Sid wakes up as the Viewers sleep
The new offering from Dharma Productions and debutant director Ayan Mukerji, ‘Wake up Sid’ has nothing new to offer. Taking up a plot that has been used and reused incalculably, wake up sid narrates the story of a confused, rich, spoilt brat Siddharth Mehra (Ranbir), living a luxurious life on his father’s hard earned money. The whole story revolves around Siddharth ‘waking up’ and in turn putting the viewers to sleep! There’s nothing fresh in terms of the script or direction and the first half of the film is extremely dull and slow. I feel that Ranbir’s quirky girl fans may find it amusing to watch their adorable cutie-pie walking the roads of Mumbai wearing T-shirts with cartoon characters. But believe me girls, the towel dropping act was much better.
Ayan Mukerji not only took up a ‘beaten to death’ concept, he also tried his best at tearing apart the decaying corpse with a script that was devoid of any excitement, twists or turns. Almost everything in the film was predictable. The movie opens up with a sequence where Sid is trying hard to concentrate on solving accounting sums. But as we all could have guessed, he falls flat at the concentration act and gets involved in other time-wasting activities. It’s at this moment that Sid clicks a photo of his legs with his cute, colorful, gay-ish socks on! He also gets a print out of the picture and puts it onto his wall. This particular scene instantly gave me a clear ‘picture’ of what this confused boy is going to become when he wakes up! Similarly, because of the repeated emphasis on rains and the beauty of the city during the rain, i predicted a climax in a downpour! Now please don’t get shocked! Both my guesses were right. As the climax came sliding in (or should I say crawling in?) Sid did become a photographer who hugged his girlfriend in the rain!
You could find the film unrealistic at a lot of points. For instance, Ayesha (Konkana) comes to Mumbai from Kolkata to struggle and be independent. And even before she could crack an interview, she is seen settling into a considerably cozy apartment that is undoubtedly too well-furnished for a ’struggler’. Another instance is Ranbir being hired as an intern by a leading Magazine, without any professional training in photography or a job experience and then he even gets a permanent job at the same office the very next month. He also manages to get printed, one of the pictures clicked by him even as an intern. Lucky Chap!
The first half was painfully intolerable but the second half of the film was fairly bearable. In fact, its after the interval that Sid starts to wake up. And with this awakening the viewers could also be seen coming to life. (Though I am not completely sure. It could also have been the popcorn and Pepsi!). The pace of the film increases post intermission and it feels nice (if not interesting) to watch Sid grow up. The romantic angle between Konkana and Ranbir, including their confusion and doubts about their feelings, was well portrayed in the second half. And then comes the climax that clearly appears to be ripped off from the hit Hollywood romantic-comedy ‘How to loose a guy in 10 days’. The climax could not be called exact copying as Ayan has carefully deducted every inch and bit of excitement from the sequence.
The performance of the lead pair was good. Both Ranbir and Konkana tried hard at portraying their clichéd characters. The supporting cast didn’t had much to do in the film. Anupam Kher was flawless in whatever scenes he appeared. Supriya Pathak’s character as Sid’s mother could not portray the affection or care of a mother appropriately. Her constant efforts at speaking English were neither funny nor adorable. The cinematographer didn’t have much to do, apart from flashing colors. The music matched the script in its dullness and it apperaed as if the music was competing with the script in terms of ‘punchless-ness’. The only appreciable soundtrack in the movie was ‘Iktara’ and the placement of the song was proper too.
To sum up, ‘Wake up Sid’ is a film that has been made a zillion time before with different names. It has nothing new to offer. Catch the film only if you are a die-hard Ranbir Kapoor fan or if you suffer from insomnia and are longing for a good sleep.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Goood ! and I am waiting for Alysha !! She has a crush on RK !!
I am surprised how your predictive senses betrayed you while walking in the theater.
No ways!!!!!!!…you definitely right that its tried and tested plot…but definitely not stereotypical….the very fact this kid “SID” has “Care a Damn” attitude gives a different angle to the movie altogether…may be not the best movie to come out BOLLYWOOD KITTY this year but definitely it is one among them. Ofcourse few things did raise eyebrows but you yourself answered….”LUCKY CHAP he was…big deal??”!!! Probably you didn’t sleep one night before watching this one…and u sleep walked through out the movie and missed the fine nuances !!!. Thanx for forcing me write this comment…
I’ll tell you what’s ‘beaten to death’ – its this review and the 30 more we are going to see by Sunday that’s going to proclaim something “different”!
