October stars Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu.
This week’s big Bollywood release is Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu starrer October. While we can’t wait to see Varun playing against type in this unique story about love, the film also promises to be a shot in the arm for the romance genre in Bollywood. Helmed by Shoojit Sircar and penned by Juhi Chaturvedi, October also stars Gitanjali Rao, Sahil Vedoliyaa and Prashant Singh in pivotal roles.
Talking to indianexpress.com about October, director Shoojit Sircar said, “The idea was there with me from 2004. It is an intensely personal story. A few things happened in my life, which I can talk about once the film is released. So, it stayed with me since then, and then we worked on it. There is no definition to love. It is a feeling. So, I say feel October, experience October.”
Also Read | Shoojit Sircar on Varun Dhawan starrer October: It is an intensely personal story
Read all the updates about Varun Dhawan’s October:
October has opened to good reviews. Critics can't stop raving about the performances of Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu in the Shoojit Sircar directorial. Also, October writer Juhi Chaturvedi is garnering praise from all quarters.
Also Read | October movie review: The real winner here is writer Juhi Chaturvedi
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Speaking to indianexpress.com, Shoojit Sircar said, "I didn’t cast him because he was Varun Dhawan. We first write the script, it is the backbone and spine of my films. So, when Juhi wrote this, we didn’t have any talent in our mind. We were looking for fresh faces as we had an idea how our characters should be. Me and Varun, nowhere go together when it comes to the kind of cinema we have come across and done. I have not seen his films at all, so we didn’t cast him on that basis as well. We don’t go along at all. Casting him was unexpected. He wanted to meet me for a long time. One day, in November, he texted asking me if we could meet. I asked if he could come right away. He said he had just woken up and was dressed clumsily. I insisted that he come to my office the way he is. And he showed up in his ripped denims, a crumpled shirt and disheveled hair. He walked in and sat in front of me. I didn’t see Varun Dhawan. In my mind, I was only looking for my character. We were looking for a boy with integrity in his eyes. Suddenly there he was, in front of me, Dan."
Film trade analyst Girish Johar says that with the kind of star power Varun Dhawan holds, October is bound to do well at the box office. He added, “Though October is not the typical masala film, Varun has had a good track record at the box office. Moreover, the film is being directed by Sircar who has earned his place as a reputed filmmaker with films like Vicky Donor and Piku.” Johar expects the film to collect a total of Rs 7 crore on its opening day.
Also read | October box office prediction: Varun Dhawan’s film is expected to earn Rs 7 crore on day 1
The album of October is composed by Shantanu Moitra, Armaan Malik and Anupam Roy. Moitra told indianexpress.com, "October is a beautifully written love story and it has been shot beautifully too. The tune for the theme came to me naturally without putting a lot of thought into it. Shoojit and I loved it, so we were sure some people will definitely like it. We never expected that the nation will groove to the tunes of October but I also had no doubts about the music of the movie. I knew people will like it.”
Also Read: October theme is a part of the DNA of the film, says music composer Shantanu Moitra
Shubhra Gupta in her review says, "The film tells us that romance doesn’t necessarily have to play out in the metric of song-and-dance-and-high-pitched-melodrama; that it can be low-key, and unusual, can be conducted through speaking glances, rather than words."
Two hotel management trainees, Dan (Dhawan) and Shiuli (Sandhu) forge an unlikely bond under the most trying of circumstances. The film is a gentle unfolding of love and loss and longing, and takes its time getting to where it’s headed. Calling it slow would be to entirely miss the point, because the rhythms of life cannot be fast-forwarded.
Also Read | October movie review: The real winner here is writer Juhi Chaturvedi
Talking about Varun Dhawan's casting for the role of Danish Wallia aka Dan, producer Ronnie Lahiri said, "I never saw Varun’s films. But one day when he came and met Shoojit in his office, Shoojit sent me his picture. In it, he looked like a regular, boy next door. The best part was Varun was ready to completely surrender himself to the film. He never asked for the entire script and trusted Shoojit. For someone who has back to back commercial hits, Varun trusting a director who doesn’t do his kind of cinema showed his hunger for good roles. I think Varun wants to be an actor more than a star."
Also Read | Varun Dhawan wants to be an actor more than a star, says October producer Ronnie Lahiri
Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar's world ripped the stardom off Varun Dhawan, leaving him vulnerable like never before. The actor had to change his walk, the pitch and the tone which he used while acting in other films. But the process that Shoojit used to get Varun into the skin of Dan, a 20-something boy made Varun feel cared about for the first time. He said, "For the first time, people were caring about how I was feeling as an actor. Before this, no one gave a damn, you just come and give your shot. But this time, people actually cared."
Also Read | Varun Dhawan on October: I have never been so vulnerable on a film set
In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com, October writer Juhi Chaturvedi talked at length about the character of Dan (Varun Dhawan) in the film. 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.”
Also Read | Writer Juhi Chaturvedi on October: Varun Dhawan’s Dan is the kind of character who will force you to believe in ‘unconditional love’
Amitabh Bachchan: "OCTOBER film, एक पुष्प 'हरृंगार' ( harshringaar ) का, gentle, soft, श्री Krishn called it 'Paarijaat', in Bengal 'Shiuli' unique tree, does not wait flowers to give fruits or seeds... blooms in moonlight... sheds the flowers before sunrise, like a weeping shower..."
Karan Johar: "#October is absolutely beautiful... just beautiful....sucks you into its world and absorbs you completely...I felt like I was standing there with the characters and feeling their every beat and emotion....@ShoojitSircar and @writeonj are a genius team!"
Pooja Bhatt: "My heartfelt wishes to the cast & crew of #October for their release today.This is the kind of film we must support because it is made with sheer conviction,belief & most importantly by independent producers-a rare breed in a world that has been taken over by corporate mindsets."
Taapsee Pannu: "Having watched #October only one word comes to my mind “Beautiful” and that’s the feeling it leaves behind @ShoojitSircar and @writeonj you are a kickass combo! @Varun_dvn I have never seen u so effortless on screen before! @BanitaSandhu welcome to movies 💞"
Ayushmann Khurrana: "Subtlety in love is rare. And that too on the celluloid is the rarest form of cinema. #October celebrates true selfless love. @Varun_dvn’s innocence is so endearing. @BanitaSandhu is a great discovery. Thank you @ShoojitSircar da @writeonj @ronnielahiri da ♥️"
Sophie Choudry: "Ur a brilliant actor @Varun_dvn but more than that u are a beautiful human being and that’s what shows through in the way u have portrayed Dan. Such an honest, endearing, sensitive performance.I now know why this film meant so much to u❤️ Congrats & All the best team #October"