Ayan Mukerji’s directorial debut opens with Sid attempting to study for his Accounts paper on the night before his exam. He clears his table of peanuts and comics and opens his textbook. He cannot make head or tale of the question so he draws a cartoon of ‘Sid Simpson’ and gives himself an ‘A+’. Though he has set reminders to study, he finds everything else, eating and day-dreaming, for instance, more interesting than his books and he finally goes to sleep at 3 AM. This is something we all can identify with and it defines what every average student’s life is about.

Wake Up Sid! is the story of Sid (Ranbir) who spends his father Ram Mehra’s (Anupam Kher) money but hates working in his bathroom-fitting manufacturing company, takes his doting mother Sarita (Supriya Pathak) for granted, spends his waking hours partying and hanging out with his college buddies Laxmi (Shikha Talsania) and Rishi (Namit Das). Aisha Bannerjee (Konkona Sen Sharma) is an aspiring writer from Kolkata who lands a job as Mumbai Beat’s editor Kabir’s (Rahul Khanna) assistant. She is the complete opposite of Sid and yet they become friends. Sid’s life is all about having fun and doing nothing purposeful until an event forces him to change his lifestyle. How Aisha helps him discover and wake up to life, love, family and work is what the film is about.

WUS is a slice-of-life film which is filled with wonderful, spontaneous and original moments like Sid’s birthday surprise for Aisha and the way Sid captures life in the by-lanes of Bombay through his camera. It’s about the simple joys of life like walking on the beach, getting drenched in the rain and walking around the city. It’s about friends and friendship: Aisha and Sid are there for each other yet they never preach to each other. Their friendship and chemistry is real: they are frank and critical of each other. Aisha rebukes Sid for messing up her apartment and their last argument brings out all the pent up emotions.

Sid’s equation with his college friends; hanging out and conversations is just like what most youngsters share.

Even the relationship between Sid and his parents is beautifully captured, replete with highs and lows. Sid asks his mother to knock before entering his room and talks to her rudely, disinterestedly puts away his credit card statement, offers a credit card to a roadside vendor, hates working at his father’s office, and hates the ‘future plans’ question. This is how children behave today which makes it all very identifiable. A friend of mine said that his life was playing before his eyes. The scenes where a mature Sid reconciles with his parents will bring tears to your eyes. In that aspect, it is a quintessential Dharma film. Ayan has handled the confrontation scenes with maturity.

Attention has been paid to detail. Like every other college-going youngster, Sid’s wears his jeans so low that you can see his boxers; The Dark Knight and Arsenal posters decorate his room while Aisha’s house has posters of Annie Hall and Madhubala and the mature girl loves listening to old Hindi songs. The Mumbai Beat office located at an abandoned mill is quirky and simply gorgeous; a haven for ‘creative types.’ Who wouldn’t want to work there? Even Sid’s clothes change from graphic tees to plain ones as his character matures.

The role of Sid was tailor-made for Ranbir. He is absolutely natural and the soul of the film. No one could have played the role better than him. He is the childlike Sid who goes from being rude, arrogant, insensitive and lazy to loving, caring, responsible and mature. And Sid isn’t a bad boy. He is innocent, handsome, cute, honest, and playful and a reliable friend. Ranbir holds his own opposite seasoned actors like Anupam Kher and Supriya Pathak, who excel in their roles. Ranbir is turning out to be a versatile and dependable actor who can ace any role. In a few scenes, he looks so handsome that you wouldn’t mind waking up next to him!

Namit Das, Shikha Talsania, Rahul Khanna and are perfectly cast.

As expected, Konkona is effortless as Aisha. She is eager to please and enthusiastic and her first scene with Rahul Khanna is hilarious and sweet. Koko’s maturity complements Ranbir’s playfulness. She looks the part of an intelligent writer who also has a fun side. Look out for the scene with the mouse and the way she tries to suppress her feelings for Ranbir’s Sid. The jealousy-brimming-under-the-surface is superb.

The music by SEL is apt for the film and the background score by Amit Trivedi is at par with Hollywood films. From the background score, the alternate version of Iktara stays with you.

The cinematography by Anil Mehta captures the charm of Bombay, the production design by Amrita Mahal Nakai (of Dostana fame) is flawless and the dialogues by Niranjan Iyengar are funny, spontaneous and mature in equal measure. Ayan’s screenplay is filled with memorable moments and nuances. The story isn’t spectacular but the scenes and situations are captivating and enjoyable. The treatment is polished and classy.

On the flip side, Kashmera Shah plays femme fatale Sonia but her character is half-baked. She is out of shape but funny and frank and eager to seduce Ranbir. That scene was probably edited. Rahul Khanna will get typecast as the guy who doesn’t get the girl. Since the film is mostly real and identifiable, one cinematic liberty that is hard to digest is the ease with which Aisha finds an apartment in Bandra with a terrace that overlooks Bandra Reclamation. She doesn’t have a job so did she spend all her savings? And nobody questions or raises eyebrows about Sid living with her.

Ayan Mukerji makes an assured debut with a sweet, urban and youthful film that could become a coming-of-age contemporary classic like Dil Chahta Hai. It would be interesting to see what he comes up with next.

Janhvi Patel/Hill Road Media