers whose last work was met with negative reviews. Meanwhile, Nila and Danny have gotten closer and she is suspicious that Danny is the killer who is murdering critics, left and right.

Nila starts doubting Danny when she spots film roll boxes in his house but he diffuses the situation by claiming that they were intended as a surprise for her. The two plan on meeting for a date that Thursday. Meanwhile, since Arvind wants to track the killer down, he urges some critics to purposely write incorrect reviews about a film that is to be released that week.

Since most of the critics are worried about their lives, Arvind asks Nila to volunteer since she is an aspiring film critic who is always kept on the sidelines due to her lack of experience. Nila initially agrees to do so, thinking that she will be able to start her journey as a critic and watches the movie.

Nila loved the movie and wants to give it a four-star rating but Mathur and Zenobia ask her to write a negative review for the movie asking her to give it a dramatic storyline good enough to invite the killer to murder. On the other hand, Danny is waiting for Nila to show up considering it was the night of their date but they are not able to connect.

Nila was initially excited about writing the review but soon comes to her senses about what she is going to do. She gets worried but her mother tries to get her to be courageous and do the needful to find the killer on the loose.

What does Danny do to Nila?

Once she writes an incorrect review, Inspector Mathur and his police team gather at her house, anticipating the killer to attack any time the following day. Danny watches the movie and really enjoys it. He waits for Nila to call after she ghosted him on the night of their date.

When he is about to take a call from Nila, he gets notified about the movie reviews for the film he just watched. He puts Nila’s texts/calls on hold and reads the reviews. He eventually comes down to a bad review of the movie that had an amazing storyline for him to bring to life. Danny is shocked to see that it was Nila who wrote the review, claiming it was so bad it “split her brain into 1000 pieces”.

Ready to do just that, Danny sets off to see Nila and tries visiting her house. Once there, Nila suddenly gets overwhelmed and asks Arvind to let her meet her mother. When she learns that Danny was here to meet her, she forces the inspector to let her boyfriend stay.

After convincing Arvind, Danny tries to calm Nila down and takes her to the bedroom. Inside, behind closed doors, Danny suffocates Nila using his usual plastic wrap method and throws her out of the window without the cops noticing a thing.

He makes a makeshift Nila out of pillows and covers it with a blanket to make it seem as if she were sleeping. Danny talks to Arvind outside the room and frustrates the inspector into kicking him out of the house. After leaving, Danny walks to the neighbouring building to collect Nila’s body and takes her to a secluded location where he ties her to a chair.

Arvind notices something off with Nila and Danny’s interaction and his team alerts him by saying that Danny has left his bicycle behind. Arvind puts two and two together and notices that Nila is not in the room. He jumps out of the window too in order to gauge where Danny may have dropped her. Arvind gets his leg injured in the process and rushes to find Nila.

What is the story behind Danny’s revenge?

Once he has captured her, Danny discusses the movie review with Nila. She claims that she was forced to give it a bad review just because they were looking for the killer. Danny states that bashing a work of art just for the sake of it is an injustice to any artist and claims that her 1-star rating for the movie would have been valid had she researched the movie a little.

Danny claims that the movie was a splitting copy of another foreign film and it wasn’t a novel plot, meaning the artist had stolen someone’s work. While he is about to kill Nila as per his plan, Arvind finds the two in mid-conversation and somehow saves Nila while shooting Danny and injuring him.

After that, Nila is taken to the hospital and Danny into police custody where his house is searched for evidence to pin him to the crimes. The cops find Danny’s biographical movie that was trashed by critics and they watch it along with Nila who is recovering from her injuries.

Who is Sebastian Gomes?

The film narrates the story of a young boy who grows up in a violent home where his father beats up his mother. When the boy intervenes trying to save his mother, the father ties the boy up and throws him into the basement. Out of a small window in the basement, the boy watches the old films that their neighbour watches.

The boy falls in love with filmmaking and grows older to fall in love with films. He himself also becomes violent and is also able to control his father whenever he tries to assault his mother. One day, his father kills their dog named Danny. As the child grows older, he comes to hate his father and as soon as he died, the boy finally buries his dead dog from years ago.

The boy is an adult now and wants to be a filmmaker. He works on his autobiographical movie and releases it as Sebastian Gomes. However, the movie is trashed by critics and becomes a huge failure in an instant. Nila weeps after seeing the tragic story of Danny who is the failed filmmaker, Sebastian Gomes.

What happens to Danny at the end of Chup?

