Shoojit Sircar is a master craftsman when it comes to making films and October is his latest masterpiece where he weaves a story from a simple incident and makes you cry uncontrollably. The film presents Varun Dhawan as a hotel management trainee who doesn’t forgive himself for not being there when his colleague Shiuli (Banita Sandhu) met an accident. As Dan, he is everywhere sometimes making a fool out of himself and sometimes being the caring alter-ego. How he interacts with his friends before and after the accident is what the film is about because it affects his character more than anything.

The film’s idea originated from a newspaper clipping and that’s why the director’s craftsmanship seems real. Such films are not usually commercially successful but they leave a mark due to their excellent cinematography, the expressions of the actors and the pace at which things move. Varun Dhawan is a revelation here because this film is different from anything he has done before and his performance makes you in awe of his acting prowess more than it did in Badlapur. Not only did he train with real people to get the feel of the character but also controlled his inner Govinda which would have ruined the film.

Written by Juhi Chaturvedi, who had previously written Vicky Donor and Piku, the film is named October as it is the month when autumn season is in full bloom and the story of Dan and Shiuli is just like autumn – never blossoms fully. Banita Sandhu as the hotel-trainee-turned-patient can be termed as a breath of fresh air in Bollywood because she acted with her eyes and let herself be de-glamorised, a very bold and risky step for a newcomer to take. Renowned theatre artist Gitanjali Rao also makes her film debut as Shiuli’s mother and impresses big time. The dialogues are as simple as everyday convos which makes this film hard to digest for fans of hard-hitting dialogues; watch it only if you have sensitivities to accept sensible stuff otherwise be sensible to stay away from a movie that might be too classy for your taste.