Director: Ayan Mukherjii
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkana Sen Sharma, Supriya Pathak and Anupam Kher
Rating: **
Critic's I-view
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While growing up on Hindi Cinema for the last four decades, one question has always been irritating - the fall of the showman after Raj Kapoor. If the first showman of Hindi Cinema Raj Kapoor stayed honest to the common man of the society till his last film, the new age Show Man, Subhash Ghai lost his grip on the common man and made his hero an NRI in Pardes and Taal etc. If Pardes was the pinnacle for Subhas Ghai, all films after that have led to his downfall. If you wonder what the film 'Wake Up Sid' has to do with Raj Kapoor and Subhas Ghai… Well, But, there is lesson in between the foregoing lines for Karan Johar.
Karan must have shared the sorrow of a series of failures of his buddy Aditya Chopra's films in last two years. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi could cross the litmus test because its hero was a common man. But, Karan Johar's new production Wake Up Sid is a sort of warning for him. Though this film is beautifully made, it just does not connect with masses of this nation. This country still does not thrive on metro culture. Not everyone has the liberty to pass long hours on beaches and in malls doing nothing. Recession may have hit the business community hard but for a common man there is still plenty of scope to work and work harder to earn his daily bread.
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Film-makers like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar have drawn a strong line in Hindi Cinema. And, they have tried hard to finish off the cinema on the other side of the line. But, common man is no more the central character of Hindi Cinema any more. Either he is an NRI or son of a rich businessman who does not worry about his pocket. In Wake Up Sid, debutante director Ayan Mukherjii presents a hero who is never an ideal son. Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) has plenty of money to spend and has no liability. After finishing college, he only passes time doing nothing, until a writer (Konkana Sen Sharma) from outside Mumbai meets him by chance. The duo meet by accident and choose to be conscious friends. One may recall Akshay Khanna and Dimple Kapadia track from Dil Chahta Hai. The basic inspiration of Wake Up Sid seems to have come from this track. Some alteration and change in situations and you have Wake Up Sin as a new film.
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As a debutant director Ayan Mukherjii has passed his first examination. But, he certainly cannot claim to be a fine storyteller. He has the right hooker, the right dilemma, the right team making and the right tent pole for the film. In between, he misses some plot points. But, put the film in front of a common man from cities like Kanpur, Jabalpur and Nasik, the film fails. Cinema must attract and find audience across the entire age and income groups!
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Ayan gets very good support from Ranbir Kapoor who is fast learning nuances of the methodology of acting. He has matured very fast and is now ready to take on any kind of roles. His innocence is the best part of his acting and a role like this one in Wake Up Sid only makes his filmography strong. But, one thing Ranbir has to learn very fast is to win the heart of the person sitting in front benches of theatre. It is the common man that makes a superstar in Bollywood.
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Konkana Sen Sharma is superb as usual and Supriya Pathak is a surprise in this film. Anupam Kher does his part with perfection. Music of Shankar Ehsaan Loy is just average and fails to remain with you after you leave the theatre. On the whole, Wake Up Sid is a good film for metro city viewers but not up to the mark for masses.