While it is not clear where Danny is at the end of the movie, it is shown that he is in solitary confinement in what looks like a prison. He still hears the voices in his head. Danny gets his meal for the day wrapped in newspaper. He reads the news headline that states a renowned film critic had passed away due to Covid.

Danny starts rejoicing before the other voice in his head asks him to stop and be considerate. The movie ends with Danny smiling to himself as one of Guru Dutt’s old songs plays in the background.  

Read More: Chup: Revenge of the Artist Movie Review

Feel free to check out more of our movie reviews here!

Leave a comment.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

FOLLOW US ON

• Critic Movie Review
• User Movie Reviews

Chup Movie Review: CHUP is a unique tale which boasts of some fine performances.

Chup is a unique tale of a serial killer that boasts of some fine performances., chup review {3.0/5} & review rating.

CHUP is the story of a serial killer. Danny ( Dulquer Salmaan ) is a florist in Bandra, Mumbai. A young journalist Nila ( Shreya Dhanwanthary ), who has recently shifted to Mumbai, discovers his shop and is impressed that he sells tulips, his mother's favourite. Both get attracted to each other. Meanwhile, a prominent movie critic, Nitin Srivastav, is killed ruthlessly at his residence. Inspector Arvind Mathur ( Sunny Deol ) is given charge of the case. A few days later, another critic named Irshad Ali is murdered, by pushing him under a local train. The next week, another critic gets killed. Arvind discovers that the killer of all the critics is the same and also discovers his unique pattern. The killer kills as per the criticism written by the critic. As he tries to find out who the killer is, the critics in the city get scared. Arvind Mathur advises them to play safe and give a positive review to films, for their own safety. For the upcoming release, all critics shower praises on the film, whether or not they have liked it. However, Kartik, who works for Nila's publication, refuses to bow down. He slams the film heavily. Arvind immediately rushes to his place along with a huge police force, as he could be the killer's next target. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

R Balki's story is unique. There have been many films on serial killers on the loose. But there has been no film about a serial killer killing film critics. This gives a nice touch to the overall plot. R Balki, Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani's screenplay is effective and creative. The way the two tracks run parallel makes for a fine watch. Also, the manner in which Guru Dutt, flowers and murder all come together is seamless. However, the investigation angle could have been more convincing. R Balki, Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani's dialogues are sharp and witty.

R Balki's direction is praiseworthy. He is known for feel-good films and this is the first time he enters this zone. But he excels in several places. Interestingly, one can predict who is the killer at the very beginning. Yet, the revelation of the murderer comes across as a jolt to the viewers. Secondly, he has executed the film in a creative fashion and that keeps the interest going throughout its running time. Thirdly, the film has enough funny and thrilling scenes to keep the interest going. He also deserves kudos as he doesn’t outright bash film critics on the whole. He takes a balanced approach and also makes it clear that film criticism is important in society.

On the flipside, the pacing of the film is slow. Despite the interesting narrative, it is still a niche film. On top of that, it’s violent, which further restricts its appeal. Moreover, a few investigation scenes seem superficial and theatrical, and not too real. This is especially in the scenes of Pooja Bhatt .

CHUP starts on a thrilling note, with the murder of Nitin Srivastav. The way it’s executed, one can’t anticipate if it’s Nitin or his wife who’ll be killed. Danny and Nila’s entry scenes and the way they bump into each other are cute. The sequence where Arvind addresses the critics and industry members and the madness that ensues is hilarious. However, what takes the cake in the first half is when the lone critic bashes the film and the cops descend on his residence in full force. The intermission point is rocking. Post-interval, the film gets slow but a few scenes of Danny stand out. The finale is chilling.

Chup | Official Trailer | Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Pooja Bhatt

Sunny Deol has a supporting part but suits the role to the T. He underplays it well and in one scene, he gets into the massy zone, which will be greeted with claps and whistles. The dashing Dulquer Salmaan rocks the show. He plays a difficult part with ease and proves yet again that he’s one of the best actors around. Shreya Dhanwanthary looks lovely and performance-wise, she’s first rate. She slips into the character effortlessly. Pooja Bhatt (Dr Zenobia Shroff) is okay and her dialogue delivery seemed too rehearsed. Saranya Ponvannan (Nila’s mother) is adorable. Rajeev Ravindranathan (Inspector Shetty) is a bit over the top. The actors playing Kartik, Nitin Srivastav, Govind Pandey and Arvind’s senior Yashwant Singh are fine. Adhyayan Suman (Purab Kapoor) is fair in a cameo. Amitabh Bachchan’s special appearance is memorable.

