October has been receiving many glowing reviews from the critics, with quite a few calling it the best movie of 2018. Having seen the movie, I may not completely agree with this notion, but there is one sentiment that I have in common with all the critics - this movie definitely boasts of Varun Dhawan's best performance till date.

A performance that had none of the entertaining quirks that we usually see in him when he is in a Karan Johar or his father David Dhawan's movie. Varun Dhawan is uncharacteristically disarming and unusually low-key in a movie where he obeys director Shoojit Sircar's diktats to a T. And in the process, he brings out a never-seen before range as an actor. Even in October's weaker moments, it is Varun Dhawan's really awesome performance that holds the movie together.

In short, October is Varun Dhawan's shining torch as an actor; a readymade answer to silence his critics who accuse him of aping Salman Khan and Govinda. Varun Dhawan, take a bow!

That said, selling a movie like October at the box office is quite a difficult proposition. While celebs and critics, as well as hardcore Varun Dhawan fans, are going gaga over the movie, October is not an easy watch when it comes to pacing and its abstract feel. The premise offers you nothing new, and the proceedings are cumbersome at times. What saves the movie in these moments are its wry humorous moments and Varun's performance. But you can't help but see there are mixed emotions in the theatre hall once the end-credits start rolling.

October is not the kind of movie that Tiger Zinda Hai and Baaghi 2 loving audience would care for, and these viewers matter at the box office. Speaking about its box office forecast to BollywoodLife, trade analyst Atul Vikas Mohan has realistic expectations from the movie. He had said, “October will not rake in crazy numbers at the box office because it is not a commercial film. However, having said that, I still feel October will earn Rs 7 crore plus on day one. It should go on to grow courtesy the word of mouth publicity and end up with Rs 20 – 25 crore over the first weekend.” These are quite optimistic numbers for sure, and can be expected since Varun Dhawan has a strong fan-base.

It also helps that October has a chance of clicking with the overseas audiences. However, the movie is reportedly made on a budget of Rs 40 crores, so like Mohan said, October needs to ride well on word of mouth publicity to be profitable.

So what do you say - Will October that has Varun Dhawan's finest performance also be the first flop in his career? Let's hope that the audience surprise us in the same way as Varun Dhawan did in October.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2018 03:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).