Top critic
NDTV
Film review ·
10.0
Varun Dhawan Shines In This Exquisite Drama...Director Shoojit Sircar has made his bravest film, a poetic and emotional drama about unconditional affection
October
out of 10
Recommendedmost critics liked it
Monk Score · 25 scored reviews · 8 not ratedSircar's lyrical meditation on loss earns its feeling, if slowly.
Verdict tier Recommended, most critics liked it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.
- Praised: Varun Dhawan's restrained performance
- Criticised: Slow, repetitive pacing
Audience
User score 7.5 out of 10 from 22 ratings, Recommended
Read 13 audience reviews ↓Not streaming in India
Top cast
Critic consensus
What 30 critics are saying
October receives a broadly positive reception, with most critics praising Shoojit Sircar's restrained, non-melodramatic approach to a story about love, loss, and human empathy. Varun Dhawan's performance is widely highlighted as a revelation, with several critics noting Sircar's ability to draw an unexpectedly nuanced turn from him. The film's meditative, lyrical quality and its use of the night jasmine as a metaphor for life's ephemerality are frequently cited as strengths. The most consistent criticism is the film's slow, repetitive pacing, with a minority of critics finding it pretentious or insufficiently rewarding for the patience it demands.
How the 25 scores spread
8 not-rated reviews aren't plotted
Positive / mixed / negative reviews
Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10
AI-generated summary of 30 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyFrom the papers
Critic reviews (33)
Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated
Top critic
Film Companion
Film review ·
7.0...this is the sort of film that will divide audiences – for some, it will play as painfully pretentious. For others, it will evoke a depth of emotions. I belong to the latter.
Top critic
IBNLive
Film review ·
7.0Unlike the case with Shoojit and Juhi's previous collaborations Vicky Donor and Piku, the mood in October is decidedly somber; there's very little to laugh about. Be warned the overwhelming sadness will take a piece out of you. If you allow it though it has the power to change the way you look at love and life.
Top critic
Indian Express
Film review ·
5.0October 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.
Top critic
Baradwaj Rangan
Film review ·
There are many wonderful moments in October, but the epiphany never quite arrives. Some will say that's okay, that just the experience is enough. I guess I wanted more from what I found a fascinating experiment rather than a fulfilling film.
Hindustan Times
Film review ·
9.0Calling Varun Dhawan's film only a love story will be injustice to its resilient tone. It's a battle, both inter-personal and intra-personal.
DNA India
Film review ·
8.0If you're the sort who doesn't give up on life easily, you should watch October. It's got passion and more importantly, it's got soul.
FridayMoviez
Film review ·
8.0October doesn't seem like a commercial film but rather a heartfelt journey with a lot of emotions. We finally sense what heartbreak feels like, how unconditional care is everything, and how such films need to be watched with all our heart. Do invest your time in this priceless affair of love titled 'October'.
India Today
Film review ·
8.0October is shorn of any sort of melodrama. Yet, leaves you with a lump in your throat.
Mid-Day
Film review ·
8.0This subtle, lyrical drama had me slightly teary-eyed on occasion — it could be because of an emotional trigger, or perhaps a memory it subconsciously draws one towards. This happens to me a lot at the movies by the way. Just so you know, and can probably treat that as a word of caution as well!
Rediff
Film review ·
8.0October is the month when the sweet-smelling flower, known as parijat, shiuli, harsingar, night jasmine or prajakta, enters bloom. But the lesson of love and loss in Shoojit Sircar's poignant new drama is likely to linger all year long.
Times Of India
Film review ·
8.0In love and relationships, a lot remains unsaid and undefined. What can't find it's way into words, will find a way to flow out. Let it. The fragrant memory of Shiuli (the Bengali name for Night Jasmine) and Dan's unconditional story will linger long after. Go, take it all in.
Wogma
Film review ·
8.0When a review becomes more about the viewer's experience, emotions and thought-flow, it is a movie well-made, a movie one must watch. Even if you might want to watch it over and over again.
APotpourriOfVestiges
Film review ·
7.0October is a soulful film that teaches us never to lose hope. Credit to Sircar for giving refreshing treatment to a subject that's been done to death in cinema. While October doesn't have the boisterousness of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand or the bittersweet romance of A Walk to Remember, the honest performances of Varun Dhawan and the newcomer Banita Sandhu make it a memorable experience. A well-intentioned drama, October requires patience from its viewers. But, if you are looking for a quintessential Bollywood masala film then October is not for you.
Deccan Chronicle
Film review ·
7.0October is about love, of course. But more than that, it's about the inevitable grief that love leads to.
Masala
Film review ·
7.0October is not a usual film. We might even question what bonded the two lead characters. Some of the scenes are extremely sluggish. Yet the film moved me to tears multiple times. I am happy filmmakers are taking a chance, not sticking to a format and experimenting bravely.
Mumbai Mirror
Film review ·
7.0Let's just say it — this film, like the October-born Librans, is moody and petulant and yet, almost obsessively sentimental.
Sify
Film review ·
7.0Director Shoojt Sircar's October is a poignant tale about love and hope, where Shiuli or night Jasmine flowers, which are perfumed and spread their fragrance everywhere and abound in autumn, is cleverly used as a metaphor to denote the ephemeral nature of life.
Deccan Chronicle
Film review ·
6.0October is soulful, heart wrenching and a compelling watch but with flaws here and there. If you are an ardent fan of slow weepy tales, then go for it.
FilmiBeat
Film review ·
6.0Watching this slow-paced film could be a laborious task for those who are not used to this brand of cinema. 'And the night-blooming flowers open, the whole night exhales a scent that disappears in the wind. And then dawn: the petals close a little crumpled'- October tells the tale of different shade of love that says it all despite leaving behind some unspoken words.
Fully Hyderabad
Film review ·
6.0This is not a film that will leave you hanging at the edge of your seat. There are no major plot-twists and no significantly impactful script. The acting is passable and the vibe throughout the film overbearingly sad. Even though there are a few attempts to lighten the mood through Varun Dhawan's glib jokes, the atmosphere remains one of doleful hope. The cinematography, camerawork and music are commendable, and the screenplay and direction are remarkable, but none of them can really take your attention away from all that is lacking in the movie. Unless you're feeling rather masochistic, it's safe to skip this one.
India Today
Film review ·
6.0As a film 'October' is like cold summer, imagine standing in the sun and shivering. It's limitless energy defeated by an inevitable end. While you feel for the protagonists, as a viewer you restrain yourself and end up being indifferent to the act. You relate to it but this is not your story and you certainly don't want to make it yours.
KoiMoi
Film review ·
6.0All said and done, go and watch October for Varun Dhawan. He has expanded his range of versatility with this one and Shoojit Sircar has managed to rip out a shade of him which was never seen before.
NowRunning
Film review ·
6.0Shoojit Sircar has managed to turn a singing, dancing, goofball called Varun Dhawan and shown us that the lad can get the audience to cry and laugh and be on his side. October is an unlikely film for Bollywood so used to boy meets girl and falls in love narrative, that a story about human empathy is rare. The film falters because it takes it own time and feels like it is stuck in a loop, but if you are patient, the reward is wonderful.
Gulf News
Film review ·
5.0Barring riveting performances from its principal actors and nuggets of wry humour, this drama — with tragic undertones — crawls at a mind-numbing pace. It's one of those films that takes pride in being pretentious, arty and hyperbolic.
IndiaWest
Film review ·
4.0Watch this film only if you want to see GenY's most popular hero dazzle differently. Otherwise, stay away from what is decidedly like a boring arthouse movie, despite its few good points.
Firstpost
Film review ·
Discerning viewers would label Juhi as conflicted on the burning issue of passive euthanasia. But with October, she shows that she does not care. Her film transcends logic, debate and even ethics. It is touted as a story about love. More than love, October propositions itself as a story about hope.
IBNLive
Film review ·
Varun Dhawan Proves His Worth In Shoojit Sircar's Poetic Lovestory...Once again it's the story and the flow of the narrative that wins your heart. There are long pauses and silences with shots of corridors, or ground, with no activity, and in this stillness, you find the rhythm of the story. Varun Dhawan justifies himself under Shoojit Sircar's supervision in October.
Komal Nahta's Blog
Film review ·
October has class appeal but it has enough soul to touch many hearts and reach the winning post at the box-office, more so because its entire investment (cost of production plus cost of promotion, publicity and marketing) has been recovered completely from non-theatrical sources (satellite, digital, audio rights). Public reports will vary from boring to very sensitive but it will appeal to the target audience and do fair business at the ticket windows in the final tally. It may have started slow but collections will pick up, especially in good multiplexes and big cities. Business in small centres and mass-frequented single-screen cinemas as also in lesser multiplexes will, of course, be very dull.
Reuters
Film review ·
"October" doesn't hurry from one plot point to the other. In fact there aren't any plot points. This might prompt some to call it slow, but it is not. Sircar and Chaturvedi bring a meditative quality to the story, and it is this quality that makes "October" stand out.
Scroll.in
Film review ·
There is a Hallmark quality to Dan's lack of direction, which is presented without adequate explanation. But there is also a lived-in quality to Chaturvedi's study of life-threatening illness, which is rarely explored by the movies with any seriousness.
The Hindu
Film review ·
Death is the finale for only the one who dies. October underlines this with melancholy that resonates without ever turning maudlin.
Yahoo
Film review ·
'October' is an unusual love story and Varun Dhawan's acting is definitely worth watching.
From our readers
Audience reviews (13)
22 ratings · user score 7.5
- Bindu CherungathApr 20188/10
Shoojit Sircar's October has the combination of Juhi Chaturvedi's empathetic writing and Varun Dhawan's superlative restrained performance. The film may not have many elements of laughter, joy, celebration, music etc. but it shares a story which is full of human values. The emotions which are tapped in the film are that of sadness, grief, loss etc. The best part about the film is that Shoojit and Juhi never lose the track and insert any amount of exaggeration in the film. The tone of the film stays consistent. Yes, the pace may seem to be slow, but then, that is how life also moves when stuck in tragedy. The film takes an emotional leap towards the end. Another good part of the film is that the screenplay very clearly talks about certain human values viz. how important it is to be selfless when somebody is going through tough phase in his or her life; deeds devoid of any concrete results in sight or expectations are also important. The film can be summed up in one-liner, but the beauty of the film lies in how Juhi has captured the complexities of life, love, grief, death in a soulful manner. October may not appeal to you if your entertainment is linked to moments of laughter, but it would certainly touch your heart. Danish aka Dan (Varun Dhawan) and Shiuli (Banita Sandhu) are colleagues as management trainee in a five star hospital. Dan does not enjoy being trapped in mundane tasks. He keeps sharing with his colleagues and friends that he wants to own a restaurant. Shuili meets with an accident. Though she survives the accident, she slips into coma and she lies on bed simply like a vegetable. Dan and Shiuli were mere colleagues, their relationship was not at all explored prior to the accident. Shiuli's last dialogue of her enquiry about Dan with her friend makes Dan wonder, why she was asking about him. This initially pulls him to hospital to Shiuli, but later on, he unconditionally visits her and evolves as a strong pillar of support for Shiuli's family. Dan's character is interesting, he is stubborn, persistent, consistent in nature who doggedly keeps visiting Shuili in hospital, whereas all others even his family questions him. Romance in not the underlying intention behind his visits to the hospital, which itself makes the scenes interesting. He is raw at places, innocence, cuteness also reflect. Varun has really tapped the character of Dan. A beautiful dialogue in the film, when Dan confronts Shuili's uncle when he says that she might not recover and what if she wakes up and doesn't remember who they are. Dan responds: So what, if she doesn't remember who you are, at least all of you remember who she is. Banita Sandhu beautifully projects the character of Shiuli. The role might not have been an easy one for her. But she has certainly enacted very well and also captured the gloom of Shiuli. Another character, who gave goosebumps in certain shots, was that of Shiuli's mother by Geetanjali Rao. A great performance by her too.
- Mahesh Kumar BhagatApr 20188/10
Varun once again out shined the entire film, and deserve to be because the work he performed was breathtaking. Now the rest was a feel which one cannot forget soon. After a very long time Bollywood has come up with an masterpiece of calmness and yet so fast moving life,a truth only the pure soul can handle.
- Srinibash PatraApr 20181/10
should have guts to watch this movie. Total loss of time.
- Navneet Singh GahlotApr 201810/10
It's a love story unlike any other. It shows that you can feel love as you want. The movie is really awesome and both the stars act really well. And a little comedy scenes are there in movie because of innocency of Dan i.e. varun. You must watch it at least once.
- Ankit AnandApr 201810/10
Writer's, Director's,Cinematographer's delight. Many times I felt that now it is going to dwindle but that never happened.This is the best thing of this movie. But many questions were left unanswered. This movie is not made to answer the questions.We should answer them by own. This is certainly a newer thing for Indian audiences.
- Aakash PaulApr 201810/10
Exceptional script, direction and cinematography.Flawless acting by both the lead actors...... another feather in shoojit sirkar,s cap
- Akash GangwarApr 201810/10
Great movie great acting by varun dhawan it was all alive when i was watching movie .literally i cried after watching movie ,how why this happened? I don't know .....? It was like this all happen to me?it was so realistic .
- Tejas NairJun 20184/10
The ambiguity in Shoojit Sircar's October is its biggest enemy as you spend two hours waiting to find the message being conveyed and then get disappointed. Varun Dhawan is the star of this tragic drama where he plays a dim-witted but innocent young man working as a hospitality intern at a 5-star hotel. It is when one of his co-workers, played by newcomer Banita Sandhu, slips from the terrace of the hotel and finds herself in a coma that the film starts talking to you. I like how director Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi take a slow-paced approach at storytelling, not revealing much about the characters while at it. In that regard, the film is an unfolding of Dhawan's character, which I should mention reveals Dhawan's acting skills to some extent. I don't know how he signed up for this, but in lines similar to Sriram Raghavan's Badlapur (2015), he puts up a mature and demanding show, stealing the limelight all the way. October, therefore, is a film solely made to showcase his talent as an actor and tell a bland story from the side skirts. Sandhu is bedridden for most part so there's nothing to see there, but the supporting cast do a decent job. I also appreciate the nostalgic tone of the entire movie, which sets up the mood for the drama that unfolds. October also tries to showcase how words can mean a lot even when they are uttered in regular dialogue, and for that, it gets 4 stars from me. I still cannot forgive it for almost putting me to sleep. TN.
- Gladis MonteiroJul 20187/10
The movie is for those who love the silence of mere melancholy and who have a penchant for all things poetic accompanied by slow rhythmic scenes. Directed by acclaimed director Shoojit Sircar, who has treated us with good cinema in the past like Piku and Vivky Donor, October is a fresh perspective on young love. Varun Dhawan is endearing in his performance as an arrogant, clumsy yet likeable Dan will instantly strike a chord. There are no mysteries, no secrets, no backstory and yet what you see on screen will leave you wondering about love and allied emotions. The debutant Banita, though has minimum dialogues, speaks through her eyes in most parrts of the movie and trust me she does her job with such finesse that you can't help but fall in love with her character just like the lead actor. October is not for the restless one nor is it for someone who seeks drama, action and thrill. The movie boasts of ace cinematography and the soothing yet melancholic music composed by Shantanu Moitra just takes the movie to new levels. Watch October if you want to witness poetry in actions sans words.
- Keertiraj singh solankiJul 20188/10
October movie with a different way and with different perception towards life by dan which was played by varun dhawan and it was something simple, yes as we ll know bollywood is all about drama and dance but here Shoojit Sircar came with an different thought and writer juhi chaturvedi gave just a simple meaning of life with some beautiful and short dialogue were you get starstruck. All around it was good movie worth watching it.
- Aditya ParulekarFeb 201910/10
One of the most beautiful Indian film to have come out in years.
- himanshu pandeyOct 20198/10
Its April here..again a transition time.from shivering to sweat,from fan to AC,from sip of coffee to gulp of Pepsi and...and from Baaghi to soojit Sircar's October... Well,the title 'October' also has a deep meaning in itself..It is the month of transitioning into the fall (autumn in northern hemisphere) in one part of this world while it is the month of blossoming in other (spring in southern )..It also means eight which is symbolically represented with vertical infinity signifies that every point is the begining and the end in itself i.e life has to come a full circle..October also is the 10th month of the calendar and 10 signifies the two inevitable part of our existence that is life and death( 1 and 0 being on and off in binary system respectively).so we can see a pattern here indicating the two aspects i.e life and death..With all this symbolism in its entirety,soojit sircar and juhi chaturvedi(my favourite,writer of Vicky donor and piku) presents this lovely soothing drama with beautiful pallets of range of emotions which are powerful enough to strike ur emotional chord... October is basically a story of a hotel intern shuili(bani sandhu) who in an unfortunate accident goes into the coma and how dan,her one of the colleagues(brilliant Varun Dhawan) tries to resurrect her with his emotional support.. October is beautifully captured through lenses..it seems Soojit Sircar has a connection with Delhi and its winter..be it vicki donor,piku or October,you can always find delhi with its winter as an important character in his movie..even in october, u can forget April and enjoy the chill... Editing and dialogues are also crisp..transition from one scene to another in quick pace does not bore u at all which otherwise could have happened with this kind of story.. October does not only hinges on the love point of view but also brings up the issue of Euthnasia(mercy killing)..it asks the important question that should anybody be given the authority to plug out the life of other in order to relieve them from pain and suffering?? In all,October is an ensemble of consistent writing,apt direction,hard hitting message and beautiful performances.. This april,October deserves u..must pay a visit...
- Shashwat SisodiaOct 20197/10
Shoojit Sircar's 'October' easily had room for so much more other than its silence, but still, it is sober enough for being the best Hindi film till now this year. Shoojit Sircar pens a poetry and paints a portrait with great depth and in equal parts with his extremely grief-striking October. The narration of the story is ultimately touching- because its ultimately a difficulty to create some moments which are insignificant into a premise that is full of warmth, depth and conviction. The performances of Varun Dhawan as Danny Waliya and Binita Sindhu as Shiuli don't ultimately win you over, but you still get satsfaction. Let me warn you, it's a little stretched. But those who want to enjoy a full-bodied summary of profoundness, subtleity and symbolic camerawork should watch it.
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