There’s only one song in the narrative,  'Gaya Gaya Gaya' , and though its tune is forgettable, it's well shot. The background score is the USP of the film. The instrumental tune of the song  ‘Jaane Kya Tune Kahi’  is haunting and will linger in one’s mind long after the film is over.

Vishal Sinha's cinematography is neat. Sandeep Sharad Ravade's production design is real and urbane. Aesha Merchant's costumes are realistic yet appealing. Gagan Oberoi's costumes for Sunny Deol are apt. Vikram Dahiya's action is gory. Nayan HK Bhadra's editing could have been sharper.

On the whole, CHUP is a unique tale of a serial killer on the loose and boasts of some fine performances. At the box office, it’ll take a healthy start due to the reduced ticket prices on Day 1. From Day 2 onwards, word of mouth will play an important part in pulling audiences to cinemas, especially in urban centres.

• Chup Review
• Chup Rating
• Chup Movie Reviews
• Chup Public Review
• Chup Movie Release Date
• Chup Film Release Date
• Chup Critic Review
• Chup Movie Review
• Chup Reviews
• Chup Film Reviews
• Chup Film Review
• Chup Hindi Movie Review
• Chup Hindi Movie Reviews

Chup Movie News

R Balki believes Chup is an attempt to spark a conversation around the audience vs critics' debate

EXCLUSIVE: Chup star Shreya Dhanwanthary talks about how she was going to do the Engineering-MBA-Ivy league way before acting: “People had different dreams for me"

EXCLUSIVE: Chup star Shreya Dhanwanthary reveals her father thinks "my IQ is getting wasted in films"

EXCLUSIVE: Chup star Shreya Dhanwanthary talks about whether she would ever change her personality on social media

EXCLUSIVE: Shreya Dhanwanthary reveals who in her family reviews her films very honestly and "tells it as it is"

EXCLUSIVE: Shreya Dhanwanthary on working in Chup; "Everything that will happen to me now will be because of R Balki"

• Facebook Comments
• Borderlands (English) Movie
• Aliya Basu Gayab Hai Movie
• Ghudchadi Movie
• Ghuspaithiya Movie
• Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba Movie
• Hocus Focus Movie
• It Ends with Us (English) Movie
• Khel Khel Mein Movie
• Vedaa Movie
• Double Ismart Movie
• Ulajh Review
• Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Review
• Deadpool & Wolverine (English) Review
• Bad Newz Review
• Twisters (English) Review
• My Spy: The Eternal City (English) Review
• Hindustani 2 Review
• Sarfira Review
• Kakuda Review
• Fly Me To The Moon (English) Review
• Bad Newz Public Review
• Chandu Champion Public Review
• Crew Public Review
• Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya Public Review
• Fighter Public Review
• Salaar Public Review
• Dunki Public Review
• Animal Public Review
• Sam Bahadur Public Review
• Tiger 3 Public Review
• Ulajh Box Office
• Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Box Office
• Pride Box Office
• Deadpool & Wolverine (English) Box Office
• Rocky The Slave Box Office
• The UP Files Box Office
• Uparwala & Sons Box Office
• Bad Newz Box Office
• Immaculate (English) Box Office
• Accident or Conspiracy: Godhra Box Office
• Akshay Kumar
• Katrina Kaif
• Ranveer Singh
• Deepika Padukone
• Vaani Kapoor
• Salman Khan
• Rashmika Mandanna
• John Abraham
• Ayushmann Khurrana
• Tara Sutaria
• Rajkummar Rao
• Box Office Collection
• Analysis & Features
• All Time Top Grossers
• Overseas Box Office
• 100 Crore club
• 200 Crore club
• Top Actress
• Box Office Collection 2023
• Box Office Collection 2022
• Box Office Collection 2021
• Box Office Collection 2020
• Bollywood News
• Featured Movie News
• Latest Box Office News
• Box Office Updates
• Box Office Business Talk
• Box Office Overseas News
• Latest News Slideshows
• Upcoming Releases
• Movie Reviews
• Bollywood Hindi News
• Parties and Events
• Latest Celeb Photos
• Celeb Wallpapers
• Movie Stills
• Movie Wallpapers
• Top Movie Video Songs
• Celebrity Interview Videos
• Movie Trailer Videos
• Party & Event Videos
• Exclusives & Specials
• Mangalvaar - Official Hindi Trailer | Ajay…
• Martin - New Movie Trailer | Dhruva Sarja | AP…
• Double Ismart: Trailer ( Hindi ) | Ram Pothineni…
• "Are You Being Watched?" | Hocus Focus | Trailer…
• Khel Khel Mein (Official Trailer): Akshay Kumar,…
• Vedaa | Official Trailer - Hindi | In Cinemas…
• Latest Hindi News
• Latest Bhojpuri News
• Celebs@twitter
• Hungama.com
• Artist Aloud
• Hungama Games
• Music Reviews
• Bharat Official Trailer
• Download Celeb Photos
• Download Celeb Wallpapers
• Download Movie photos
• Download Celebrity Party Photos
• Download Movie First Look Poster
• Download Magazine Cover
• Download Movie On Set Photos
• Download Movie Wallpapers

