Jasmine blooms in October. Why am I so late and unable to turn back time? A very special film. It is unique and unlike anything else. It leaves behind a painfully sad feeling of some irreparable loss.
There are two people sitting on the steps of the house - he and she - Mother and Son. The Mother’s admiring gaze is fixed on Dan, and as if she were astonished to ask, “Lord, so many years have passed and you still love her!” Dan's eyes radiate calm happiness from the fact that he got a jasmine tree - blooming only one day a year, but became a hope for salvation and a symbol of love Shiuli, forever settled in his heart.
The film is very controversial. This is not a love story, but a love story. Throughout the film you will not see ardent glances, fleeting smiles, flirtations, courtship, you will not hear confessions of love. But you will feel her presence, in every gesture, in every look, in every movement. At the same time, the question arises of itself - and when it appeared, where is the turning point in the relationship of the main characters - Dan and Shiuli? But the tragedy of history is that this moment did not happen, it just did not have time to happen. And all this is conveyed at the level of sensations incredibly piercing. Immediately after watching, I was struck by such a flurry of emotions, as if I had fallen under a waterfall. I really want to, but I can't find the right words to describe this deafening state. I hope you can find them.
I watched the film yesterday, before going to bed, but he still does not let go, all day today I think about him. Memories and thoughts about the film constantly return to the scene, causing a feeling of great sadness and a soft warm light in the soul. Crazy beautiful music, constantly sounds in the ears, a swarm of thoughts spins in the head. It’s an amazing and exciting experience. This is a rare case when you want to again plunge into this volatile atmosphere, feel all the nuances and again admire the performance of actors, which is at the highest level.
Varun Dhavan is incomparable. His character Danish, (Dan), a young man of about 20 years, is an intern at the fashionable Radisson Hotel. He is hot and irritable, hot-tempered, overconfident and a little lazy, and always nagging about anything. Just like a young man at that age. He sees his task in quickly finishing a boring internship, and having the makings of a cook, to open his own business, together with friends.
Banita Sandhu, a new actress for me. I saw her for the first time. She played Shiuli, a girl who trains with Dan, she and his age. But unlike Dan, she knows a lot, is interested in everything, modest and verbose. The exact opposite of it.
There is nothing in common between the two, and nothing special happens during the internship. With boyish arrogance Dan makes fun of Shiuli, sometimes mocks and shows contempt for her with all his appearance. She is very serious, she tries her best to concentrate on practice and does not react to the injections and attacks of Dan. Where does the sympathy between them come from? But behind this outward manifestation of indifference, trickles of mutual interest begin to be felt imperceptibly, which never had time to develop into something more.
When a tragedy occurs with Shiuli, then Dan faces a very difficult choice whether to participate in her fate further or not. They're not even friends. However, Dana is constantly tormented by the question of why, a couple of seconds before the tragedy, Shiuli asked Where is Dan? What does that mean? Why was she interested in him? Does she feel anything for him? Getting answers to these questions for Dan becomes vital, although friends accuse him of being too involved in the situation and lacking in pragmatism.
However, we should not forget that young people in their twenties are not generally characterized by an open manifestation of feelings. The fear of approaching, the fear of saying something first, the fear of appearing an idiot at the same time, is often covered with a mask of indifference, and the behavior of stupid ridicule mixed with the desire at any time to come to the aid of your loved one. This is how Dan behaved ( Varun's brilliant work). And it seems that Shiuli understood everything perfectly, allowing him sometimes to be useful. The director very accurately conveyed this psychology of youth.
What is this movie about? Covering a period of several years, he tells the viewer about the growing up of a young man, about how a young egoist and bozoter becomes a reliable person, subtly feeling, sincerely loving and immensely devoted. This is a film about the lack of understanding of sincerity in society, about not the acceptance by others of the behavior of a person that seems meaningless and irrational, but in fact - the behavior of a Real Man. One has only to compare what Dan was at the beginning of the film, with what and most importantly how he went through the path of rebirth into a completely different person, absolutely positive and even happy in something.
The film must be watched by those who want to see the OTHER Varun Dhavan. Not jumping, not dancing, not glamorous, not humorous and energetic, but very thoughtful, serious, playing with just a glance. Impressive and very serious role of Varuna. The entire film is based on his charisma. And you can't take your eyes off it.
Banita Sandhu is a very successful find of the director. To her credit, her debut role was great. She performed everything perfectly and was very organic in the frame. I think after this role she has a great future in Indian cinema.
I really liked the actress who played the mother Shiuli. Especially in the second half of the film, when her character smoothly and imperceptibly becomes the main character along with the character Varuna. At some point, it feels like they have become like Mother and Son. The actress played very brightly, realistically, accurately and truthfully. And her eyes full of tears, grief and despair are simply impossible to forget.
The film is sad, sad, piercing. The music that accompanies the film is a violin that only adds to the sadness of everything we see. The film is literally woven of nuances and shades.
This film requires the viewer to fully immerse himself in this story. You don’t have to watch it while doing something else at the same time. It is highly recommended to find a little less than two hours of time, sit down and concentrate. Because watching is not going to be an easy walk. The film needs to devote all your attention, then it will absorb you completely and reward you with a hundredfold, and give the very feeling of sadness that just freezes your heart. However, it is still worth watching. The main thing is to feel.
10 out of 10