October: Varun Dhawan delivers his career's best performance

It was easy to label Varun Dhawan as yet-another-star-kid-making-his foray-into-films when he made his debut in 2012 in Karan Johar's unusually unrealistic Student Of The Year. The film's success, of course, ensured that the actor got more roles and a huge fan following. Over the years, amid multiple commercial blockbusters that dominate the box office, Dhawan has also managed to make his critics sit up and take notice of his talent in an un-Dhawan film called Badlapur. And if Badlapur, with its dark, sometimes disturbing story, proved Dhawan's talent as an actor, his latest, Shoojit Sircar's October will just take him a notch higher.

At the onset, Sircar's October is a story of mundane life. Dhawan and newcomer Banita Sandhu play Dan and Shiuli- young 20 something Hotel Management students training in one of Delhi's five-star hotels. Shiuli is the hardworking, diligent of the lot while Dan whiles away time at work, is fickle minded, lazy and casual about almost everything in life. A freak accident brings Dan and Shiuli closer in ways they could have never imagined- and the two embark on a journey of unusual friendship, love and solidarity.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

As Shiuli slips into a coma, Dan, the colleague who Shiuli barely spoke to, stands as a pillar of support to her family and her mother Vidya (Geetanjali Rao). In the beginning, Dan's intrusion seems rather strange- and just like the curious hospital staff, you want to know why he doesn't get on with his life like his other classmates have,post the accident. But as he becomes a regular in the hospital, you warm up to his presence, much like the nurse, the receptionist and the guard at the hospital do. Dan suddenly finds a purpose, a direction in life and is willing to wait endless hours to get his answer to a nagging question that Shiuli asked before slipping into a coma.

Sircar's film oscillates between the quiet, glum hospital and the busy, bustling hotel throughout the film- with the hotel serving as a perfect metaphor of the mundane life that moves on, despite tragedies whereas time stands still in the ICU where Shiuli rests or awaits death.

Writer Juhi Chaturvedi, who credited for writing Vicky Donor and Piku, presents a sublime world where a directionless, impatient Dan finds a meaning and purpose to his life. He is fickle in the begging, cannot stay still yet he is the first one to rally for Shiuli as a relative mildly hints at mercy killing.Chaturvedi's poetic narrative is ably supported by Avik Mukhopadhyay's camerawork who indulges in several aerial shots to put perspective on the situation.

While the story and its deeper meaning make you feel melancholic, the mundanity of life that is depicted can wear you off after a point. Certain scenes are there to establish how times stands still for Shiuli and her family even though the world around them moves on but repeated shots of the hospital make the 115-minute long film a bit slow and boring. It also doesn't help that in so many scenes there are no dialogues, just Shantanu Moitra's background score to establish how life gets back to normal pace despite disruptions.

October, though works despite these glitches. For its sublime, poetic interpretation of life and for its leading man Varun Dhawan who underplays his character and makes Dan mildly irritating but endearing nevertheless. Dhawan sheds his blockbuster hero tag and gives one of the finest performances of his career. I'd rate it above Badlapur even. Becasue the character in Badlapur was far more defined. In October, Dhawan plays a regular guy who transforms into a sensitive man over the course of the film. Sandhu, with few dialogues and a role that doesn't let her move too much, emotes through her eyes. It's a tricky role to debut with but Sandhu lets her eyes do the talking. The other actress who stands out is Geetanjali Rao who plays the grief stricken yet responsible mother of Shiuli beautifully.

Sircar weaves a beautiful story of life and death and of a boy coming of age. We derive happiness as autumn sets in each year and inhale in the fragrance of night jasmines or the shiulis in that season, knowing that it only lasts for a limited time. In the film, Dan through his unusual bond with Shiuli finds a greater purpose to life, learning what to let go ofwith time and what to hold on to.

WatchOctoberfor Varun Dhawan, for its story about ordinary lives. The film celebrates all of us and our ability to all about hope because hope is all we have in life.