• Date of Birth Month January Febuary March April May June July August September October November December Date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Year 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913
• Gender Male Female

Skip this step for now

• Your Rating Click to rate on scale of 1-5
• Review Title

5000 characters remaining

Chup Movie Review

Average Ratings: 2.5/5 Score: 45% Positive Reviews Counted:10 Positive:4 Neutral:1 Negative:5

Ratings: Negative Sentiment  Review By: Komal Nahta Site: Filminformation

R. Balkis direction is fair and one also gets to see glimpses of his brilliance at times but the fact remains that his choice of subject is so dull that the narration also loses impact. Amit Trivedis music and Swanand Kirkires lyrics are of a fair standard but the songs are not of the popular variety. On the whole, Chup has a weak premise and, therefore, stands bleak chances at the box-office.

Visit Site For More

Ratings: Negative Sentiment  Review By: Anupama Chopra Site: Youtube

Chup: Revenge of the Artist is a suspenseful slasher film, a swoony romance, and a serious meditation on the contentious relationship between critics and artists. Like previous R Balki films the idea is instantly provocative and dazzling then the execution. Chup insists that critics are essential to cinema but it suggests that we do our job with more sincerity and respect and help audiences hone their taste. Point Noted but perhaps filmmakers should also up their game

Ratings: 2/5  Review By: Saibal Site: NDTV

Chup is a muddle but certainly not of monumental proportions. That it ventures into uncharted territory is undeniably commendable. But it needed something more to elevate itself above a mere idiosyncratic concept.

Ratings: 2/5  Review By: Shubhra Site: Indian Express

Am I supposed to take this seriously, or laugh it off? Ultimately, it comes down to this: do you really believe that film critics have the power to kill movies? Especially in this digital day and age, when everyone is a critic, not just professional ones? Its also true that good films always find their audience, but do bad movies deserve to die unsung? Towards the end, a character says : a film works because of word-of-mouth, not critics, and that straightaway undercuts the films premise. If indeed critics these days have less influence than doltish trolls, why take the trouble to go after them in the first place? There, Ive said it: will I still be alive tomorrow?

Ratings: 2.5/5  Review By: Anna Site: Firstpost

Despite its positives, Chups aspirations to grandeur make it far less engaging than its uncommon theme might suggest. Balkis film fails to grasp the essence of Guru Dutts magic, which was rooted not merely in the beauty of visuals and music, but in the ability to use both to capture the pain, mischief, sense of humour, love and longing of his characters with empathy. In contrast, Chup feels distant from its characters and uninvolved.

Ratings: 3/5  Review By: Ronak Site: Times Of India

At a concept level, Balki and his team of writers (Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani) have a virgin plot that focuses on the life of the film critics, whose vocation has never really been explored in Hindi cinema. He dedicates the first half in cooking up the story and building up the intrigue, quite brilliantly.Now, all you can do is wait for the big reveal in the end, but in a Bollywood thriller that is seldom rewarding. And Chup is no exception.

Ratings: 2/5  Review By: Sonil Site: News18

The film surely gripped me till the interval. And then, the curse of the second-half struck. The explanation of the intriguing mystery was so lame that I refused to believe it. I hoped that Balki who wrote the story and the screenplay along with Raja Sen (a film critic himself) and Rishi Virmani would spring one final twist on us and redeem the film. But sadly, that never happened.

Ratings: 3/5  Review By: Bharathi Site: Lehren

Its like the secret fantasy of every filmmaker come true kill a film critic every Friday. Although the premise provided grounds for sound critics-bashing, Balki actually gets the space of a critic pretty well, even giving him a dash of respect. Chup is, of course, not perfect And the winding up which gives the killer an entire reel of sentimentality, offers no comfort or justification for the venomous brutality of the killings.

Ratings: 3/5  Review By: Hungama Site: Bollywood Hungama

On the whole, CHUP is a unique tale of a serial killer on the loose and boasts of some fine performances. At the box office, itll take a healthy start due to the reduced ticket prices on Day 1. From Day 2 onwards, word of mouth will play an important part in pulling audiences to cinemas, especially in urban centres.

Ratings: 3.5/5  Review By: Shubham Site: Koimoi

Chup comes from a team that immensely loves cinema and everything it represents, you must surrender to an idea that is untouched and brilliant. With some minor flaws, you should not miss watching his ode which is more than just a movie about a killer on loose.

Jogi OTT Views

Brahmastra Review

Alia  Bhatt Upcoming Movies

Alia Bhatt Net Worth

Ranbir Kapoor Net Worth

Ranbir Kapoor Upcoming Movies

Ranbir Kapoor Box Office Collection

Cuttputli Hit or Flop

Darlings Hit or Flop

Good Luck Jerry Hit or Flop

Good Luck Jerry Review

Box Office 

Andhra Box Office

Kerala Box Office

Tamil Box Office Collection

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Story:

A psychopath is killing film critics one after the other in the most gruesome manner. Can the police catch him before the next film review is out?

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Release Date:

September 23, 2022 ( India) straight to Theaters

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Cast:

Sunny Deol Dulquer Salmaan Shreya Dhanwanthary Pooja Bhatt

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Director: 

Chup: revenge of the artist producer: .

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Jayantilal Gada Anil Naidu Gauri Shinde

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Production Companies:

Hope Production

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Distribution Companies:

Pen Marudhar Cine Entertainment

Chup: Revenge of the Artist Run Time: 

2 Hour 15 Minutes (135 minutes)

Read More About Celebs: Salman Khan  |  Shahrukh Khan  | Aamir Khan  |  Ranbir Kapoor     Hrithik Roshan  |  Akshay Kumar

Rajeev Masand , Taran Adarsh, Komal Nahta , Anupama Chopra Reviews are awaited for this movie

You May Also Like

Remember Me

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Breaking news, paramount to cut 15 percent of u.s. workforce in major layoff plan, ‘it ends with us’: what the critics are saying.

The film, directed by Justin Baldoni, who also stars opposite Blake Lively, hits theaters Friday.

By Carly Thomas

Carly Thomas

Associate Editor

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

Following the New York premiere of It Ends With Us on Tuesday evening, the first reviews of the film from critics have been coming in, and they’ve been decidedly mixed.

Related Stories

'it ends with us' costume designer on blake lively's outfits criticism: "it's great to be talked about", box office preview: can ryan reynolds and blake lively pull off barbenheimer 2.0.

The film has previously faced criticism for its depiction of domestic violence, with some fans claiming it romanticizes the subject. However, a common theme among the early reviews is that while the movie adaptation manages to treat the topic of domestic violence with care, the narrative appears to suffer.

As of Wednesday evening,  It Ends With Us had a score of 60 percent from 44 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and clocked in at 52 percent on Metacritic from 21 reviews.

The film, from Sony Pictures, hits theaters Friday. It also stars Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter.

Read on for key excerpts from some of the most prominent early reviews following the premiere of It Ends With Us .

The Hollywood Reporter ‘s arts and culture critic Lovia Gyarkye wrote in her review , “The pat treatment of these characters ultimately does a disservice to the broader themes embedded in  It Ends With Us . Without understanding more of Lily’s broader community or getting a stronger sense of how she navigates the relationship with Ryle, the film can feel too light and wispy to support the weight of its themes.”

“The life lessons being taught here about self-acceptance, self-love and self-worth might be a little pat and some of the darker elements could have afforded a tad more darkness, but It Ends With Us leads with heart first, everything else later,” Lee added in his review . “It’s a film of huge, sometimes hugely unsubtle, emotion but it has an effectively forceful sweep to it.”

“ It Ends With Us savors the trappings of a glossy love triangle: the banter, the flirting, the turbulence, the extravagant costumes,” Amy Nicholson of The Washington Post wrote. “The movie has to cheat a bit to get at the complexity of Hoover’s book. A child of domestic abuse, Hoover writes with painful intimacy about Lily’s struggle to claw free from her past. Baldoni shifts some of that turmoil to the audience, with editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan cutting key scenes so that, like Lily, we don’t know what to believe.”

Nicholson added that “even bouncing off male leads who are more pinball bumpers than dimensional characters,” Lively gave a “great performance as a headstrong, sensible woman who struggles to consider herself a victim.”

