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Wake Up Sid (2009)

Wake Up Sid (2009)

Whether it’s the typical Indian soap opera family saga, a controversial extra marital soap opera, or a playful film full of ribald humor, like him or loathe him, Karan Johar just knows how to make films. Period. With his latest venture Karan and Dharma Productions have come of age; quite ironically in a film that centers on the theme of ‘growing up’. Although Wake Up Sid overtly appears to have the same frivolous veneer that Dil Chahta Hai did, it’s far from it and manages to stand on its own, even though both films do roughly fall in the same genre.

The plot, as is evident from the title of the film, is based on Ranbir’s painful attempts of coming of age and adjusting to life post his college failure: walking out of his home and comfort zone and learning to live with Konkona Sen Sharma, an independent and focused woman, with whom he learns to cook, clean and basically hold his own after a life of being mollycoddled. The film also sees the come back of Kashmira Shah (the only dose of glamour in the film) as the hot and helpful neighbour who teaches Sid how to make an egg. In the past few films, one notes how endearingly Karan Johar has given a comeback to stars that have fizzled out. (Maybe his next will feature old friend Rani Mukherjee.) However unlike any of Karan’s previous ventures, Wake Up Sid is a mature and poignant film that pulls at one’s heart strings without using any trite Indian masala.

For starters the film touches upon issues of class in a very tactful way by projecting characters, such as Aisha (Konkona) in contrast to the carefree Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) who can only afford this nonchalance as he has a wealthy father who funds this lifestyle. The film is stripped clean of glamour and quiet refreshingly focuses on the nuances of real life where two people having tea can mean a party, a triple decker sloppy jam sandwich can be the best birthday celebration, where life means working hard and achieving goals. It also shows that growing up means learning to accept differences, to understand where others are coming from and stop being judgmental.

The film also gives a glimpse into the life of middle class Indians where though young women now have the independence to live alone in a chaotic city like Bombay to pursue their dreams, women from just a generation or two  above did not even have the privilege of good education.

The dialogue uttered by Sid’s mother: “I thought that if I could also speak English like your college friends maybe then we could also be friends”, is a tear jerker. It portrays the alienation mothers feel when their kids become ‘too cool’ for them. The scene where Sid runs to his father to give him his first pay cheque, for instance, is one of many that teaches the younger generation a thing or two on the dignity that comes from work. And unlike the romantic alliances forged amongst the youth on the basis of lust, Wake Up Sid (much like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na) depicts that love is built upon a genuine understanding and acceptance of each other’s personalities, intellect and background.

The musical score by Shankar, Ehsan and Loy is superb and the acting prowess of each character, even those with smaller screen time, is brilliantly delivered and infused with a lot of emotion. All in all, Wake Up Sid is a magnificent film that leaves one feeling tingly all over- Hani Taha Salim (Rating – 4 OUT OF 5)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2009, Genre – Comedy, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Karan Johar, Hiroo Johar, Director – Ayan Mukerji, Music Director – Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa, Cast – Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak

Comedy