By Vishakha Dahiya:
And as the movie comes to an end, I’m left in a strange situation again. After few hours of side-stepping everything else, I am left amused. This is the after effect of Wake Up Sid — It leaves in you a very happy and warm feeling inside. A “must watch” for everyone who feels uncertain about the future. No, this movie isn’t going to “lecture” you about the good and bad things in life, but it would definitely send that adrenalin rush all over your body – To get up and act rather than sitting and mourning. The thing about “Wake up Sid” is that all of us can identify it with some parts of ourselves.
The movie revolves around a careless, rich and irresponsible brat Sid Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor) and a very focussed and independent girl (Konkona Sen Sharma). Like everyone else, I am also bitten by the “Ranbir Kapoor” bug but that is not all! There is so much in the movie to look forward to apart from the obvious charm of the start cast. Siddharth Mehra (Sid) is like any other college going guy we can easily spot in the “Dhaba crowd” at St. Stephen’s in Delhi or the guys driving sports car at Xavier’s Mumbai, with no interest in studies what-so-ever. He is the son of a very successful self-made businessman Ram Mehra (Anupam Kher). A typical Mumbaikar by nature, Sid’s only interest is to live life king size and spend his dad’s money recklessly. His father tempts him with a new Porsche if Sid joins the office. But our fun-loving chap Sid Mehra couldn’t spend a week at office and it disgusted him to see people who come at the same time, leave at the same time and heck! They even dress the same. Professional ambitions remain immaterial to him.
Yes, all of have a bit of Sid Mehra in us and I find it totally fair by all means. Somewhere, I agree with Sid. If we aren’t happy with our work, we can always move on. We aren’t grounded like trees. This is one of the big lessons which the youth tend to shrug off.
Amidst all the torture from his work/college/personal life, Sid gets to meet Aisha, an aspiring writer. On their first meeting, they go out to take a stroll along the dim-lit streets of Mumbai. They strike a chord instantly and become pen friends. Aisha gets that coveted job but with dreams of a writer, she works as the editor’s assistant. Sid helps her with her new apartment. Although polar opposites, they form a deep friendship .While Aisha believes in living her life on her own terms, Sid is still an immature boy. In an unknown city, a friend in need is all you can ask for. Aisha was lucky enough to have Sid by her side who didn’t let her celebrate her birthday alone. They clicked instantly. It is such a happy feeling to see Sid make a birthday cake for Aisha with some slices of bread. Sometimes all you need is a friend and a cup of tea.
After exchanging a few bandy words with his family following his exams result, Sid decides to move out of his house and starts living with Aisha. Mind you, it’s not one of those typical live-in relationships that we see on television now-a-days. Their relationship is purely platonic. But with no “Pa” to give him his credit card and no “Ma” to clean his room and no “Chotu” to serve him breakfast, Sid finds it difficult to survive in the beginning. For him, frying an egg is a big deal.
We can’t fathom how their friendship bloomed with each passing day. Considering Sid’s penchant in photography, he gets to work as an intern with a magazine called Mumbai Beat. Somewhere, the boy who didn’t even know how to cook anything, was now becoming totally independent. This induces a very inspiring feeling in all of us that we all have that hidden talent which only needs to be taken out and nourished. No person is a loser .We just need to keep a little faith in our potentials.
As the movie approaches its end, Sid gets back with his family and Aisha who later realises her love for Sid, decides to express herself through an article. This is the kind of situation when people don’t realise their immense liking for each other until it is too late to confess. But as luck may have it, they confess their love for each other and thus comes an end to the one of the most inspiring movies that I have come across in a long time. You can immediately tell that the writer-director Ayan Mukherjee has put his heart and soul into this movie and so have the actors.
There are certain scenes which are still intact in my mind. Sid scolding his mother for cleaning his room and later handing over his shirt to fold, the impromptu bread-jam birthday cake for Aisha, rushing out of auto to hug Aisha as a gesture of love and Sid wearing Aisha’s white Kurta when he is back at home. These are those counted few moments which are well embarked in my heart.
Bottom line: Wake up Sid is an honest, simple and a happy movie. Don’t make an intense moral statement from it as it is just about some good vibes instilled in you. If you are looking for some plain and simple positivity in your life, Wake up Sid is the movie that you must watch!