October is a movie that time travels you into a series of emotions to a world that has been barely exposed in modern day Hindi Cinema. A month of autumn "October" is more than a motif in the movie but it covers an era; bringing evocative images, inducing pains and tears, makes you neurotic and leaves you void while you walk out of the theatre. For a very long time, you would be struggling with emotions and you will be still a part of the movie in your subconscious mind. After a while, it won't be a movie anymore - but like your story, that you were a part of since last 115 minutes.
The movie speaks volumes without having much conversation. The characters communicate more in their eyes through the array of emotions they carry in their heart. It is a very different kind of love story that travels from one season to another until October arrives. A love story that shows the unadulterated heart of Dan (Varun Dhawan) and Silent and stoic stares of Shiuli (Banita Sandhu). There are neither any powerful dialogues, nor any strong music but the beauty of the movie is shown in expressions of tranquillity.
Dan is a hotel Intern at a Delhi Hotel, seditious in nature but affable by heart. Wanting to be a chef but being trained as a room cleaner; he isn't very content with the job he is doing. Out of exasperation, he does something or other to get even. Shiuli is one among those all other trainees, friends with Dan but barely ever interacted with him. The movie actually starts when Shiuli falls down from the third floor of the hotel one night and goes into Coma. Like everyone else, Dan is concerned about her but then can't move on with his life unlike those all others. And it happens because of a very simple naive question of Shiuli "Where is Dan". Thereafter he embarks on a heart-rending journey of questions and answers and looking for love in the strangest of circumstances. After the mishap, Dan is drawn to her excruciating and frozen world feeling strongly for her. IS IT LOVE, MAYBE YES..... Dan is affected mostly by the mishap when he comes to know that Shiuli was questioning about his absence just before the accident.
The movie progresses at a slow pace but then such cadence of life cannot be shown in fast forward. There is a life in every character, and hope in every eye. There are times when you wholly run in sync with the movie and forget that you are watching a movie rather feel like being a part of it and experiencing the pain yourself. There is a scene in the hospital when Shiuli is in the bed and Dan standing beside her where Shiuli acknowledges the love of Dan in her own way and it has been directed so marvellously. The scene is so full of emotions that bring tears and smile at the same time. The film has few instance of hilarity and they have been so flawlessly integrated into the plot. Screenplay is poetic, the few dialogues that the movie has; have been expressed so beautifully that makes the movie beats scene after scene. Not a moment of interest is wasted. Most beautiful moments of the movie are not those with dialogues but those with silence that leaves space for you to read between the lines. Avik Mukhopadhyay's cinematography is at par with global movies like The Notebook or Serendipity. It leaves a mundane charisma to the beautiful landscapes and the hotel interiors. Shantanu Moitra's soft scores touch the cord too.
Varun Dhawan drops his archetypal image to show the most discreet side of him after Badlapur. This in fact could be the best movie of his career for times to come. Debutante Banita Sandhu's uses her beautiful eyes to communicate the best possible emotions she can ever do. It isn't easy being in the frame for almost 90 minutes with hardly 9 minutes of dialogue. She has used her eyes and facial expressions effectively. Gitanjali Rao as Shiuli's mother and Professor in IIT, Delhi excels in her role too. She portrays the pain of a woman who doesn't know what's right for her daughter. But she acknowledges the power of love that Dan has for Shiuli. One the most heart-rending scenes of the movie where she shares screen space with Dan's mother (Rachika Oswal), where they speak about their children's errands and how they mean different to people in different conditions. The bond they share on their very first meeting leaves a lot of thoughts for the viewers.
The parts that are worth appreciation are the story, cinematography, narration, and the sensible acting by each and every character in the movie. But the credit goes to the story which has been written very sensibly.
October is not just a love story; it's a battle; a battle of how far you can go for things that you believe in. October is about emotions, the kind of emotion that you feel when you have to take a leisurely walk in a winter morning, the kind of emotion when you observe the tranquillity of a city in early morning; the innocent gape of sunset during your childhood. October is about a lot of such moments. When the entire world is becoming practical, standing for something you believe in; risking your job, family and career isn't something that's very usual these days. While Shiuli is suffering in Coma, Dan is suffering in silence. Many of us, who has someone in their family who has undergone a surgery can relate to the pain very well. Those times, we simply don't know anything other than being just optimistic.
Varun Dhawan's humour is mature and worth a applause. He is aptly supported by Banita Sandhu and Geetanjali Rao. All three of them speak more through their eyes that pierced through our hearts.
