Wake Up Sid

A very refreshing and a very likable debut from writer-director Ayan Mukherjee. Considering the resume of his producer, a very gutsy effort as well.

There is nothing novel about the premise of Wake Up Sid, neither is there any major plot twist that is not quite evident from watching the preview of the film. And yet Ayan is very observant in his writing and seems very true in his approach. He also treats the viewer with appropriate intelligence to let things unfold consequentially and logically.

It is also very inspiring to know that the entire film is shot in Mumbai - it is a story about Mumbai and Ayan adds a beautiful underlying subplot about the city, its character and its weather. Anil Mehta has done an amazing job capturing Mumbai on screen.

The supporting cast and Konkona as well as Rahul Khanna all do a very admirable job, but this is really all about Ranbir Kapoor. He has come of age in this movie as an actor with tremendous ability. The arc of his character is not extremely difficult in its emotionality, but Ranbir has added tremendous conviction and sincerity to it. It is very heartening to see and keeping in mind his forthcoming films, I am very excited.

But most of all, I must applaud Karan Johar. As a producer or director, this is his seventh film - KKHH, KKKG, KHNH, Kaal, KANK, Dostana and now Wake Up Sid. This is his best and the only one that I have personally liked. I applaud him because he has taken a chance and really put his money and his reputation on the line for something that is truly different given his filmography so far.

Indian cinema has changed amazingly in the last 5 years or so and I hope that with films like these KJ and his Dharma Productions will be a part of the newer, smarter, cooler and dare I say better Bollywood. 8/10.

I must be way behind the perfection Ayan brings in what he does the best. I may be immature too to find the movie loses its track a few times in the middle, although it doesn't. Everything makes sense as soon as it reaches climax. Ranbir Kapoor was fabulous, so was Konkana. Anupam Kher always knows how he can bring the best out of anything. He is one of the greatest actors Bollywood has found. Mumbai, the rains, the job, the beaches, the excitement in living, also with one another is satisfying to watch. This movie won't make you laugh like crazy, but will make you get in love with it towards the end.

I do not accompany my wife on her visits to the cinema to watch most new Hindi movies. There is a rash of silly comedies (supposed to be) with one or more from Akshay Kumar, the Deshmukh kid, Fardeen Khan, Sunil Shetty, Govinda in his terrible new avatar and others of their ilk. Or there are the Shahrukh Khan types with his ever increasing hamming that people continue to love in this country after half a century (in my life time) of watching. I wait and wait for a great review or for one of the few friends whose judgment I trust to tell me here is a you must see before I go to watch a Bollywood film. So when my good friend Sandhya Divecha told my wife to ask me to see this one I went.

And it was good.

Yes it could have been better (almost every movie can be and most Hindi movies can be MUCH better) but it was enjoyable. It was my first time watching Ranbir Kapoor and he is pretty good. This kid needs time (and better luck than his father) and he could be a real star. Everyone know how good an actress Konkana is but he more than holds his own and thats a big compliment.

The first half is a bit patchy but gets better as the movie gets going and the second one is a breeze. Anupam Kher does an ordinary job as he does more and more frequently of late and the highly talented Supriya Pathak is given yet another role which makes her mouth silly broken English. Friends tell me that it suits the role but that doesn't convince me. But both Kher and Pathak have minor roles. Its is Ranbir and Konkana all the way and you go with them and their emotions all the way.

Go watch it, as someone said in another review, with someone you love or intend to.

Indian cinema is finally coming of age with established banners taking chances with new age directors & relevant themes. Wake up Sid is one such attempt. The movie opens with a last minute study routine that all of us have gone through some time of the other. The film connects with you from then on.

Ranbir Kapoor plays the rich kid Sid who has never thought of any plans beyond tonight and couldn't care less about making a career. Konkana Sen Sharma has just come to Bombay to make something of her in the field of creative writing. She has tastes ranging from Tagore to Annie Hall. How they meet at a party and become friends. And Sid goes about discovering himself with Aisha (Konkana), who is elder to him, as his muse. Their building romance is subtle & well presented.

The director delivers some powerful scenes. The one when Sid's dad asks him to leave home is par excellence. The director's sensibilities are obvious by portraying Sid as a boy who likes his bunch of people but is rude to others not his kind. As is generally the case in real life too. Attention to detail is visible from little things like Sid's servant's over-sized T-shirts which look like Sid's throwaways.

