Let me start this by saying that Juhi Chaturvedi is one of the finest writers to come out of India. With just three films under her belt, she has managed to carve a niche for herself. October is another feather in her cap. But to my delight, she is not the only winner in this film. Varun Dhawan emerges as an actor who made me forget that he’s a star. I could only see Dan on screen. A special mention has to be made for Banita Sandhu and Gitanjali Rao for different but impactful performances. Making a film about a story such as this is a little tricky. You do not want to make it too sentimental because people might feel alienated. The script by Juhi and the direction by Shoojit Sircar is able to strike a balance between emotion and realism. As the film’s trailer says, this is not a love story but rather a story about love. But what is love ?
This I think is the central theme of the story. It is never made clear to us if Dan is in love with Shiuli. But there is some strange attraction that he has for her. I say strange because generally no one would do what Dan does but it never feels cinematic. You are convinced by his actions even if you do not approve of them. Coming back to what love is, is it being with someone even when they can’t be with you ? Is it sacrificing something for someone else even if you do not get anything in return ? What Dan gets is a purpose and maybe that’s what he was looking for. Love means different things for each person so what is love can only be answered by what your definition of love is. Till you figure that out, go and watch October. It is something to be felt rather than analyzed.
Until next time, bye.
Films & Frames 