Wake Up Sid

Well to start off with, this flick will take you on a trip down memory lane. It, for sure will make you recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your to-do list, recall those times when staying awake at nights, chatting with friends, bunking college and sneaking into movie halls were more exciting than lectures. It will make you mesmerize those years when you were completely clueless about the carrier you wanted to pursue once you'r out of college. That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life which can never be erased from your memory.

WAKE UP SID, directed by debutante Ayan Mukerji, is like revisiting those years that lay at some easily accessible corner of your mind, after you moved on in life.

Practically speaking, WAKE UP SID is a scoop out of my very own life and may be all of us. It's not merely real in concept, but has also been told most realistically, so much so that you can't help but draw parallels with your life or with someone you know. But what really makes it most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who's mastered the craft so early in his innings in bollywood. Well, we can't complain given he runs on ever-so-graceful Rishi Kapoor's blood, can we?

WAKE UP SID mirrors those years with flourish. This one's a simple story that strikes THE chord the moment you step into the movie theater with the movie name and trailers in the back of your mind.

WAKE UP SID tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid [Ranbir Kapoor], a laid back, lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after finishing his final year college exams. Sid's world is refrained from responsibilities by a long distance. Its moreover about a boy-in-limbo's metamorphosis into a man-in-charge who's leisurely paced, as if unapologetically echoing Sid's laidback temperament, an affable yet clueless college lad who snaps at his folks, doodles on his accounts text book to party hard at Ruby Tuesday, gaming arcades, shopping malls and discotheques with his two best friends – a plump Betty-types (an instantly likeable Shikha Talsania) and a bearded sensitive Joe (Namit Das, half-amusing), driving a sleek Honda CRV, with an exceptionally trendy wardrobe of cartoon-themed tees (Joker, Dastardly, Beavis & Butthead, Ghostbusters, Tom & Jerry, Snoopy to name a few), cute 'n' colourful boxers and a room-filled with all sorts of fanboy toys, gadgets and gizmos. Well now I see why I was able to relate myself to this movie!!

Yes, as mentioned, Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi and Laxmi, very rarely communicates with his mother and takes his father and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy who along with being sweet, funny is a good friend.
You got to see the scenes where he meets his dad [Anupam Kher] when he receives his first pay cheque and gifts it to him, the one where he slips into his ladylove's kurta as an expression of intimacy or the one where he and Rishi laughs the laters break-up out. I mean its gotta be only Ranbir who cud have done these in present day.

Aisha Bannerjee [Konkona Sen Sharma], an aspiring writer from Kolkata, whose path crosses with Sid's on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read and driven, Aisha has come to Mumbai to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha's first Bombay-friend in the city. Well these words might have created some political stir in BOMBAY ... aughh... MUMBAI. But I personally found it quite refreshing to address something that actually is!!

As Aisha sets up her life in Mumbai, with the help of Sid and his gang, Sid allows for time to fly by over long drives, parties that stretch well into dawn, and endless hours doing absolutely nothing. But a series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself.

Let's not compare WAKE UP SID with the likes of DIL CHAHTA HAI or LAKSHYA. Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to yourself or an acquaintance instantly and treats it with utmost care. A few moments linger in your memory and evoke bitter-sweet memories.

The first hour, right till the halftime, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid's world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. Actually personally I felt SID actually is an amalgamation of all three characters of Dil Chata Hai. The laid back, carefree attitude of AKASH, the flamboyant, smart with a hip hair-do kinda SAMEER and the mature and TRUE-LOVE caring guy SID of DCH. One who hates the monotonous life styles, who think - how people don't get bored doing the same work in office day in day out, one who doesn't think even once before doing things and the one who falls in love with a mature and kinda over aged women.

Wake Up Sid is as much about Aisha as it is about Sid. As the level-headed beauty looking to soar in the field of writing and nursing a crush on her debonair boss (Rahul Khanna in a spiffy cameo), Konkona treads familiar territory. There are occasions when she evokes a strong sense of déjà vu but the actress still finds ways to make her Aisha unique with a mix of patience, warmth, effortless sensuality and wide-eyed romanticism. The unlikely duo share a sublime, comfortable chemistry, which flowers from plausibly awkward to an endearing bonhomie to something truly special in a span of two and a half hours.

The post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Ayan got this one quite wrong. I didn't get what was the need of this number if it was not for the taking for Aisha. Could have been cooked better to add to the emotional track of the story which already was doing great. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It's only towards the finale that explodes. Ideally, the film could've done with some trimming in this hour.

You cannot fathom how Aisha on the strength of a job interview shifts into a new flat which is quickly transformed into a designer suite. The chanderi-fabric drapes alone must have cost 750 bucks per piece. It's all very visually attractive though. Considering Sid's dreamy imagination and penchant for photography, cinematographer Anil Mehta and production designer Amrita Mahal Nakai whip a tasteful theme of exuberance and youth in every single picture-perfect frame of this man-boy's world.

Ayan Mukerji delivers in a solid punch in most parts of the film. The emotional moments especially gets you all moist-eyed. The humour too is well integrated in the sequences. Even the confrontation between the father and son is just superb. Konkona's birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. I mean, it must be Ranbeer who cud have done any possible justice to this scene. A matchstick, few breads with jam toppings replacing a pre-ordered cake was just amazing and touchy. I cud see few watering eyes besides me at this point. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] is ever so melodious. "O re manwa" track deserves a mention here. Anil Mehta's cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are just spot on.

There's no denying that Ranbir Kapoor is a supremely talented actor, but in WAKE UP SID, he proves that he's amongst the best in the business today. No one could've portrayed Sid as effectively as Ranbir has enacted, that's for sure. This is an award-worthy performance.

Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer. Anupam Kher is wonderful. Rahul Khanna doesn't get any scope as he deserves. He is good otherwise, I'd say.

On the whole, WAKE UP SID is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience. Thumbs Up!

Ratings : 3.5/5