Mumbai: Filmmaker R Balki said his upcoming film 'Chup: Revenge of the Artist' is a peek into the mind of an artist and how they may end up on the wrong side of the law.
The psychological thriller, set to be released on September 23, stars Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sunny Deol and Pooja Bhatt.
'Chup', the trailer of which was launched recently on social media, is billed as a homage to master filmmaker Guru Dutt and his 1959 classic 'Kaagaz Ke Phool'.
Balki, known for 'Cheeni Kum' and 'Paa', said he nurtured the idea of the story for a long time.
"I don't know why I took so long to pen it down and get it to the screen. It's a proper thriller that makes you witness the psyche of an artist and the makings of a murderer. It's a project I hold dear to my heart and I'm very proud of getting to share it with the world," the filmmaker said.
In the chilling trailer of 'Chup', the viewers see Deol as a cop racing against time to unmask a serial murderer on the loose who targets film critics, referred to as 'killers' by Bhatt's character.
Deol's character describes the murderer as 'the critic of critics', someone who carves bloody 'stars' as ratings on the foreheads of the victims.
Flowers - both real and of paper - appear as leitmotif as a tribute to 'Kaagaz Ke Phool', Dutt's last directorial, which was subjected to severe criticism upon its release in 1959 and was later resurrected as a world cinema classic.
Songs from Dutt's other masterpiece 'Pyaasa' (1957), such as 'Jaane Kya Tune Kahi', 'Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye Toh Kya Hai' and 'Sar Jo Tera Chakraye' also feature in the trailer.