R Balki says he wanted to ‘bump off’ a critic for trashing his film Cheeni Kum: ‘I just felt, how can he get away’

R Balki’s latest film Chup: Revenge of the Artist is about a serial killer targeting film critics. The premise of the film is that the killer judges critics for ‘not doing their jobs’. The genesis of the film came from the director’s own experience around one particular review for his 2007 film Cheeni Kum, Balki revealed in a recent interview. Also read: R Balki says audiences don’t go to theatre for ‘cerebral or intellectual exercise’

Cheeni Kum starred Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, and Paresh Rawal, and was largely praised by critics. However, Balki recalled that there was one particular ‘agenda-filled review that was very negative and trashed the film. The filmmaker said he was so depressed he even discussed ‘bumping the critic off’ with the film’s star Amitabh Bachchan.

In an interview with Galatta Plus, Balki said, “In those days, there was one very influential reviewer… When I opened the paper, I saw I was thrashed to pieces, that it (film) was rubbish. Nonsense was written. First, I was so stunned that somebody can be so vicious. Why was somebody so angry with a happy film, I could not understand this entire thing. So I just went into actual depression.”

The filmmaker added that Amitabh Bachchan later told him that many critics have ‘agendas’ and that particular review was ‘agenda filled’. But despite the explanation, Balki remained restless and discussed it with Amitabh. He added, “There is decency involved, there is writing involved, if you don’t like it there is a way to say it. But it was a vicious attack. I just felt, how can he get away, I thought we should bump them off. Amit ji started laughing and said, ‘You crazy fellow, what are you thinking, what are you on? What did you drink?’ and we left it at that.” That incident, Balki said, gave birth to the idea for Chup.

Chup: Revenge of the Artist stars Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, and Shreya Dhanwanthary. The film released in theatres on September 23 to mixed reviews. It started strongly, earning ₹3 crore on its opening day, buoyed by the reduced ticket prices for National Cinema Day. Its two day domestic nett earnings are just over ₹5 crore.