The music may not have been a chart buster, but flows with the movie. "Ikk Tara" is definitely the high point of the movie. Also, the background score is particularly good. In some scenes, the score begins and then stops playing abruptly just enough for the actors to deliver some intense scenes, then it begins again. A good experiment. Impactful too.

Ranbir with his stoned look is ideal for the lead character. His expressions are natural. Look for the sequence when he sees the result sheet to know that he has failed the exams. Konkana Sen Sharma takes over from where she left in Luck By Chance, not to say that she's repetitive, but an almost perfect antithesis to Sid.

There are some flaws like the friends keep coming in & going out & remain on the fringes of the film. They could have been more to them. There are some parts that do remind of Dil Chahta Hai & Lakhshya as the basic premise remains the same. But it does not take you on a journey to picturesque Goa or the Kargil war for Sid to wake up. It is more a journey within, near home. Watch it, it's worth.

The lazy, spoilt, Son-of-a-Rich-Dad is back again on the screens. This time he takes the form of Siddarth Mehra.

Firstly though, Ayan Mukherji (story, screenplay and direction) deserves immense praise for his directorial debut venture. As far as the story goes, there is nothing new or novel. The script has no unexpected twists or such. It goes along at its own sweet pace and you can foretell every next incident. This is a movie more on the lines of 'Dil Chahta Hai' meets 'Lakshya'. But where Ayan scores heavily is in the direction and screenplay departments. The direction is fresh and uncomplicated. He stuck to the very basic rule and kept it simple, and this has definitely paid huge dividends. The screenplay is crisp and well executed. It shows in the way Ayan has resisted the desire to jump into song-and-dance sequences, as are most bollywood movies prone to, and thats a refreshing change.

The movie revolves around our protagonist Siddarth Mehra (Sid, as his friends call him), who is arrogant, self-centred, has an absolute disrespectful attitude to financial dealings (read shopping) and anything to do with exercising his mental capabilities. Be it learning at college or going through the daily 9-to-5 grind. Though most of us may not readily identify ourself with Sid, we all have surely known a personality like him at some point of our life. Sid strikes up friendship with Aisha Bannerjee, played superbly by Konkona Sen Sharma, during a boring farewell party. The friendship grows stronger, initially through e-mails and then through setting up Aisha's flat. The two characters are poles apart, Aisha strives to be independent, is organised and has a set of goals, whereas Sid on the other hand is carefree and childishly immature with not a care in the world. As the story evolves Sid has a spat with his parents and leaves home. He takes refuge in Aisha's flat and is slowly forced to delve deeper into his way of living. He has virtually taken everything for granted in his life so far, including his friends and his parents. He now has to take life by the horns. It can be safely said that he admires Aisha's opinion of him and transforms himself to please her in ways he never knew before, and in the process he matures in his thinking and takes responsibilities seriously. How he nurtures his hobby and utilises it to make a living, thus turning a new leaf in his life forms the rest of the story. Not to mention, he even realises he is in love too, as one is wont to expect.

The actors have all lived up to the expectations. Ranbir Kapoor as Sid is a revelation. This is the first movie i watched of his and i think he has a very bright future, though i would hate to see him go wandering into stereotype bollywood. The way he gets all childish when he has learnt to fry eggs is as admirable as it is funny. He is pleased as a punch and puts a smile on your face. Konkona Sen Sharma as Aisha does here what she knows doing best. She has acted in various roles doing justice to them all and the role of Aisha is no different. You just cant help but admire the various emotions that she can pull-off. A pleasing change from all the eye-candy mainstream actresses who have flooded bollywood of late. Supriya Pathak and Anupam Kher as Sid's parents do an applaudable job. The scene where Supriya Pathak tries to learn English so that she can bond with Sid more as a friend than a mother deserves a special mention. She sure strikes a few emotional chords with the mature audience. Kashmira Shah has very few lines in the movie and she is pleasing on the eye. Hope she had a meatier role. Rahul Khanna as the editor does his job well.

The direction is top-notch, so is the screenplay and acting. Some viewers may find it a bit too long but i think the editing is sharp and the camera work goes a long way to make this movie an interesting watch. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is pleasing on the ear without being too imposing. All-in-all its a good movie for a weekend at the cinemas as long as you don't look too deep into the 'same-old-story' aspect.