October

What happens when you are faced with a grave decision of either turning the life support machine off or giving your loved one’s organs a fair chance, to fight it out for themselves?

Every step you take is weighed down by the pressure of a huge block, piling on your already bending back. Life as you know it, becomes slow - And that’s what Shoojit Sircar’s movie October may be – slow, yet beautiful.

Shuili Iyer, played by debutant Banita Sandhu and Dan (Varun Dhawan) are hotel management interns. There is no bond between them initially to write about in the books.

A freak accident finds Dan unexplainably drawn and attached to his bed ridden colleague Shuili, and how a bond with no previous foundation is born, is what October is about.

Varun Dhawan has played eccentric Dan to the hilt. He’s maintained a consistency in his character’s idiosyncrasy and the complexity of a 21 year old, unlike that in Tamasha (In spite of my undying love for Ranbir and Imitiaz) where the character changes as per the demand of the locale and lyrics.

Dan’s aggressive nature set in by boredom and continuously doing the grave yard shift gets him into a lot of trouble. He is that person we all know, who means well, yet can’t please anyone.

While watching the film, at no point did Dan leave me behind in his journey, a superstar never reared his ugly head. That, I think is the most commendable thing any actor can do.

Varun Dhawan, with this performance will prove that while he can climb onchi buildings jab lift teri band hai, he can also hold your hand gently as you patiently wait with him in the hospital room.

When Juhi Chaturvedi the writer of the film was asked "what is so special about Dan?" She said, “If there is something called unconditional love, something called surrender, something called ‘purity of emotions,’ like when you do things knowing that there is nothing you are going to get in return, Dan is the kind of character who will force you to believe in that kind of love.”

Banita Sandhu is a risk taker. Not to choose songs, bikinis, beautiful locals for a debut, but instead, a film with three dialogues, a hospital bed, and prosthetics for a disfigured face, takes guts.  

I believe she’s created enough mystique about herself for people to want to see more of what she’s got. Her stillness and silence speak volumes.

The dry humour in Juhi's writing is situational and the lack of melodrama in any emotional scene, prevents you from falling apart at the seams. This, I think has left many confused. What you feel is a grey space. You feel for the characters, but we’ve been taught that breakdowns are not credible without tears. Gitanjali Rao’s brilliant performance as a confused, loving, grieving mother holds you together. There are no songs, scenes or dialogues reminiscing the good old days, forcing the audience to reflect on the harshness that life has vetted out. It’s all a matter of fact. Shit happens, life steps in it, out of it and then walks on, taking it's stench along. 

The background score is not distracting and Shantanu Moitra’s melody in Theher Ja, has been on a loop in my life for a while.

The one consistent thing written about this film is that, it is mind numbingly slow & pretentious. However, I’d like to point out, the pace picks up every time the scene is not about Shuili or her family but calms back like a receding wave, when it becomes about them. This is the stark difference, between the lives of those directly affected and bystanders – period.

The editor Chandrashekhar Prajapati has done a commendable job editing, letting scenes breathe in silence. Less is more.

But if silence in Udaan and Lootere made you uncomfortably shifty, then I suggest you give this one a miss too and go drink at your local bar instead, there’ll be plenty of action there.

October is true to its tagline – It’s not a love story, it’s a story about love.