Critic Mark Kennedy wrote in his review for The Associated Press that “the uneven movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling 2016 novel” tries to “balance the realities of domestic violence inside a rom-com and a female-empowerment movie. All suffer in the process.

Time film critic Stephanie Zacharek wrote , “The movie is accurate and effective in this sense: for so many abused women, you never know how bad it can get, until it gets  really  bad. Yet none of that is enough to make you fully buy what the movie’s selling.

“The problem, maybe, is that  It Ends With Us  is all about what it’s about, and nothing more,” she added. “These characters exist to make points about the insidiousness of domestic violence, the way its effects can creep up invisibly even as those who are suffering cloak themselves in protective denial. Admittedly, that’s a lot for a movie to carry. But movies can’t just be efficient feeling-delivery systems; they have to work on us in subtler ways.  It Ends With Us  makes all its points, all right, but in a way that’s more edifying than moving.”

Proma Khosla wrote for IndieWire that the film “manages to sensitively handle its delicate subject matter, though largely at the cost of a more intricate narrative.

“ It Ends With Us does what it wants to (and what made Hoover’s book such a smash hit), highlighting the patterns of abuse, trauma, and silence at play in this specific story,” Khosla added in her review. “Baldoni and Hall handle Lily and everyone around her with empathy, downplaying unpleasantness or oversimplifying story elements ultimately to mitigate risk and protect viewers — with the opportunity to dig deeper in a potential sequel.”

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Milli vanilli’s fab morvan reflects on one of pop’s biggest scandals: “we were just a pawn in the machine”, joey king fights against a dystopian society’s pretty standards in trailer for netflix’s ‘uglies’, cate blanchett says she “didn’t get paid anything” for ‘lord of the rings’, ‘it ends with us’ costume designer on blake lively’s outfits criticism: “it’s great to be talked about”, edgar pêra on opening “cyber-pandora’s box” for ai movie ‘telepathic letters’ about lovecraft, pessoa, paul schrader’s ‘oh, canada’ nabbed by kino lorber.

More From Forbes

The ‘borderlands’ movie debuts with a 0% on rotten tomatoes.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Borderlands

I’m not sure I knew of anyone, Borderlands fan or not, who believed that the movie adaptation of the game was going to be good, based on everything from casting to trailers. Now as reviews come in ahead of its release tomorrow, those fears have been validated. And then some.

As I write this, the Borderlands movie has a flat 0% on Rotten Tomatoes . No positive reviews whatsoever ( Update : A single positive review has come in raising it to a 3%), and the ones that are in are not just negative, but brutal . Here’s a sampling:

• Discussing Film: “The fans deserve a lot better than whatever director Eli Roth is trying to do with Borderlands. This is the video game movie curse at its worst.”
• Men’s Journal: “If Borderlands doesn't stop studio executives from salivating at the sight of every single IP that comes across their desks, nothing will.”
• Next Best Picture : “It’s impressive how Roth can elicit the poor quality of 2000s video game adaptation energy yet somehow forget the discernable sense of fun or style that made even those terrible movies stand out.”
• IGN : “Borderlands is an abysmal waste of a beloved franchise that takes a kooky band of murderous misfits and drains the life out of their first adventure together.”

It’s true there are not many reviews in yet, and the score may tick up, but everything I’ve seen outside of some video game influencers who attended premieres (or are literally extras in the movie) has been relentlessly negative, and I would be surprised to find more than a handful of positive reviews come in when all is said and done. If any.

The Best Gaming Laptops Under $1,000: Boost Your Games For Less

A 0% on Rotten Tomatoes is of course as low as you can go. If we are looking at the worst-scored video game movies ever made, that list would now be (Updated list with the 4%):

• Alone in the Dark (2005) – 1%
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) – 3%
• House of the Dead (2003) – 3%
• Borderlands (2024) – 3%
• In the Name of the King (2007) – 4%
• Bloodrayne (2005) – 4%
• Mortal Kombat Annihilation- 4%
• Silent Hill Revelation (2012) – 8%
• Hitman Agent: 47 (2015) – 8%
• Postal (2007) – 9%

I put the year there so you can see that most of these ultra-terrible ones are in a decade or so when making a good video game adaptation was borderline impossible and the only people trying were directors like Uwe Boll half the time. As of late, we have seen very solid live action video game adaptations on both film (Sonic) and TV (The Last of Us, Fallout), and Borderlands seems to be a 10-15 year step backward.

I do expect it to rise above a zero percent. There are so many critics on Rotten Tomatoes of questionable quality and taste that probably someone will like it and knock it above some of these (I am one of those critics, so no judgement), but that has not happened at the time of this writing.

