Shiuli the fulcrum of The Movie October- A Tale of a Highly Sensitive Person

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, the night-flowering jasmine or parijat
Shiuli Flowers

The night-flowering jasmine is named in biology as Nyctanthes Arbor-Tritis, known in different names across the regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. 

We are considering here it's bengali name Shiuli to take it forward. Shiuli flowers have five to eight white petals arranged above a vibrant orange tube like a pinwheel. Shiuli is highly fragrant, open at night, and the surrounding area become smoothly and intensely aromatic. These flowers drop down from the branches at the first rays of sunlight.
Often the Shiuli Tree is called as Tree of Sorrow because of its extra-ordinary character, the scientific name Arbor-Tritis also means 'Sad-Tree'.

Middle month of the season of Shiuli blossoming is October, gives the birth of a story about Shiuli and Dan.

October


We prefer pleasure over pain, happiness over sadness, positive experiences over negative ones, so and so forth. Often we also face a dilemma that is negative experience actually make us happier in the long run ? The movie October says a lot, without saying lot.

Varun Dhawan in October
Varun Dhawan as Danish Walia aka Dan

The movie suggests that yes, we can use those tough experiences to build ourselves up instead letting them control and  tear us down. In fact any experience like a fight with a romantic partner or losing a loved one - has the potential for helping us gain a greater sense of meaning in our life.
Primarily, yes it can be marked that October is the story about love constructed from Dan's simple and innocent world-view and Shiuli's silent , stoic stares.
But calling October only a love story, we will miss to its resilient tone. It is the battle of life from various angles, it's about how far we can go for the things we believe in. It is about main character's endless search of one thing that define himself.
Hotel management intern Dan is very careless in his attitude, he does not like his job, and has a strained relationship with most of his colleagues, seniors. Dan's story is heart wrenching and nursed notions that no one expects anything from him including his parents.
Dan's life takes a giant leap when his fellow trainee Shiuli Iyer accidentally falls from the Hotel's roof

Banita Sandhu played as Shiuli Iyer in October
Banita Sandhu as Shiuli

on New Year's Eve and eventually when Dan knows that Shiuli's last words before falling was
"Where is Dan ?"
This words actually make a twist into Dan's mind.
Dan and Shiuli forge an unlikely bond in the most trying of circumstances . The plot is gentle unfolding of love and loss and longing, and takes its time to getting to where it's headed. In slow rhythm of Dan's life, romance opens up in low-key and unusual speaking glances rather than high pitched words and drama.
              

Dan the Highly Sensitive Person


It is not until much later that we see in the very first appearance of Dan's character and his reactions after Shiuli's accident that he is a highly sensitive person and then things finally make sense.

A slower, simpler pace of life

Highly Sensitive persons (HSP) process information deeply, and may move little slower than others and also experience the world little differently than others. Images of violence or stories of heartbreak can be excruciating to them. Sudden impact of any thing like loud noises, news or busy schedules have the power to rattle HSP's profoundly.
They may need time to do certain tasks, like getting out of the house in the morning. They may take a little longer time to make decisions, such as which item to buy at the grocery store, because they are taking in not just the mountain of choices, but also nutrition information, price and how they feel about chicken noodle soup. Suddenly their mind flashes to chickens being cooped up in tiny cages and then slaughtered ... and they must take a few beats to ponder if they can live with this reality on their dinner plate . All of this take time.
Dan, the young man is trying to figure out stuff too. Dan is fairly a trying fellow, always reluctant to buckle down and do the back-breaking scutwork that comes with his territory, always trying to cut corners.
His realization that he may have meant something more than just an irritating colleague to limpid eyed Shiuli is a bit sudden.      
     

Space to get emotional

Not only are HSPs extra sensitive to environmental situation, they are also sensitive emotionally.

Extra sensitive to emotions
Dan after the trauma of Shiuli's fall

According to Dr Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, sensitive people tend to cry more easily than others. She told the Huffington Post 
Sensitive people can't help but express what they're feeling. They show their anger, they show their happiness. Appreciating that is really important.
In our case Dan have not cried on screen but tries very hard to establish the meaning of Shiuli's last words before her fall
"Where is Dan ?"

