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Saturday, April 27, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD WAKE UP SID
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***1/2
Next time when a star son gets an opportunity to get an author-backed role,
let`s not complain. That`s because if he actually goes on to come up with as
flawless an act as seen in "Wake Up Sid", there is no reason why one
should really be looking around for anyone else.
Ranbir Kapoor comes up with a neat, simple and believable performance. When most
actors would have been happy to establish their standing in Bollywood with a
quintessential romantic hero role, Ranbir is anything but a hero here.
This is why he allows himself to be treated as a `kid` by Konkona Sen Sharma,
who by the way is happy to play a woman five years elder to him. However, there
is this special something which brews between them that pretty much gives the
true meaning of a platonic relationship.
There are five things that make "Wake Up Sid" a delightful affair. It
has a constant flow throughout; no over the top or understated drama; no ultra
emotional strangulation of audiences; absolutely no yuppie cool dude act; and
last but not the least, this is an original and refreshing story.
While the film actually becomes really engrossing in the second half, the first
half facilitates an adequate groundwork for the story to progress. There are
bitter sweet moments in the first half as well but one still wishes for that
extra something to kick start that would make "Wake Up Sid" go beyond
a regular "coming of age" film.
This is where young director Ayan Mukerji`s writing comes in handy because
unlike a conventional movie, he doesn`t just bring a turnaround in Sid`s
character by throwing a song to bring in that `overnight transformation`.
He keeps it soft and subtle starting from something as simple as Sid learning
how to prepare an omelette, keep his comic books stacked, prepare his own bed
and of course, earn his very first cheque.
By the time he returns to his dad (Anupam Kher in a short but effective role),
you realise that the destination was eventually met even as the journey wasn`t
quite `on your face` or `over the top`.
Meanwhile Konkona gets yet another complex role for herself. She is brilliant.
Watch out for her in the interview scene or the outburst when Ranbir decides to
go back to his parents` house. Her irritation in certain scenes with Ranbir is
utterly believable too and so are the tender ways in which she looks after him.
The supporting cast fits in well too. The young man who plays Rishi (Namit Das -
last seen in "The President Is Coming" as Ramesh) is just effortless.
Kashmira Shah, in her four-scenes act, is a pleasant surprise while Rahul Khanna
is decent in the limited footage.
While "Wake Up Sid" would of course raise Ranbir`s stock in months to
come, it would be noticed in a major way for Mukerji`s script sense and
direction. He makes the kind of debut that made Farhan Akhtar hot property after
"Dil Chahta Hai".
When the term 'superstar' is slowly becoming a thing of past, Ranbir Kapoor's name surely pops up like a beautiful promise to redeem that starry effect into Hindi Cinema. He is a wonderful mix of old world grace and uber coolness.Read More
Ayan Mukerji yet to lock title of his next filmDirector Ayan Mukerji says his next film with actor Ranbir Kapoor will feature a character who has a mystical connection with fire. And since fire is the symbol of power, the director tentatively called the film "Dragon" though he is yet to finalise the title.Read More
This is the story of Sidharth Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor), a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Bombay 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. The most imporatant elements in his life are his friends, his camera , his car , and his X-box 360
Sid thrives around 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 (Konkan Sharma), an aspiring writer from Calcatta, learns this soon enough when her path crosses with Sid`s on her first day in Bombay. Ambitious, well read, and driven, Aisha has come to Bombay 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 Bombay, 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 summers very rarely dull these days and Sid`s summer is no different. A series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take good look at himself. Will he, at some point figure out what he`s supposed to be doing with his life?
Wake Up Sid!
