Spoiler Alert!
“October” was a visual treat for me. I am really selective and choosy about watching films in theatres. I was not at all disappointed by this film in any respect. In each of its facets, the film gets a thumbs up from me.
This film has been directed by the intellectual mastermind and exceptionally well-known director Shoojit Sircar who has given us several pathbreaking as well as commercially successful films like “Piku” and “Vicky Donor”.
The film stars Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu in the leading roles. Varun Dhawan has once again proved his mettle as a versatile actor who can step out of his comfort zone and successfully experiment with his characters. In this film, he has nailed his character and has proved himself as an actor.
Newcomer and debutante actress Banita Sandhu easily manages to impress us with her performance. She has compelled the film industry to notice her and has proved that she’s here to stay for the long run.
Honestly, the roles of Dan and Shiuli were like tailor-made roles for Varun and Banita. No other actors apart from these two could have done justice to these roles. Varun and Banita’s acting – their expressions, dialogue delivery, gestures, body language – was just magical. They both literally stole the show.
The supporting star cast of the film also make their impact felt even with limited screen time. Shoojit Sircar should be congratulated for giving everyone such powerful characters. Every character makes an impact on the audience, regardless of the number of frames they get to occupy.
The direction is excellent. The story is weaved beautifully with the mesmerizing and picturesque locales of Delhi and Kashmir. The cinematography was just fantastic. There were very smooth and effortless transitions between the Delhi and Kashmir scenes.
The lack of songs do not detract from the film and it is an amazing experience to watch in theatres. Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu have both worked really hard to get into the skin of their characters Dan and Shiuli. Both of them literally live their characters in a larger than life manner.
The plot of the film was very strong. Varun Dhawan’s performance can be clearly called a peak in his career and even newcomer Banita Sandhu has given a performance that will be difficult to top. Neither the audiences nor the critics lost interest even by the film’s second half. This is a difficult feat to achieve but Shoojit Sircar always makes the impossible possible.
The story is about Dan (Varun Dhawan) and Shiuli (Banita Sandhu) who have studied Hotel Management and are now working as trainees in Radisson Blu, Delhi. Dan is very irritated as he’s been given very menial, daunting and physically exhausting tasks by his boss and he keeps cribbing about it to his friends. Dan and Shiuli’s playful banter and nok jhok are very endearing to watch in the film.
Then, during a Christmas party, when all the employees are partying on the third-floor terrace, Shiuli asks why Dan isn’t there. She then goes to the terrace to sit on the ledge which is covered in fog and moss. She suddenly slops and falls down, seriously injuring herself.
Then, it’s about Dan coming to know about it. He starts caring for her in the hospital finding ways to make her better. Ultimately, she Shiuli loses the battle and dies towards the end of the film.
The name of the film “October” is connected to the fact that Shiuli had always loved winters and loved to collect a very peculiar type of flower that used to grow on the trees near her home in October. But just like the season, even these flowers have a very short shelf life. Maybe that’s the reason why Shiuli loses her life too.
It’s definitely a film for the masses but the film also has a lot of nuances that a more cerebral audience will appreciate. In that sense, it’s a very unique and out-of-the-box film which will nevertheless become a commercial success.