Intimate and meaningful relationship

HSPs crave deep connections with others. In fact, according to Aron, they may get bored or restless in relationships that lack meaningful interaction. However, this does not mean they're prone to relationship hoping, Rather, they may actually work harder to strike up a meaningful conversation with their partner, create intimacy.
This also means HSPs tend to be selective about the people they let into their lives. A surface-level and give-and-take relationship will simply not cut it. An HSP wants to dive deep into the soul his/her selection and connect with him/her in a profound way.
Knowingly the fate of Shiuli after her accident Dan dives deep into her soul, to know her more and more in a profound way and act as a pillar for her survival mechanism.

Extra-Sensitive to Subtleties


Little rearrangement in room, remote talk in a gathering by a relative or colleagues, HSPs can sense many subtle shifts, whether they are tangible item or emotional talk. Aron says
"There's just this intuition they have about their environment that other people generally aren't aware of"
That intuition also guides them in their own relationships as well.
While haunting for the answer of the question
"Where is Dan?"
Dan finally took an extra ordinary step to offer Shiuli's love, the flower Shiuli -  Nyctanthes Arbor-Tritis. He places a handful of Shiuli in a manner that its aroma reaches to Shiuli who is sleeping deep in coma.
And it works Shiuli senses Shiuli and probably the heart of Dan.


HSPs do not mind to go solo


HSP's  functions best when they are in quieter environments - particularly in the workplace. They may also avoid group activities because they feel like their every move is scrutinized.
In several occasions Dan shows this trait in his job environment. After Shiuli's accident Dan is the regular visitor of Shiuli in the Hospital though other friends and colleagues are off. Dan makes and continues his solo presence in a bid to rouse his colleague from her vegetative state, despite ongoing warning to be fired from his job.

              

Outlet of Creativity


Many highly sensitive people have a strong need to create. They channel their poignant observations, insights and emotions into art, poetry, music and more. Deborah Ward, author of Overcoming Low Self-Esteem With Mindfulness writes
"Sensitivity can be overwhelming, but it is also like having extra RAM on my personal hard drive … Creativity is the pressure valve for all that accumulated emotional and sensory data.”              

A strong sense of purpose


Some people seem to drift through life without direction or purpose. For HSPs, this is unthinkable. Rather, they think deeply about the big things in life. Who are they, why are they here and what were they put on this planet to do?  Whether it is writing a novel, traveling the world, or leading the way for a cause they believe in, sensitive people crave meaning.

Loved Shiuli who understand and respect Dan's sensitive nature

Because most people are not highly sensitive, they simply don't understand what it's like to get very

Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu
Shiuli with Dan

stressed out by from a situation. But for HSP Dan need a person who truly understand his sensitivity, certainly Shiuli plays the role till her last breath.Shiuli protects Dan from over-stimulation. And Shiuli observes all the wonderful gifts that come with this rare trait of highly sensitive Dan.

Final Thought


HSP or not, our environment affects us. But for HSPs, the response is even more profound. For them, the way things look really matters. Cluttered, chaotic or just plain ugly environments may unsettle them. Beauty, love, understanding are the balm that rejuvenate and soothes.
The film October demands feeling from the viewers.
With feeling October can be watched several times.                             

When it comes down to it, Aron says the key sensitive people is to embrace their personality trait rather than work against it.
"Highly sensitive people make excellent leaders, friends and partners "
In other words - Keep on  experiencing those emotions HSPs - even if they do make us cry.   
On the film's perspective the overall catch is found on the two reactions :


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3 comments:

  1. Moonlight3 March 2019 at 20:48

    Learnt a lot. HSP, thinking about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Partha Bose4 March 2019 at 12:35

      Thank you Moonlight! There are various personality traits we demonstrate , see from others which make us different or similar to others. While watching Dan in the movie October, this HSP traits came to my mind, which I believe Dan's character portrays in expressing selfless love towards Shiuli.

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  2. Unknown20 July 2020 at 09:27

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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