Revisiting Wake Up Sid

Director: Ayan Mukherji

Cast: Ranbeer Kapoor, Konkona SenSharma, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak, Rahul Khanna.

Rating: 8/10.

Debutant director Ayan Mukerji’s Wake Up Sid, comes with a fresh air amidst Bollywood’s not –so – real, masala movies. It is both simple and magical and is weaved beautifully by Mukherji. The movie has something more to it than just a coming – of- age story. It mirrors a slice of life.

Twenty something Siddharth Mehera/ Sid( played by Ranbeer Kapoor), a carefree, lazy, slacker and also a rich kid who spends his dad’s money on expensive clothes, discotheques, etc.lives in Mumbai and encounters Aisha Banerjee( played by Konkona Sen Sharma); she is a few years older than him and also a complete antithesis to his character. Aisha is confident, independent and has definite goals in life. She is the sort who reads Murakami and Tagore and probably watches Woody Allen movies( notice the  Annie  Hall poster hanging on the wall of her apartment). After a rift with his father Sid moves into Aisha’s cuddly apartment and thus begins his waking up process in life.

But apart from the storyline  what is more intriguing are the protagonists- Sid and Aisha. We relate to both of them and love almost everything about them. Sid’s attitude of living in the moment, his love for photography, his method of preparing the birthday cake for Aisha are all such things which keeps us glued to the screen. And Ranbeer Kapoor fits easily into the character. Also Aisha’s style, her love for books( the way she smells books), her fetish for cleanliness, her confused state in the matters of heart are the things with which we can relate to. Sensharma known for appearing mainly in parallel cinema and talented acting skills puts life to Aisha’s character. Also Anupam Kher as Sid’s father and Supriya Pathak as Sid’s English learning mother are apt for their roles. Rahul Khanna as Aisha’s handsome boss also deserves mentioning. With his minimal acting he manages to portray his character with ease. Sid’s two friends also are worth mentioning.

Mukherji all through the movie maintains a laid back narrative. The happenings in the movie are familiar but his way of handling them makes them look quite different. Instead of including lip locking scenes the director has peppered up the movie with various tender moments. The editing is also brilliant and do not get a chance to stifle the yawn.

The music very efficiently helps us to have a look into Sid and Aisha’s minds. Iktara by Rekha Bharadwaj and Boondon ke Moti are refreshing. The English number So Close is also equally good.

But Wake Up Sid has its shortcomings also – the film is about every urban youth and only they who have grown up in cities can relate. The ending too is a bit Hollywood like.

Overall with simple yet breathtaking scenes , realistic characters and feel good moments Wake Up Sid is a must watch.