October review: A case of BRILLIANT storytelling!

Movie: October

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu, Sahil Vedoliyaa and Gitanjali Rao

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Writer: Juhi Chaturvedi

Producer(s): Rising Sun Films and Kino Works

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Very rarely a film, especially a Bollywood one, moves you in a way that you simply cannot put to words, such as Shoojit Sircar’s October, the Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu-starrer that hits screens tomorrow. The film in question explores the incomprehensible nature of fate and topics of the evolution of a relationship, which is a very uncommon practice, at least in the Indian film industry.

Should you be willing to live, breathe and feel October? Here’s what we think!

Meet Danish Walia aka Dan, a Hotel Management Intern in a Delhi-based five-star establishment who is on a constant watch due to a sizable lack of professionalism and impulsive behavior. Dan is a character who is naive, reliant on his instincts and frustrated due to being unable to move forward in life. The space that you find Dhawan Jr’s Dan in is something one will instantly relate to, especially in an era where start-ups are a rage. Junior to Dan is Banita Sandhu’s Shiuli Iyer, one of the brightest bulbs from her batch and the kind of person who you’d be compared with if someone wants to put you to shame. Soon, a series of unfortunate events take place, which attaches Dan’s life to that of Shiuli. There on, what gets into motion is a story about love, a fight for what’s right and at, last but not the least, a quest for keeping companionship and memories alive in the midst of an ongoing a battle between practicality and positivity.

What undoubtedly powers this film throughout is Varun Dhawan as the innocent, meticulous, impulsive and child-like Dan. One would probably attribute it all to the set up that Dan has been kept in, but, a few clues here and there might give it away that he has been a certain way throughout his life. The result is a character that you do not see often in the movies but quite a few times on an everyday basis. The Judwaa 2 star could clearly be seen keeping his acting chops at bay as he can be observed to be going with the flow, which means that he is not playing any other person but him, which takes nerves of steel to do.

On the other hand, there is Banita’s Shiuli and her side of the story, which is a well-crafted and thoroughly thought out and perfected, to say the least. With October, she has clearly proven that she is as focus, determined and empathetic as are many stalwarts in the Industry as she has, without an iota of doubt, sunk her teeth deeply into Shiuli, to whom she had added her earnestness and child-like wonder. The end result is a character that stays with you and leaves you feeling what the makers perhaps want you too. Here’s hoping that we would get to see more of Miss Sandhu and the kind of heartening presence that she brought to Shiuli in the future.

Talking about the overall package in terms of direction and screenplay, one can say that each and every frame has its own significance, and, if one is able to grasp even a tiny fraction of what the genius duo of Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi have embedded in the film, they will probably consider it as mission accomplished. A special mention goes to these two and everyone involved for having an eye for finding unbelievably complex stories and meanings in the simplest of things that one might easily overlook.

Although October is not exactly what you would call a popcorn entertainer, it engages its audience in a way that hardly any film had ever done as it is a feast for a different kind of senses. But, if you think that this film is worth checking out, one must have a great amount of patience as the manner in which the plot unfolds is slow but organic.

A must watch by all accounts!