In Pics: WAKE UP SID Promotion

Wake Up Sid - Movie Review

Recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your list. Recall those years when staying awake at nights, chatting away with friends became a habit. Recall those years when bunking college and sneaking into movie halls was more exciting than books. Recall those years when you were completely clueless and aimless about the vocation you wanted to pursue once you graduated… That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life can never be erased from your memory.

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

Actually, WAKE UP SID is a slice of life film. 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 WAKE UP SID most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who's mastered the craft at such a young age.

Verdict? WAKE UP SID mirrors those years with flourish. This one's a simple story that strikes a chord instantly. Strongly recommended!

WAKE UP SID tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid [Ranbir Kapoor], a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams. Sid's world is breezy, carefree and without any true responsibilities.

Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi [Namit Das] and Laxmi [Shikha Talsania], very rarely communicates with his mother Sarita [Supriya Pathak] and takes his father Ram Mehra [Anupam Kher] and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy; sweet, funny and above all, a good friend.

Aisha Bannerjee [Konkona Sen Sharma], an aspiring writer from Kolkata, learns this soon enough when her 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 friend in the city.

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 anything you've watched before. Not DIL CHAHTA HAI. Not LAKSHYA either. Debutante director Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to 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 intermission, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid's world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. But the post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It's only towards the finale that things perk up. Ideally, the film could've done with some trimming in this hour.

Ayan Mukerji packs 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 superb. Prior to that Konkona's birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. Music [Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] is melodious. Anil Mehta's cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are just right.

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. Ditto for Supriya Pathak. Both shine in their respective parts. Namit Das and Shikha Talsania are perfect. Rahul Khanna doesn't get any scope.

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 this Friday. Its distributors [UTV] have very rightly released the film at plexes of metros and mini-metros [instead of flooding the market with physical and digital prints], which in turn should only make this small film talked-about in days to come. Thumbs Up!

A floored fan gets hugged by Ranbir Kapoor twice

Pari Gandhi, a student at the Malini Kishore College in Juhu, (she hails from Rajkot, Gujarat) bunked her college, on hearing from a friend that her favourite actor Ranbir Kapoor was going to be present at an event in the city.

The day turned out to be like a dream, and she got to kiss her idol, and even got two hugs from him. Ranbir was attending a CNN-IBN contest for his next release, Wake Up Sid.

Pari says, "I think this was one of those rare occasions when I sneaked out from class and bunked college. But I had to meet Ranbir Kapor. It's been one of my dreams to see him in person. My mom and I are huge fans of his and have watched both his releases.

My mom loves his and thinks he looks like my brother Pawan. In fact, we are all planning to go and watch Wake Up Sid as Ranbir's character appears to resemble my brother a lot - lazy, can't tie his own shoes, etc."

At the event, Pari walked up to Ranbir and told him, "I know Deepika is your girlfriend and she won't like it, but I want to be your girlfriend." She even proposed to him in front of the crowds and he told her, "You can be my girlfriend for today" and hugged her.

Pari, who took part in a dancing contest, continues, "When I first saw him, I almost swooned. He is so good-looking! He mingled with my friends comfortably and was at ease. I told him that that if he liked my performance, he had to hug me again. I didn't want to perform but the temptation of getting another hug from him was tempting, so I did. He hugged me - obviously, he liked my performance."

Not surprisingly, she doesn't think he makes a cute pair with his girlfriend Deepika Padukone, "I don't think they look good together. I am jealous of Deepika," concludes the fan, who has Ranbir's posters on my bedroom walls and cupboards. "I wasn't feeling well that day and my voice had gone or I would have even sung for Ranbir."

Karan wakes up with Ayan and Ranbir

Producer Karan Johar talks about Wake Up Sid!, young director Ayan Mukerji and working with Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma.

“Wake Up Sid! is a very special film. Ayan took some time off to write the film. He called me one day and narrated it to me. He told me it wasn’t the quintessential Dharma Production film and I loved it because I wanted to break out of that mould anyway. Ayan’s film is small, special and simple. It is a film with its heart, gut and soul in place. It is not screaming opulence and melodrama. It’s a slice of life and coming-of-age story. It’s about characters, people and the city of Mumbai. All this has been woven into a film with a lot of heart. Each character in the film and the situations are very identifiable,” says KJo.

“There is a Sid in every home, there are parents who are concerned about their child’s potential and future and there is a girl who is trying to find her bearings in the glorious city of Mumbai. Ayesha represents that angst of wanting to prove your mettle in a city like Bombay. Ayan has beautifully integrated all these moments and characters in Wake Up Sid. I am very excited because it marks a new beginning for us at Dharma, a new age of cinema, cinematic space and me branching out,” says Karan as he explains the characters.

“It is the only Dharma film that has been shot entirely in Mumbai. So I won’t get the question of whether this film is targeted at the NRI audience,” he jokes.

“I have had no input whatsoever in Wake Up Sid! It is completely Ayan’s vision and baby,” he clarifies, adding, “I consciously decided to keep out of it. He is a decade younger than me. He has a different energy and sensibility. I decided I would be the wrong person to offer any input to this film, be it the music, execution or narrative. I think I am too old to be part of Wake Up Sid!”

About the stars of the film, he says, “I haven’t worked with Ranbir and Konkona before. When you see the film, you don’t think you are watching people act, you think you are watching people in a real situation. Ranbir is young, new, today, fresh and amazing in the film. He has it all in his DNA.”

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Wake Up Sid - First Look

First Look: Wake Up Sid

Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen team up for Karan Johar’s coffee hour in Wake Up Sid.

Wake Up Sid is a soon to be released film that stars Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. This unusual pairing is the first for both the actors. The film is produced under Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

The film revolves around the relationship of a good looking rake who falls for a simpleton writer. Ayaan Mukherjee, who earlier was assistant director of Ashutosh Gowariker in Swades and Karan Johar in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is the debutante director of the film.

We brings you the first look of the film.