Who saw this coming? Everyone. Everyone did. And here we are.

Follow me on Twitter , YouTube , and Instagram .

Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy .

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors, it ends with us.

Now streaming on:

"What would you say if your daughter told you her boyfriend pushed her down the stairs but it's okay because really it was just an accident?" Questions like this are at the heart of "It Ends with Us,” based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover . This is a message picture about what it takes to break the vicious cycle of domestic violence. It is not subtle. 

After the emotional turmoil of her estranged father's funeral in Maine, our heroine, the impeccably fashionable Lily Bloom ( Blake Lively , the best clotheshorse movie star since Kay Francis), breaks into a rooftop to peer at the vast beauty of Boston's skyline. Before she can do much introspection, she meets the impossibly handsome and impossibly named Ryle Kincaid ( Justin Baldoni , also the film's director), a neurosurgeon (naturally). Baldoni comes barreling into the scene like a hurricane, hurling a pair of steel chairs across the rooftop in anger. Instead of repulsion from this violent act, Lily finds herself intrigued and drawn to his charm and megawatt smile. Their playful patter, peppered with barbs veiled as flirtation from Ryle, ramps up until the dashing surgeon is summoned back to the hospital by his beeper. 

This is of course not the last we see of Ryle. He just happens to be the brother of Allysa ( Jenny Slate ), the quirky rich and bored housewife Lily hires to help her run the Cottagecore florist shop of her dreams. Although Lily repeatedly insists that she just wants to be friends, Ryle pursues her, ignoring her many pleas just as flagrantly as she ignores all his red flags. Lust is a hell of a drug. 

Quickly, Ryle's negs and flirtatious barbs ramp up, transforming into toxic jealousy and other forms of obsessive behavior. This includes inviting himself to dinner with her mother by dropping the L-word for the first time, one of several such instances of emotional manipulation he brandishes like a silver-tipped dagger. Before she knows it, Lily is not only in a relationship she didn't really want, she herself becomes an outlet for Ryle's raging temper. 

The early scenes of Lily and Ryle's volatile courtship are interwoven with scenes in which teenage Lily ( Isabela Ferrer ) falls in love for the first time with a schoolmate named Atlas ( Alex Neustaedter ). The soulful boy is squatting in the abandoned house across the street from hers, fleeing his mother’s abusive boyfriend. The generous and nonjudgmental Lily offers both aid and friendship when Atlas needs it the most. He in turn offers her a caring shoulder and a safe place to finally express the fear she feels as she watches her father physically abuse her own mother over and over again. 

These scenes are innocent and tender, the two young actors imbuing the teenagers with just the right balance of world weariness from the violence they’ve already endured and the irrepressible hope that comes with youth. Yet, Baldoni and his team of editors ( Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan ) can't quite find the right balance between these scenes and the more erotic and violent scenes featuring Baldoni and Lively. However, once Brandon Sklenar (doing his best Harry Connick, Jr. in " Hope Floats ") enters as the grown-up Atlas, he is able to craft an effortless, natural chemistry with Lively that is nearly as strong as these early moments, although they both are far too fleeting. 

This story of love, trauma and abuse is wrapped up in the same amber-hued autumnal glow of Lively’s bestie Taylor Swift ’s short film for her autobiographical song "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)," which itself is about an abusive relationship. Lily even has the same tousled strawberry blonde tresses as the short film's star Sadie Sink . So naturally, the film's most climatic moment of domestic abuse, like the short, takes place in the couple's kitchen. Later, the moment where Lily comes into her own power as she attempts to rebuild her life is underscored by Swift's "My Tears Ricochet" (which perhaps counts as a spoiler if you know the topic of the song. Swifties, I'm sorry.)

"It Ends with Us" is a fine-looking picture. Baldoni and cinematographer Barry Peterson know how to frame movie star faces in flattering medium close-ups, allowing every nuanced emotion, every twinkle in their eyes to transport the viewers on this emotional journey with them, even when the characters feel more like didactic cyphers than fully-realized human beings. Lily’s flower shop (which never seems to have any customers) is a Pinterest board brought to life. And Lively’s designer duds are nearly as showstopping as the ones she sports in “ A Simple Favor .”

