Fresh, inspiring and awfully sweet, debutant director Ayaan Mukherji’s ‘Wake Up Sid’ is sheer genius. Inspite of a simple and predictable story, ‘Wake Up Sid’ manages to feel bright and make you smile a lot. It’s so sweet, it almost hurts.
The story is quite obvious even from the titles and the promos. Sid Mehra (Ranbir) has just finished college and is completely aimless. On the very same day, he has a chance encounter with Aisha Banerjee (Konkona Sen Sharma) who is the exact opposite of what he is. The movie is basically about Sid’s journey from the day he’s out of college to the day he’s finally found his calling. The magic is however in the small moments of his learning; in his failures and his initial denial and later in his acceptance; in his realization of love and the direction of life. Each such moment has been scripted brilliantly and the performances are just right. Neither too loud, nor too subtle, Ayaan Mukherji has managed to brilliantly balance realism with story-telling. For instance, when Sid goes to meet his mom, he doesn’t give her a hug, and that was very like him. At another place, just the expressions on a mom’s face while playing with her son for a picture perfect moment do the talking. No dialogues are said, there isn’t a heavy background score. Just a few light guitar strings and her expressions make the audience feel exactly what Sid is feeling.
Another thing I loved about the movie was that though Sid grows up in the movie, he still remains a kid at heart. He doesn’t grow up beyond his capabilities and become a hero. He just conquers his demons and for him, that’s enough growing up. And again as I said, the magic is in the nuances. At one stage, he looks at Konkona and winks. That one second scene, that subtle mannerism of his, is another step in his personal journey.
Ranbir finally seems to have dug out his dad’s innocence and his mom’s good looks from his gene pool; not to mention the acting talent. Sid Mehra’s boyish and vulnerable charm is very likeable and (I know I’m repeating this but there is no other way to describe it) awfully sweet. Konkona Sen is, as always, a class act. She plays her part to perfection. But this is Ranbir’s movie all along. He alone, is the 10 reasons to watch ‘Wake Up Sid’. And then you’ve got Konkona, and the music.
The music is another super score by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. This trio has somehow sensed the change in music tastes or maybe they are being the change themselves. Right from Taare Zameen Par to Rock On and now to Wake Up Sid, their music is starting to change the feel of movies. What was Pianos in the 1970s was replaced by Violins and Keyboards during the 90s (remember Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi by Anu Malik) and now their music has primarily guitar strings. That is one reason why their music sounds so fresh and new.
If you’re still wondering, I’d say ‘Wake Up Sid’ is definitely a must watch. Yes, the story is predictable and we could’ve done with a little more witty humor considering it features college kids but the magic of the movie is in its feel. It comes across as nice, honest and extremely endearing, just like its protagonist Sid, and you don’t even have to switch off your brains to enjoy it.
Located in Dubai but Heart in India 