BOMBAY TIMES (April 9, 2018)

National Award-winning director Shoojit Sircar is known for making films that offer a mix of realism, relatability and entertainment. Interestingly, he had recently said that his upcoming film, October, will mark Varun Dhawan’s debut of sorts, as it has the actor in a never-seenbefore avatar. The movie also stars debutante Banita Sandhu.

Shoojit’s words have rung true, because ever since the trailer of October released, Varun has offered glimpses of his impressive performance in it. However, it seems, perfecting the part was not easy for the young actor, who had to religiously follow the 10 commandments by his director. Wondering what they are? Read on...

THOU SHALL WAKE UP AND LOOK AT PLANTS: On waking up, Varun had to look at plants and not his phone. He did this for a year to imbibe calmness.

THOU SHALL NOT BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: He had to be off social media while shooting.

THOU SHALL TALK SOFTLY: The actor was asked to make a conscious effort to lower his volume and talk softly to everyone.

THOU SHALL NOT RACE AHEAD WITH THE SCRIPT: Varun was asked not to re-read the entire script before performing a scene. He had to focus on one scene at a time.

THOU SHALL LOOK NORMAL: The role required him to look like a regular 21-year-old boy, for which he stopped gymming and started following a normal diet instead of the special one.

THOU SHALL BE HONEST: Shoojit believes that being honest to oneself reflects in everything one does. So, he asked his lead actor to do the same.

THOU SHALL NOT WALK AND TALK LIKE A STAR: Instead of walking with a hero’s swagger, the actor was asked to practise walking like a regular guy.

THOU SHALL LOOK NATURAL: Shoojit made sure that Varun wore less to no make-up in the film.

THOU SHALL DO ALL THE WORK: As Shoojit wanted Varun to pick up the mannerisms of a hotel employee, he was asked to perform all the tasks of a trainee — cooking, cleaning, laundry, serving, etc.

THOU SHALL NOT SLEEP: Varun had to sacrifice his sleep for a few nights, as he was required to look sleep-deprived in some sequences.

October, produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar, is a Rising Sun Films production, and it releases on April 13.