Wake up Sid

We watched Wake up Sid yesterday in one of the many swanky multiplexes in Indore. It was a good experience watching a movie again in India with close friends.

I found the movie to be a fascinating one with a simple but lovable story and gripping music. The direction was very nice and refreshing. The depiction of the characters was very real and full of the contradictions we see in our daily lives. The rich spoilt college kid is a character we have all come across in our lives. At the same time, the character of Konkana was very lively and something that any middle class Indian kid could relate to. Although in this case Konkana was from Kolkatta, but Bombay (to hell with Raj Thackrey) has fascinated every body including me. Konakana is full of dreams and has a lot of determination and conviction to make it come true. Since she has grown up in a middle class environment, she is aware of the ground level reality and is ready to adjust in life and not loose focus.

On the contrary, Ranvir's character also has a different kind of realism and is representative of a kind of "divide" that exists in urban India of "the haves" vs "the have nots". Life has been so comfortable for him (thanks to his father's flower shower business) that he is totally unaware about the hardships of life and everyday battles that the middle class has to go through. The director has been able to show the frustrations of Ranvir when he is out of his comfort zone and is forced to think about his "roti, kapda aur makaan". The "credit card culture" which we all are becoming a victim of is also highlighted in his character when he tries to use a credit card at a "paav bhaji stall".

The story reaches towards a tipping point for Ranvir when in a powerful scene Konkana makes him see the reality and prods him to take care of his life and to wake UP. In the meanwhile, Konkana who thinks of herself as mature and "not a kid" finds out in a rivetting scene that her boss thinks she too is a kid for liking old hindi music as opposed to the elite Jazz music. This and the insecurity towards Ranvir makes her feel vulnerable and she too needs a shoulder to cry on (which not surprisingly happens to be that of Ranvir !!)

In a true Bollywood style, the things take turn for the GOOD and Ranvir finds his passion for photography. The story then reaches its climax again in a true Bollywood style and they supposedly live happily ever after.

In short, we loved the movie and enjoyed it.