Sorry, saying it as it is
I second Govind here…I personally loved the film. I felt it is one of the real good product coming from the Dharma camp after a long time…I liked the way film has been portrayed in neo-realist manner…might be its difficult to understand but that is the reality of today’s youth….confused and full of emotional complexities…and to say that this story has been attempted over and over again is exaggeration. Can you name even 10 films which revolves around a confused guy not wanting to do anything and then slowly overcoming those inadequacies…only immediate names that would crop up would be DCH and Lakshya…even they were miles different in there treatment…DCH was more about friendship and bonding and Lakshya was too melodramatic and zingoistic…I feel WUS stand on its own and quite a good film to come out in a long time…atleast from Dharma and similar banners
Your review is predictable. Your agenda is to thrash Dharma Productions. If dharma was not producing this movie, you would have sung a different tune.
dude your review looks so uncooked and full of agenda. I felt it was not an honest review and your style of writing suggested you are just interested in bashin the movie no matter what.
anyways the moive “wake up sid” is not that great. Its a mediocre movie with few very good moments. all in all ek baar dekhne layak.
What a stupid juvenile review …
Anurag,completely agree with u….by d way…u please change ur movie name frm ‘Bombay velevt’ to ‘mumbai velevet’.please don’t allow any controversies to have an effect on ur movie.I am really looking forword to ur movie..Please..Please..thats my kind request..
Anurag, I’m surprised you called this a stupid juvenile review. WHY? The reviewer’s spot on. The story is pretty okay, but execution wasn’t.
The first half drags. Second half was better, it had its moments. But I felt that till the very end Sid was only half-awake.
Okay, he starts realising value of mum and dad and maybe finds that photography is something he truly enjoys. But will that pay for his exorbitant bills? Of course not, dad’s money will most probably. Look how easily he goes back home!
And the relationship between Aisha and Sid … more younger brother and older sister than anything else. Where was the chemistry? Atleast they showed that Aisha started fancying him. But what about Sid – he didn’t “wake up” to his feelings about her too convincingly enough.
Dad- son confrontations were good, but only becos of Anupam Kher. Mum-son relationship lacked warmth. Ranbir’s good in parts. Konkana’s performance lacks punch (she’s a great actress btw).
Iktara song was highlight of the movie for me.
Rekha
Totally agree with this review….the film just didn’t MOVE… was so boooring
hey anurag wats up. hows life going on? and when is the shoot of ur new movie bombay velvet going 2 begin? just have 1 thing 2 say better change the title from bombay 2 mumbai or the MNS guys will not allow u 2 release the movie.and we will not get a chance 2 see another master peice from u.
I think the review is bang on. It is brief and to the point. What else is there to write about on a film whose plot is being served up regular dollops these days.
It is the syndrome familiar to Bollywood – if love stories are doing well, everyone wants to make them. The order of the day is appealing to the youth. Essentially they are all they same but packaged differently as is the case with other genres.
To get a good review in Bollywood it’s all about who you know. Some releases are guaranteed a “good” review while others, without justification, bad one’s.
Films coming from certain quarters are bad-mouthed so much by some people who claim to have “superior” knowledge and “taste” in cinema, that it has almost become “taboo” to say anything that is the opposite.
I didn’t find the above review “stupid” or “juvenile”. I agree with it and further, support Sushant’s “right” to express his opinion.
Isn’t a love story between a man and a woman a plot which has been repeated innumerable times, but we still have love stories don’t we, it’s not just the plot but also the execution, and WKS was executed well.
I agree that directors should bring some novelty to the movie they are making but only a stone would not be moved by a genuinely executed “happy” scene. I think we have begun to equate watching movies with taking drugs, we want a different kick every time. Perhaps a sign of the times.
I agree with you. How would Anurag like it if I said his view of Kaminey was stupid and I wasted my time and money based on his (overrated) recommendation?
I bet he’s sensible enough not to care, just the way you all ought to.
Btw, just saw the flick. Loved it. It moves at a leisurely pace, unraveling so much as it does.
hi,,,,I like this movie songs but story are bad.
Well, the review seems way too harsh. I doubt your review would still have been the same had this film come out of a parallel film making house. I found the tone of the review biased and interested.
C’mon buddy…
2 b completely honest, I like d films dat come out of Dharma…
I evn liked K3G.. I dnt care who’s makin the film.. All I spoke abt how it turned out 2 be..
ohh so you liked K3G, and this one according to you “has nothing new to offer”….hmm….
@Alysha- i think u have not seen the movie. And u are acting in a manner similar to how I act when I watch a Tennis match… by taking a challenge .. and backing the underdog in each set.
The review is just an extension of a pre-determined notion in some neat words. Sadly, though .. it hurts some very creatively different treatment by a first time director.
Ayan has taken a so usd plat .. but presented a precisely knit and underplayed portrayal by all the characters. Maybe some people might have been happy if each melodrama capable moment was utilised to it’s fullest. I loved the movie. Not the best to come out. But definiately worth praising.
Cinematography is A class. very good. Ranbeer’s portrayal is so believable and real.
I have seen it and there was a big sense of deja vu. But at least I watched it. Some people make comments on films that they haven’t watched and have no intention of watching!!!!!
