Movie Name:October
Critics Rating: 3 / 5
Release Date: April 13, 2018
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Genre: Drama/Romance

Unconditional love is a term which we have often heard about in stories and poetry but filmmaker Shoojit Sircar took the dare to show the unsaid love through his film October. The movie celebrates love, sacrifice, empathy and various inter-related emotions. Besides, it also paints the real meaning of life, hope and persistence.

Starring Varun Dhawan, newbie Banita Sandhu and Gitanjali Rao, October brings back the phenomenal duo of Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi. It is a tragic drama which requires patience from its viewers. It is a story to be seen from the eyes of Dan (Danish Walia) played by Varun Dhawan, a Delhi boy in his 20s, who is an intern in the hospitality sector. Quickly we are introduced to his group of colleagues, which also includes Shiuli, essayed by Banita Sandhu. Shiuli and Dan are poles apart in nature. While Shiuli is reserved, serious and sincere, Dan is naïve, carefree but innocent. Sircar drops subtle hints about Shiuli’s feelings for Dan but that is never underlined. It is a life-altering incident that changes the way Dan looks at Shiuli. He walks out of his training and fights against all shortcomings because he is sure that Shiuli wants to live. After Shiuli’s accident, Dan’s devil-may-care attitude fades away and he becomes responsible. All he knows that she loves her and he cares for her.

October takes time to evolve and it requires your patience. After showing sundry jobs of hospitality interns, the movie quickly takes you to that part of the story where its heart lies. The screenplay is stretched but thanks to Juhi for not making it melodramatic. The movie is based out of Delhi but characters have not been stereotyped. Their accent don't give out the 'Delhi vibe'. Instead of background score, ambience of the location has mostly been brought into use and that enhances the beauty of October.

Dan’s character has been written with much detailing and the film is all about him. Varun Dhawan plays the character of myriad shades with utmost charm. You fall in love with Dan, crying along with him and also laughing at him. There is hardly any acting from his side showing that less is more. Same is with his dialogue delivery style which seems much like usual conversation. He speaks more with his innocent eyes and expressions. The way he gives excuse to his boss, interacts with nurse and hospital guard seems so unalloyed. Your heart goes out to Dan when you see him juggling between hospital and hotel, that too selflessly. Your mind questions you: Do such people really exist? If not, you wish they would have. After Badlapur, once again Varun has proved his acting chops through this film.

Banita has undoubtedly taken a huge risk by portraying a patient in her debut movie but nevertheless, we get to see her acting skills. She has not got more than a couple of dialogues and throughout the movie, she has to express through her eyes. Needless to say, she has done it beautifully. Gitanjali Rao, who plays Shiuli's mother makes the character relatable and is impressive.

Avik Mukhopadhyay’s camera has created a magic which had gone missing from Bollywood. His lens make nature an important part of the movie, capturing each and every colour with much love. Whether it is the Delhi Metro, fog, rain or Kullu’s autumn, there is so much beauty in everything. Shantanu Moitra’s October theme is the heart of the film. The music piece has a depressing undertone attached to it that brings out the feel of the movie correctly.

You can love this film only if you are able to feel it. October may not be meant for all but when Bollywood’s typical hero Varun Dhawan and master storyteller Shoojit Sircar team up to present something, you know it will be unique. Go for it.

Watch the trailer: