Woken Up!

Kuch Kuch Hota hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Dostana, and now Wake Up Sid. I love movies by Dharma Productions! When their signature tune comes on in the just-darkened cinema hall, I relax into my seat and look forward to the quality entertainment that I know I'm about to experience.
Their latest offering is what I would call a 'cool', urban, youth-oriented movie that both inspires and touches, enlightens and warms.
If you intend to watch the movie (which I would say you should) don't read further because I may give away important plot points and ruin the experience for you.
Wake Up Sid is a story in which you'll find yourself - or at least some part of yourself. Whether it be in the laid back, fun-loving protagonist, Sidharth, or the driven, reaching-for-her-dreams girl Aisha, or even in the overweight Laxmi (Sid's friend) who is insecure about her appearance, or Rishi (his other friend) who impulsively proposes marriage to his girlfriend only to be heartlessly dumped. And parents will most definitely find themselves in Ram (Anupam Kher) and Sarita (Supriya Pathak) Mehra, Sid's doting, yet striving to be disciplinarian, dad and mum.
Sidharth Mehra (Ranbir Kapur) is the archetypical spoilt brat of wealthy parents, save for the fact that he isn't snobbish or arrogant as is the common reputation of rich kids. He's sweet and charming, the kind of guy who easily befriends anyone. Which is just what happens when he runs into new-girl-in-the-city, Aisha (Konkona Sen Sharma) at his boring college farwell party. They get talking and soon become best buddies, sharing experiences, emotions, and dreams. Or lack there of as is the case with Sid. He has no 'future plan', no burning ambition, no drive to do anything at all with his time except play video games or party or shop or just plain chill out. He agrees to work for his family business only when his Dad lures him with the promise of a swanky new car, but he barely lasts a week before disappearing to hang out with Aisha and help her settle into her new life.
Aisha is the character I found myself in. The girl who wants to be a writer and is ready to put in all the hard work and struggle it will take. Driven by the desire to be independent - to make her own money and live life on her own terms - she leaves behind her sheltered life in hometown Kolkata and arrives in Bombay full of hope and a good amount of trepidation, ready to give her life a new direction. She is alone and unemployed in an unfamiliar city but is determined to make things work. Slowly but surely they do. She lands the job she wanted at a popular magazine, moves into a place of her own (with a terrace that gives the most splendid view of Bombay), turns her house into a 'home' and settles into adult life just like she wanted. With her first Mumbaikar friend Sid by her side throughout. It's expected that the two of them would fall in love - in fact, the mutual affection is pretty apparent - but the serious, all grown-up Aisha doesn't think she could love an immature 'child' like Sid who only ever wants to have fun. She prefers her boss, the supposedly 'sexy', hot shot editor-in-chief, Kabir.
The high point comes when Sid fails to graduate. Frustrated and angry, he falls out with his best mate Rishi, and then with his parents, eventually storming out the house in a fit of rage and ending up at Aisha's door. But naturally, she lends him a shoulder to cry on and lets him stay with her. I like how the movie has shown that a guy and girl can live together quite amicably - even sleep in the same room - yet not end up having sex. Talk about a refreshing viewpoint.
At first, Sid simply hangs out and makes a mess of Aisha's neat little flat. But after she finally loses her temper on him, and his Dad cancels his credit card, Sid begins to 'wake up' and come out of his insouciance. He learns how to cook, (even if it's only a fried egg) and how to launder clothes and keep things tidy. And eventually, he taps into his inner potential and finds a job he likes too. Along the way, Aisha learns a thing or two as well. Like the fact that she isn't all that mature and wise after all.
Ranbir Kapur is, for lack of a better word, excellent. When I couldn't tolerate beyond ten minutes of his debut film, I'd never thought I'd one day be his fan. Seriously, what a transformation. His portrayal of Sid is bang on and I don't think any other actor could have pulled it off so well.
Konkona Sen is just as brilliant as she always is. I loved how she brought out the subtle nuances of traits inherent to every writer: that inexplicable inability to express things vocally but the knack to put them perfectly in writing; the tendency to let emotion build up for too long until finally snapping and sayings things far worse than originally intended; the almost child-like disposition to feel blinding joy when someone reads - and appreciates - your work, especially someone whose opinion matters a lot to you.
The music is okay, except for iktara, which is exceptional, truly soul-stirring. Overall, Wake Up Sid's a movie every recent graduate (or even college kid) will relate to, every parent will relate to, every confused person out there will relate to. I loved it and - maybe this has something to do with whose company I had while watching it - I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in pretty long. (Not even Kaminey, which was the last really good flick I saw.) It's found a place right at the top of my list of Favorite movies, just next to sweet old Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Really, you rock, Sid!