October Movie Review: Varun Dhawan-Banita Sandhu film tugs at your heartstrings with its unusual love story

October Cast: Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu, Gitanjali Rao

October Director: Shoojit Sircar

October Rating: 4/5

“Where is Dan?”

Shiuli Iyer’s (Banita Sandhu) innocent routine question before her accident has colossal implications on Dan (Varun Dhawan), a fellow hotel management trainee, who is irritated with his job of cleaning towels, removing wine glasses and dealing with arrogant customers.

Dan, like many flighty youngsters, wishes to start something of his own and leave behind his staid hotel management training. His friends are more grounded and “practical” as they believe, and continue working with dedication. While chiding him for his childish behaviour, they cover up for him even if it poses a risk for them.

Dan’s life changes after Shiuli’s sudden accident. He is worried about her, like her best friends, but unlike them, he cannot move on. And so, through his numerous visits to the hospital, he develops a special connection with an unconscious Shiuli.

Over the course of the film, he transforms from an irritable and careless person to a far more responsible and empathetic one. It’s a gradual and careful change and the mastery of this evolution lies in his actions and dialogues.

His friends cannot understand why Dan is affected by Shiuli’s condition. Far from being in love, Dan and Shiuli are friends for sure – but not close ones for him to feel so deeply attached. They interact at work and sometimes spend time with common friends after their shifts, but that’s about it.

So why? How is it possible that someone you are just acquainted with one day becomes so important to you the very next? Dan doesn’t know the answer himself, and his struggle to understand it is visible in his haggard expressions and tired eyes.

Yet it is the hunt for this answer that makes him a changed man at the end of the film.

The beauty of the relationship between Dan and Shiuli lies in his visits, and his little monologues. Shiuli’s eyes speak volumes, even when she doesn’t.

Varun slips into the role effortlessly and all preconceived notions of him as a commercial Bollywood hero are said goodbye to within the first 10 minutes of the film. With a childlike innocence, he injects light-hearted and humorous dialogues in many scenes, without interrupting the flow of the film.

Banita Sandhu makes an outstanding debut in her difficult and challenging role. It says a lot about an actress if she commands a hold over her audience without uttering a word.

Hope, faith and a very unusual understanding of love is the essence of Shoojit Sircar’s film, October. Romance isn’t only about song and dances in the rain, or breathless vows to each other. It’s in the smallest actions and even glances.

Keeping in line with the quiet tone of the film, we see a very different side of Delhi. We know those crowded and usually loud locations, but even those are mellow and subdued in the film. To ensure we’re not entirely carried away by emotion, Shoojit Sircar gives his audience a generous taste of hospitals and medical jargon.

October is about numerous battles; interpersonal and intra-personal. It wafts between logic, practical decisions, and the strong belief in miracles and hope. It leaves you with a bittersweet and aching feeling. And you are left wanting more.

Yet the brilliance of the film lies in its grounded realism, and believable characters – with special mention to Gitanjali Rao, who shines in her role as a harrowed mother. None of the characters fade into the background; not even the doctors. They provide a reassuring and comforting presence.

source: indiatoday.intoday.in/movies/