The curiosity around Shoojit Sircar's next, titled 'October', is only natural — after all, the director had given Bollywood a gem with his last directorial, 'Piku' (2015)
Varun Dhawan
The curiosity around Shoojit Sircar's next, titled October, is only natural — after all, the director had given Bollywood a gem with his last directorial, Piku (2015). His next has piqued the audience interest all the more, as it sees him collaborating with Varun Dhawan for the first time.
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"October is an unusual slice-of-life story yet again," says Sircar, measuring his words, careful to not divulge much about the film.
Be it Vicky Donor (2012) or Piku, Shoojit Sircar has deftly mastered the art of finding stories in the everyday life. The director, on his part, says that his inspiration lies in Satyajit Ray's films.
Satyajit Ray
"Ray is a big influence in my life. One must go through his work to grasp the nuances of cinema," he says, his deep-rooted respect for Ray evident in his voice.
Such is his admiration for Satyajit Ray that the director revisited the cinema legend's works before writing the script of October. "When I sit down to write my films, I take inspiration from Ray's writing and movies. The same was true in the case of October as well."
Run through his filmography and it is obvious that Sircar likes to delve into unexplored subjects. "Like my previous work, this one, too, is an experiment. We are setting it in Delhi because that's a world I understand well. It's a coming-of-age story and completely character-driven."
Shoojit Sircar
The collaboration of Sircar and Varun Dhawan symbolises the fusion of two schools of thought — while the former is known for his subtlety, the latter leans towards commercial entertainers. "I'm glad we have an actor like Varun Dhawan on board. He is dynamic and a sucker for trying new things. Such flexible artistes add value to the plot. It is an unlikely story peppered with refreshing elements. I wouldn't call it a romantic film, it's a film about love."
While Sircar agrees that love stories abound in Bollywood, he feels there's always a new perspective possible on a subject as layered as love. "The subject of love never gets dated. There's always a new way to portray love. And the Indian audience never fails to surprise me. I never thought a film about sperm donation or constipation would appeal to them, but it did."
Quiz him about rumours of Deepika Padukone doing the film and he says, "The female cast is yet to be locked in."
Shoojit Sircar held a masterclass at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
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