Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar says actor Varun Dhawan was initially not in the running to act in upcoming film October.
“We needed someone young and fresh, like 20 years old, so Varun Dhawan was not on my casting list at all. Also I had not seen his films,” Sircar said at a promotional event.
“But one day he was in office and I saw him. I was aware of his image, his commercial world image, but somewhere I felt he is not like that, he is different,” he added.
Sircar found the actor perfect for his character Dan, because “he has something different in his eyes... honesty and innocence. There is something very nice and vulnerable about him. He just doesn’t only dance and jump, there is some sensibility in him too. He is perfect as Dan, the character”.
The Vicky Donor director also praised Dhawan for taking on October.
“Good thing about Varun Dhawan, despite his success with films, for him to do this kind of film, an unusual and unconventional story, that is really brave,” he said.
Banita Sandhu, the debutante from Wales, stars opposite Dhawan in the film.
“I wanted to cast absolutely fresh for this film. So when I met Banita, I saw someone who was very intelligent, her eyes were really expressive, and she didn’t have to do too much to express. She did very little and it expressed a lot and that I would call acting. I felt in my gut and instinct that she was right,” Sircar said.
“There is maturity in her in terms of thinking, and I thought she is right for the role and when you will see the film, you will know. Just like in Piku, you can’t think of anyone other than Deepika Padukone as Piku, it is the same with her,” he added.
The film is written by Juhi Chaturvedi and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar under Rising Sun Films banner. It is scheduled to release on April 12 across the UAE. The cast will be in Dubai a day before that for its world premiere.
