Wake Up Sid is a simple story of an clueless boy finding his meaning in life. It is Lakshya, but less violent and patriotic. The premise is simple, straight forward and predictable, but that does not make it any less fun. Quite the opposite, Wake Up Sid is a sweet, refreshing coming of age tale, told with a light touch, with able actors and a love for Bombay (yes, its Bombay, not Mumbai).
Right from the first shot, we are introduced to Siddharth, aka Sid, a clueless rich kid. He does not know what he wants in life, for him, its just from one moment to another. One look at him, and you know that he does not know where he is going. Any more attempt at looking clueless, and he would look stoned. We witnesshim trying hard to prepare for his exams and getting distracted while studying, only to flunk in his final exams. But it does not seem to worry him, and all he wants to do is hang out with his buddies. While at a farewell part, he meets Aisha Banerjee (Konkana), he opposite, a new girl in the city, out to make a career for herself and gain independence. Over the course of the movie, the opposites gel, Sid finally wakes up to life and responsibilities.
As with other Dharma Productions movies (K3G, Dostana), this movie is also quite unreal in its outlook. The Bombay they exist in is clean, hip and rich. Sid seems to be too rich to be true, everyone seems to speak in only English. Loaded with such unrealities, the movie was bound to suck, but the fresh approach to the subject is what saves it. Full marks must go to the director for that.
For one, there's the view of Bombay, seen in movie after a long time (after
Kaminey, lol). There's the necklace, the bombay skyline, the night sky. Without going into specifics, the movies manages to capture a slice of Bombay.
Performance-wise, the actors do a commendable job. Ranbir is spot on in his portrayal of the clueless Sid. Konkana as the no-nonsense Aisha is perfectly cast as his exact opposite. Anupam Kher as Sid's frustrated fater seems bored as the rich businessman, but redeems himself when he scolds Sid for failing his exams. There is pain in his voice as he scolds at him for talking back at his mother. Supriya Pathak as Sid's mother gets on the nerves when she tries to speak to him in broken English. She is meant to be an endearing character, but fails to do so. The rest of the cast of friends are one dimensional in character development. All are true friends, eager to help.
The music of the movies gels with the going-ons. It sets the mood for the tone of movies. Of special note are 'Ek Tara' and 'Shaam Tanha' by Agnee. If you havent heard that song, hear it, its a very nice soft number.
And then theres Bombay. I did not notice it initially, but on reflection, the entire movie is shot in Bombay. This makes it the second move after Kaminey to be shot entirely in that city (there was
Sankat City as well, but that was before Kaminey, and really, that movie does not matter). This Bombay is not the gritty Mumbai of
Kaminey, rather it is pleasantville, People here are rather good natured, things happen on time, a girls can come to this city and get invited to a collgege farewell party, meets a guy who walks her back to her hostel, later finds her a place to live, sets her place up, and later moves in with her. Totally unbeliveable, but there are certain shots of the city which make it worth it. Theres the shot of the city at night as Sid and Aisha sit on the rooftop, the shot of Bombay rains, the Ursula apts (did i get the name right?).
Overall, the premise and execution of the movie tende to make it unrealistic, but the finer points like the music and the locations and the actors lift it to above average.
Recommended viewing.
Nitpick: Its
Not Just Jazz By The Bay, not Jazz By The Bay.
