On the occasion of Guru Dutt's 97th birth anniversary, filmmaker R Balki paid homage to the cinema legend and his classic 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' with a new teaser of his upcoming thriller movie 'Chup: Revenge of the Artist'.
Balki shared the teaser of the film, starring Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Sunny Deol, on his Instagram page.
In the brief clip, Salmaan is seen making a bouquet of flowers from paper, a reference to Dutt’s 1959 classic. The film's memorable song 'Waqt Ne Kiya' plays in the background.
In the next shot, Salmaan offers the bouquet to Dhanwanthary's character who replies, "Guru Dutt ke birthday pe 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' (Kaagaz Ke Phool on Guru Dutt’s birthday)".
The teaser also gives a glimpse at Deol's character. After Dhanwanthary points out that Dutt was criticised for 'Kaagaz Ke Phool', his character reacts angrily and shouts, 'Chup'.
“Guru Dutt's ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ is one of the many films that is seen as iconic today but was strongly criticised when it was released. Should we be more sensitive to an artist's work or should the artists be less sensitive about what is being written about their work,” Balki said in a statement.
The teaser was shared on social media by Salmaan as well as megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with Balki on films such as 'Cheeni Kum', 'Paa' and 'Shamitabh'.
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"You are an aspiration and inspiration to us all, here’s to you #GuruDutt ji! #ChupRevengeOfTheArtist" Salmaan wrote in a post on Instagram.
Also starring Pooja Bhatt, 'Chup' is co-written by Balki, critic-turned-writer Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani.
The film is produced by Hope Filmmakers and Jayantilal Gada’s Pen Studios.
Dutt, who was born on July 9, 1925, was known for his cult classic movies such as 'Pyaasa', 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' and 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'. He passed away at the age of 39 in October 1964.