Lively does her best to add emotional layers to Lily so we see her internal growth, but this process is often hampered by the film around her. I kept thinking of " Alice, Darling ,” Mary Nighy's incredible film about intimate partner violence from a few years back in which Anna Kendrick finds herself suffocating in a psychologically abusive relationship. In that film, Kendrick's character is given a full life and a group of friends who help her overcome the codependent trap she's been caged in. Here, the few women in Lily's life – her so-called best friend Allysa and her mother Jenny ( Amy Morton ) – are underdeveloped, relegated to a handful of scenes that largely exist as plot points.  

The PG-13 rating keeps the violence Ryle inflicts on Lily, or her father's violence in the flashbacks, to a minimum visually (and often seen in slow motion or in choppy montages), Christy Hall ’s script unfortunately often falls into "as the father of daughters" territory, giving more care to explaining why these men are the way they are (especially in Ryle's case, in the film's most cringe-worthy twist) than it does to the psychology – let alone the economics – of why women often stay with abusive partners. Instead, this subject, which should really be the key to the whole story, is covered in one very short scene between Lily and her mother. The forced love triangle once Atlas re-enters Lily's adult life also restricts things, causing Lily's life to once again orbit mostly around the men in it. 

"It Ends with Us" is certainly not a bad film. At times, it's actually quite good and its central message is crafted with intention and care. I just wish it had a sharper focus on Lily's interiority, her life beyond her trauma, and who she really is in relation to herself, and herself alone.

Marya E. Gates

Marya E. Gates is a freelance film and culture writer based in Los Angeles and Chicago. She studied Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley, and also has an overpriced and underused MFA in Film Production. Other bylines include Moviefone, The Playlist, Crooked Marquee, Nerdist, and Vulture. 

Now playing

The Nature of Love

Peyton robinson.

The Last Breath

Glenn kenny.

Rebel Moon: Director's Cuts

Simon abrams.

The Imaginary

Carlos aguilar.

Find Me Falling

Monica castillo, film credits.

It Ends with Us (2024)

Rated PG-13

131 minutes

Blake Lively as Lily Bloom

Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid

Brandon Sklenar as Atlas Corrigan

Jenny Slate as Allysa

Hasan Minhaj as Marshall

• Justin Baldoni
• Christy Hall

Latest blog posts

The Texture of Night: How Collateral Revolutionized Movies

SDCC 2024: Activations, Apes and Other Animals

Short Films in Focus: Welcome to the Enclave

I Saw the Sixth Sense Knowing the Big Twist, and Loved It Anyway

Advertisement

Supported by

6 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week

Whether you’re a casual moviegoer or an avid buff, our reviewers think these films are worth knowing about. (Though one missing movie, “Trap,” was not screened early for critics.)

• Share full article

By The New York Times

Coloring inside the lines.

‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’

Directed by Carlos Saldanha, this adaptation of the children's book of the same name follows Harold (Zachary Levi) with the magical purple crayon that brings his drawings to life as he encounters adulthood and the real world.

From our review:

There’s a standard-issue single mom (Zooey Deschanel, whose visible exhaustion here is actually a little too credible) and her boy, Mel (Benjamin Bottani), whose life is in need of wonder. This wonder will arrive through a tool of “pure imagination” (they really say that!). That is, Harold’s purple crayon, whose concoctions add some not-insubstantial visual interest to the proceedings. One scene in a department store, in which an actual puma and a too-functional kid’s helicopter ride contribute some anarchic slapstick, is a keeper. But it might have been better still as contrived by Terry Gilliam. Or Edgar Wright. Or Spike Jonze.

In theaters. Read the full review .

In a pandemic, don’t kiss the chef.

During the 1918 influenza outbreak, a family led by the liberal journalist Jay (Billy Magnussen), hires a new chef Floyd Monk (Peter Sarsgaard), who disrupts the peace of their remote island estate in this satire from Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman.

As Monk lifts the veil enshrouding the estate’s hierarchy, he also emasculates Jay in the eyes of the household. This implication that virility trumps effeteness is, amid an otherwise straightforward comedy, an uncomfortably regressive way to tell the story of how people vie for power in hard times.

A gut punch from a refreshing angle.

‘rob peace’.

In this coming-of-age drama directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rob Peace (Jay Will) is torn between his studies at Yale and the legal troubles of his father (played by Ejiofor).

The cinematographer Ksenia Sereda adheres to a blend of low angle shots and varying close-ups, and the visuals help imbue Rob with power and vulnerability in equal measure. While the persistent voice-over of Rob reading his graduate school personal essay as narration seems tacked on rather than poignant, all told, the movie delivers a well-earned emotional gut punch that refreshingly does not come from perpetuating the physical and systemic violence it aims to shed light upon.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .