Overview
Inspired by my recent trip to India, I wanted to cover the film “October” directed by Shoojit Sircar. The film covers the themes of love, loss, and resilience. It also highlights stark socioeconomic issues, areas for improvement in the healthcare setting, and issues with strict and tough work environments.
The film stars Varun Dhawan and debuts Banita Sandhu who also starred in the Bridgerton series and in Ap Dhillon’s song “With You”. Varun plays Dan, an intern training in hotel management at a large 5-star hotel in Delhi. Shiuli, played by Banita Sandhu is also an intern in the same program as Dan. It appears that Dan and Shiuli are coworkers and part of the same group but they have different personalities. Dan does not seem to care a lot about this internship and has plans with his friends to open their own restaurant one day. He is not afraid to speak his mind and often gets in trouble for it. Shiuli is more the type to mind her own business and perform well. She is newer than Dan and is really bright and has a lot of potential to do well.
In a tragic accident, Shiuli ends up in the hospital after falling off a nearly 30-meter-high ledge. The rest of what unfolds is a beautiful story showing that to be loved is to be understood, cared for, and protected.
Reaction and reflections
Socioeconomic status
I loved this movie so much that I watched it twice. We see how Dan matures as he struggles to balance visiting Shiuli with work responsibilities and seeing family and friends. It gets to the point where he is struggling to pay rent. This movie really shows just how far someone can go for someone they love. It also shows just how hard Dan’s life becomes once he becomes homeless and has to sleep at work. It reminded me of “The Pursuit of Happyness”, the 2006 film starring Will Smith. Both Dan and Chris (Will Smith) experience homelessness and yet still show up for work day in and day out. These moments really resonate with me and remind me of my parents and how hard they have worked to establish their lives. The one thing I notice in India every time I visit is the extremes of poverty and social class. It is alarming how easy it is to slip below the poverty line. Even when we visited Kolkata and Digha, we saw these large 5-star hotels meant to increase tourism, and right by the walls of the hotel are people’s homes or even people sleeping on the floor. To be fair, I see this in America too. It’s not something specific to India but it still strikes me every time I visit.
Medicine
As a medical student, I really appreciated how the neurosurgeon counseled Shiuli’s family in the movie. He really took the time to explain her situation and answer their questions. I loved the doctor’s explanation of what consciousness was when Dan asked him about it. The doctor also treated Shiuli as a human being which sounds like the bare minimum but I feel like it is common to forget this in the hospital setting. There are so many patients and we always de-identify patient data that it is easy to forget that sometimes. Shiuli’s uncle kept calling her a vegetable which really hurt me to hear, but the doctor kept his cool and always referred to her by name when he would say things like “Let’s give Shiuli more time”.
Romance
I’ll try not to make this part just be me obsessing over Varun Dhawan. However, he acted really well in this film. When I said above that to be loved is to be understood, cared for, and protected, he really embodied all of this in his character. The way he showed this in his actions really tugged on my heartstrings. For example, when he handpicked a bunch of her favorite flowers to adorn her bed or brought a parlor aunty to thread her eyebrows :D. Also, when he cussed out the janitor for staring at her lol. The way he understood Shiuli and made an effort to be there for her and her family was really admirable.
So yeah Varun Dhawan can be more than just an amazing dancer. I loved this movie so much and I highly encourage you to watch it if you want a cozy heartfelt watch this fall :).
Life of an Aloo 