Decoding Wake Up Sid (2009)

Teens and early-twenties is a phase where most of us have been confused about our life and future. This is the time when most of us go through a gamut of emotions, where our minds and hearts are always at loggerheads. One is neither an adult nor a child anymore. Ayan Mukerji’s brilliant directorial debut in 2009, ