Film

Chup

Name: Chup
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Released: 2022
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Pooja Bhatt, Saranya Ponvannan

A serial killer murders film critics in Mumbai, one per week with each new release. Director Balaji Mohan crafts a stylish thriller that's as much love letter to cinema as it is crime procedural, with Sunny Deol's weary cop chasing a killer who might have a point. Gleefully meta, visually inventive, and genuinely unsettling.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love a moody, slow-burning hunt where the detective and the killer circle each other through the psychology of cinephilia, and you don't mind a crime plot stretched across two-plus hours.

Skip it if you want a brisk, tightly plotted procedural, since this one lingers on mood and character, and its logic can feel loose when it matters most.

What it asks of you: Expect a long, unhurried sit of over two hours, dark in tone and patient in its build, with quiet stretches of talk that reward full attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Badlapur2015

Varun Dhawan's transformation into a man consumed by vengeance is riveting. It has Chup's same willingness to sit with darkness and moral ambiguity, building tension through character rather than spectacle.

But Deliberately paced and bleak. If you need light relief or a hero to root for, this will feel punishing rather than thrilling.

Pink2016

Amitabh Bachchan in a legal thriller about three women fighting back. Like Chup, it's invested in ideas—how society judges, what justice looks like—not just plot mechanics.

But The courtroom sequences can feel didactic. It wears its message visibly, which some find preachy rather than integrated.

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 12012

Anurag Kashyap's maximalist crime saga set in coal country. Messy, violent, darkly funny, and completely uninterested in conventional morality. Pure filmmaking energy.

But Nearly five hours across two parts. The dialect and regional setting create distance. Brutally crude in places—not everyone's comfort zone.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Chup

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

M1931

Both use the serial killer investigation to examine society's failures and hypocrisies; both are ultimately about what cities allow to happen in plain sight.

Fritz Lang's expressionist masterpiece about a child murderer hunted through Berlin. The OG serial killer procedural, where the investigation reveals a city's corruption and complicity. Chup is genuinely in dialogue with this film's DNA—both ask whether the killer is a symptom or a cause.

But Silent era filmmaking. Black and white, subtitled. Runs 110 minutes and demands active watching. The pacing and style alienate viewers used to modern editing.

Psycho1960

Hitchcock's masterclass in sustained dread and shocking violence. Chup wears its influence proudly. If you're drawn to psychological thrillers that respect the audience's intelligence, this is essential.

But The pacing feels glacial by modern standards. Black and white. The twist, while extraordinary, is somewhat famous by now.

Memories of Murder2003

Bong Joon-ho's haunting serial killer procedural where the investigation matters less than what it reveals about corruption and desperation. Masterful tension building and moral complexity.

But Korean cinema, subtitles. Deliberately ambiguous ending that frustrates people seeking closure. Slow-burn pacing.

A Tale of Two Sisters2003

A Korean horror-thriller that operates on mood and psychological texture rather than jump scares. Visually stunning. The reveal recontextualizes everything, much like Chup plays with narrative reliability.

But Requires patience and attention. The horror is abstract and emotional rather than visceral. Some find it more art than thriller.

Natrang2010

Marathi cinema gem about obsession with performance and identity. Balaji Mohan also directed this—it shows his gift for blending cinema history with character psychology and visual flair.

But Regional language film. Quieter and more introspective than Chup. Marathi cinema isn't widely known, so distribution can be tricky.

The Gift2015

Joel Edgerton's twisty thriller about a mysterious gift and the facades people maintain. Like Chup, it understands that thrillers are best when rooted in character and social observation.

But Premise sounds familiar. Some of the social commentary feels surface-level. American indie thriller formula—not everyone's wavelength.

Drishyam2015

Malayalam thriller about a man who turns his film knowledge into a plan. It's the flip side of Chup—cinema as salvation rather than weapon. Smart, engaging, genuinely clever.

But Relies on plot mechanics that only work if you buy the protagonist's knowledge. If you're looking for grit, this is more puzzle than darkness.

Oppenheimer2023

Both center on a protagonist whose argument—that creation matters more than consequence—is seductive and horrifying in equal measure. Both ask if we can separate the artist from what they make.

Christopher Nolan's three-hour examination of a man whose genius serves destruction. Like Chup, it's invested in whether brilliant people bear responsibility for how their work is used. Intellectually rigorous and formally audacious.

But Heavily dialogue-driven with complex exposition. Non-linear timeline. Physics background helps. For some, the ambition reads as cold rather than gripping.

Requiem for a Dream2000

Both use genre mechanics to deliver something that feels more like a howl than a plot. Both believe form and content must fuse completely. Both stay with you because they hurt.

Darren Aronofsky's formally inventive descent into addiction across four lives. Like Chup, it's a thriller in structure but transcendent in intent—using the genre to ask something deeper about obsession, judgment, and self-destruction.

But Relentlessly bleak. Graphic drug use. The visual style—rapid cuts, distortions—is aggressive and exhausting by design. Leaves you shaken, not entertained.