Name: October
Released: 2018
Rating: 95

October

2018

October is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar, and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar under their Rising Sun Films banner. The film stars Banita Sandhu, Gitanjali Rao, and Varun Dhawan. Both Sandhu and Rao debuted as actors with this film. Written by Juhi Chaturvedi and shot by Avik Mukhopadhyay, the film follows the life of a hotel-management intern who takes care of his…

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I just finished this movie, might be the only movie - after 3 Idiots - that I have watched thrice. Otherwise, even a second watch is impossible for me. I mean there is a lot to watch in this world, so why stick to the same thing over and over again?

Anyways, there is no specific reason for rewatch. It is 11:17 PM right now, and right after 43 minutes; it is going to be October. So starting my month with some depressive pill - October and the Autumn.

Anyways, no more explanation this way. Some formal reviewing now.

The Plot.

Dan - our protagonist - is a hotel management trainee working in a Delhi hotel. He is young, impatient, non-chalant, and somewhat directionless. Moreover, he sucks at pretending to be enjoying what he does. He cannot even fake it. Then there is Shiuli - the female lead - another trainee at the same hotel. She is quieter, disciplined and more sorted compared than Dan. Then one night everything changes.

Source

She asks: "Where is Dan?"

Shiuli fell-off the building by accident, and goes into coma. The freest world? My question is: what does God even want from all this existence? No offense, lol! Feeling emotional right now.

Now everyone is doing humanly things. Everyone is trying to understand what happened and what her future might look like. But there is Dan. He becomes strangely attached to her, just because she asked about him. That thing stucked in his head. Like why did she ask for him? Did he matter to her? Or what was it actually?

Dan starts visiting her, then spending more time around her, and gradually his life begins revolving around her and her family. A single curiosity led toward a strange bond.

That is it with the story. There is no direct romance, no action, just pure emotions nothing else. Not even a single "I love you." Yet there is love.

Characters and Analysis.

Let me say this, such wonderful acting. The movie literally broke my heart into pieces. Not a big fan of Varun Dhawan, but the way he played Dan is wow!

Source

Shiuli, the Night Jasmine, played by Banita Sandhu.

In the movie, Dan asks this question: why name her Shiuli? Because it is a Bengali name. In the end, her mother tells the reason behind it. Word Shiuli literally means "Harsingar (Night Jasmine)." And Shiuli used to wait for October to collect those flowers with her grandfather.

So what is so special about this flower - the night jasmine?

They have a short life. And guess what Dan says in the end: "Isi liya Shiuli bhi Gir gai (that's why Shiuli fell apart)."

October.

As mentioned earlier, October marks autumn, a transitional period between summer and winter. And the film portrays this part very well. Because the whole story exists in an emotional space between life and death, love and uncertainity, attachment and the harshness of letting go. October is kind of strange bridge between states of existence. It is neither complete nor the other.

The abstract nature of love.

Usually a romantic story has favor-for-favor approach. This one does not work this way. Of course, Dan is getting some relaxation around her, but I mean something else here. The whole plot has love in it - love in the air. But it is not visible. Dan cares about Shiuli for nothing in return. He is just there because he feels it. The love portrayed is a feeling here, and not something which is explainable. Beautiful isn't it?

Hope as a double-edged sword.

I always say that hope is a neutral concept. It has all the optimism in it; but it does contain all the passimism too. The movie portrayed this neutral concept so well. There is always hope that next sunshine will bring good vibes, and somehow, everything will turn out well. Dan and family thinks that Shiuli is doing well now, and she will soon be normal. But then this hope breaks down, as the night jasmine cannot stay longer. The hope really played with the emotions of them, and us too, as it has done a great damage to the heart.

Oh the existence of heart is a curse.

In the end, October with its rating is one of the most underrated movies. Why so? Just because it plays with emotions at different levels. Moreover, it did not become a trend, the way it deserved.