Shoojit Sircar launches Banita Sandhu in love story October

When Shoojit Sircar’s newest project, October, was announced late July, there was no lead actress. The Piku director is launching a newcomer, Banita Sandhu, in the love story opposite Varun Dhawan. The filmmakers and photographer Avinash Gowariker had teased the casting of Sandhu in the film over the weekend with the hashtag #WhosThatGirl.

In a statement, Sircar said, “When it comes to the genre of romance, it is always beautiful to see a fresh pairing. Something about seeing their chemistry blossom through the reels of the film, makes you feel a part of their journey from the very beginning. For October, that was one of the main reasons why I chose Banita for the lead role opposite Varun.”

Not much is known about Sandhu as yet apart from the fact that she hails from Wales, UK and appeared in several advertisements including the Wrigley’s Doublemint commercial titled ‘Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se’ which Sircar directed last year.

Previously, Sircar had introduced Minissha Lamba in Yahaan (2005) and Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam in Vicky Donor (2012).

Writer Juhi Chaturvedi, who worked with Sircar on Vicky Donor and Piku (2015), will be penning the script for October as well. The film is produced by Ronnie Lahiri’s Rising Sun Films and is due for a 2018 release.