R Balki's psychological thriller Chup's teaser was unveiled on Guru Dutt's birth anniversary. The first look of the film seems to be an ode to the legendary artist's 1959 film Kaagaz Ke Phool (paper flowers).
The experimental film's teaser shows Dulquer Salmaan's character making flowers using newspapers and putting a bouquet together while singing "Happy Birthday". He takes it to a woman which brings a confused look on her face.
While the scene moves on to a graphic of red flowers bleeding colour to the title of the movie, a voiceover in a woman's voice says: "The paper flowers were criticised a lot at the time". It is followed by DQ's character yelling "chup" (shut up).
The teaser also shows "Revenge of the Artist" written under the movie name while the song "Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam" plays in the background. R Balki has not hesitated to deliver the 0.38-long video in an 80s vibe.
The movie stars Sunny Deol, Pooja Bhatt, and Shreya Dhanwanthary as well. The release date is not yet announced. Dulquer hinted that it should be out this summer, either in April or May.
In an interview with PTI, Dulquer Salmaan said he has not done a role like this before, and he was surprised when R Balki approached him for it. "It is not typical in any form. It is something I am very curious about. All of you will be curious when it comes out," he added.
R Balki said that Chup is an "ode to the sensitive artiste". He also wrote the original story of the film and described it as his debut in the genre of blood and kill. It is also being touted as the first of its kind and a thriller of global significance.
The motion poster of the film showed Guru Dutt with his song "Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye Toh Kya" in the background.
Guru Dutt is known for his depiction of melancholia on screen. While he was criticised for unusual stories, his films gained a cult following internationally later. Kaagaz Ke Phool was a box office disaster at the time of its release but later gained fame.
His brother described him to lack discipline in his personal life which led to a great many problems in his family life. Dutt died at the age of 41 due to excessive drinking, similar to his character in Kaagaz Ke Phool.