Remembering birthday boy Ranbir Kapoor's evergreen movie 'Wake Up Sid'
Ranbir Kapoor's latest movie Brahmastra is currently wreaking havoc at the box office, breathing life into Hindi cinema's poor show this year. This marked Kapoor's third venture with best friend and filmmaker Ayan Mukerji. On RK's 40th birthday, let's turn back the clocks and relive the actor-director duo's first venture Wake Up Sid (2009), and the magic it created. Let's dive right in.
What was 'Wake Up Sid' all about?
Starting with the plot, Wake Up Sid was about the metaphorical awakening of rich, spoilt youngster Sid Mehra (Kapoor). Going from a bratty, careless lad, Sid discovered his passion, came to terms with the reality of life and found a way to earn his living independently. And, all of this was enabled by a stranger he meets at a party—Aisha Bannerjee (Konkona Sen Sharma).
Kapoor made bratty, spoilt character a beloved figure
Largely, the 2009 film helped establish Kapoor as the poster boy of the quintessential coming-of-age hero in Bollywood. Wearing emotions on his sleeves, Kapoor led viewers through the oh-so-familiar situation of feeling stuck in a meaningless life. As Sid learned to find meaning in things that didn't matter before, the audience clapped, hooted, and found their victory in his.
Film became collective story of an entire generation
Apart from Sid's personal tale, Wake Up Sid is a collective story of every youth who dreams of, and has, shifted to a new city for a new life. The struggles of (affordable) home hunting, making a house your home, finding a job, making friends, the imminent breakdown, and the eventual getting over it—make up a universal experience. Speak of a true-blue comfort movie.
Attention to detail, photography, and music
With only five songs to boast of, the Hindi film valued quality over quantity. Iktara and Kya Karoon are enjoyed even today. Debut director Mukerji was observant too, as, during rewatches, viewers can detect the attention to detail (for example, multiple drafts of Aisha's breakthrough article were shown at different points). Lastly, the film is bound to create a passion for photography in you.
'Wake Up Sid' is streaming on Netflix
Wake Up Sid told a dreamy love story dipped into reality. And, that seems to be the overarching theme of the entire film. It had real-world problems but never became a sordid look into the hardships of life, and Kapoor's contribution to this is undeniable.