If you liked it saurshaz, I am pleased for you and respect your choice.
I was particularly offended by the comment that the review was “stupid and juvenile”. The last “stupid and Juvenile” review I read was by~uh~, but nobody spoke up about that. I feel this particular comment was made to set the tone and reference point for further comments…..it does after all come from the great AK!
No Alysha!
“Seriously, you bunch of retards, one thing is clear, whether you like YRF’s or not, you wait with baited breath for their release. After all there’s not much to write about the films you like, is there. They are not even noticed. Most of them come and they go and will continue to do so.”
These were the exact words. I hope you understand whatever I want to say without my having to type it.
Some day if you have time for solitude, please bask in the glory of your own gyaan that you so freely spread. You may benefit immensely from it yourself.
@Tejas:
what Gyan !!
Chill …
‘you bunch of retards’ … was not needed dude.
here’s the drill …
-watch a movie
-speak ur heart out ….
-see if there are likeminded people .. .and
-see if u missed something..
that’s it.
I liked it … coz it looked a good ROI for my 175 bucks… i did not, for once think before coming across this post that it is by DHarma .. so I shall bash it .. or praise it.
for once leave aside the banner game.
@Alysha : it’s a democratic form . .don’t read too much into the comments .. nothing is personal. .after all everone here is passionate abt CIne’maaa’!!
saurshaz:
What, man? Those words were Alysha’s. That was her quote from the Dil Bole Hadippa review by ~uh~, not mine. Guess you missed the quote marks, and some histroy.
yes i did… sorry..
that is what i thought .. i am used to hearing sensible things from you.
You, my sir, would benefit from this. Read that, and the tone in Alysha’s comment above so you would understand what I’m talking about!
http://passionforcinema.com/dil-bole-hadippa-battered-cricket/#comment-394851
Please spell out your problem to me. I don’t understand what you are trying to say.
Hi Alysha !!
how r you !!
Gud 2 c ya !!
Hey chaps… Why do I feel that my writing is being discussd more than the film???
Well… I don’t have any personal rage against Dharma or Ayaan.. I reviewd d film without prejudice..
If u liked it thats gr8.. But I didn’t.. And thats it… Dnt kill d democracy people!!!
Is it that bad? Certain sections of the media are pedalling it as the best offering of the season and a must watch. I am very much influenced by the publicity and wanted to watch the film but this review has me in two minds. May be, I should find some decent single screen so that, I don’t end up wasting time as well as a lot of money. I hope, it is not as boring as you say.
@dhulai
That’s exactly my point. Reviews can make or kill a film at the point of release. If reviews are unbiased and constructive the film will run on it’s own steam if they are any good or die a natural death if they aren’t. Unnecessarily bad reviews DO put people off as in your case.
The reviewer is spot on. He has put my thoughts (and of so many others I know) on the film into words. Its tone may not be politically correct but ripping us off our time and money isn’t that nice either. The music was OK and Iktara does stand out. I think many people criticising the review hasn’t watched the film. Avoid it like the plague people although the music album is worth a try.
thanx navneeth….
I dnt understand why ther’s so much fight goin on ovr the review…
If u like it, u like it… If u dnt, u dnt…
I just xpressd my thots… Being diplomatic is nt a reviewer’s job as far as i think…
My rating for the movies is 2
and for your review 0000.9
WAKE UP SHUSH!
multiple 0s before a decimal dont add up to anything. 0000.9 is same as .9
@dhulai – apolite suggestion .. do urself a favour and start trusting ur instinct to watch a movie first instead of deciding after going through these reviews.
but don’t get baised by ur instinct whille watching the movie
still haven’t reached the ticket counter :D
i agree with SUSHANT…if he did not like the movie…he has every right to say so…it was a huge letdown for me too…the movie’s first half does not lead u anyhere…Sid’s lashing out at his parents appears to be ridiculous as it is not supported by any of the traits in his character…an easy going friendly guy whose arrogance pops out from nowhere in these scenes which is hard to digest..no one took the pain to explain us that..
…Ranbir has been left alone to carry the movie on his shoulders…that too sometimes only with his looks..
secondly ,i must say kokona sen looks so unsure about wat she is supposed to portray on screen…adding to the boredom
anyone wants to get back to me for saying so is as free as i am in expressing wat i think..i see no point n eulogizing something i did not like just because some self proclaimed saviors of indian cinema think the other way…
agrh……
wake up sushant!!
I do agree with most of the points in the review though I think it is a bit harsh in terms of the star rating. Most of the points are valid – like the first half is slow, there are absolutely no twists and turns – a very straightforward plot, and yet another movie where the guy becomes a photographer (the other cliche being musician/singer).
Its a new era, stereotype story and subject but lovable treatment we may call it SMART MOVIE its smart very smart film