Wake Up Sid (2009)
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Kon Kona Sen Sharma,
Rating: 3/5
There are movies which have a subject matter you can relate to, movies which are a reflection of the lifestyle and attitudes of the new generation. These movies have characters you can identify with and their story is essentially one that you know as it has already unfolded or unfolding in your life or the life of people around you. Wake Up Sid is one such movie. It is yet another addition to the F5 Club as I call it. F5 Club consists Hindi movies (Eg. Dil Chahta Hai, Jhankaar Beats, Dev D & Luck By Chance) which have F5’ed (read Refresh) the multiplex going audience by serving them a slice of their own life.
Many of us (the self made kind) have always said to ourselves – “Oh these rich brats have had it all easy in life having being served everything on a silver platter. What do these kids know about responsibility and the struggles of everyday life?” Siddharth Mehra played by the dashing Ranbir Kapoor is one of those rich brats who lives life king size and whose occupation is spending his father’s money! In Sid’s dictionary, the words love, work and study don’t exist! He flunks his college exam, refuses to join his dad’s business and leaves home after a fight with his parents. But for all his immaturity and I don’t care attitude, Sid is a sweet and endearing character, a person you would like to befriend. The movie is about the series of events that lead to Sid’s awakening as a mature and independent man. The plot is as predictable as a straight line yet you relate to it as it sucks you in for those two and a half hours while you sip Coke and munch your pop corn.
Besides the coming of age of Siddharth Mehra, Wake Up Sid is a feel good romantic movie. The romance between Sid and Aisha, a girl who shifts to Mumbai to pursue her passion as a writer is not of the love at first sight variety. Opposites attract but it takes time for the realization of mutual attraction to set in, something which is shown well in the movie.
The young debutant director Ayan Mukerji proves that often the person who writes the script is in the best position to direct it. The story and its subsequent execution has both simplicity and honesty. This honesty is reflected in the way the characters are etched out. Sid’s friends are real and ordinary looking people, the kinds who are not necessarily the most stunning looking people you will ever see. Then there are Sid’s parents with whom he does not share a very close relationship with. His mom like any other mom barges into his room without knocking, cleans up the mess inside, dotes on his son and insists that he eats ghar ka khaana. His dad on the other hand is a go getter, a self made man who is proud of his achievements on one hand and dismayed by his son’s aimlessness in life on the other.
Ranbir Kapoor once again shows his charm and swagger as he plays Sid effortlessly. It is true that the role doesn’t really stretch his acting capabilities but he needs to be credited for sustaining audience interest in a predictable plot. Ranbir is without a doubt, a mega superstar in the making. Konkona Sen, the seasoned actress is at her best playing a role which she has played many times in the past. It is a master stroke by the director to get Kon Kona to play Aisha instead of one of the reigning queens of Hindi cinema. Konkona fits the bill perfectly. The casting of the support cast is good and director manages to extract quality performances.
Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions adds to the movie the bright, colorful and larger than life glitz it is known for. Whether it is the sea being overlooked by the Bombay skyline or the colorful and often creepy streets of the suburbs and its defaced buildings, top notch cinematography ensures that Bombay is captured brilliantly. Having been born in Bombay ( I insist on not using Mumbai) and spending the first three years of my life there, this movie made me miss that city. The flair, passion for life, the mad pace, and the clichéd - never say die attitude of the city is in the backdrop a very important character of this film.
With the music of Wake Up Sid, Shankar Ehsaan Loy have added yet another feather in their cap. The soundtrack is uplifting and Kya Karoon (a quintessential feel good song) & Iktara (soulful and additive) are the best picks in the album. It is a pity that the male version of Iktara which is there as a background score in the movie was not included in the album.
Despite being bound by limitations of being predictable and moving at a slow pace, Wake Up Sid works because it is honest (Yes I once again use that word). It is a movie which makes you reminisce those times when you were uncertain about the direction your life is going to take or that time when you were unsure of your feelings for someone or the first time you really felt a sense of purpose and pride. If a movie manages to strike a chord like that, it is a successful attempt. Wake Up Sid is an urban story which is well presented.
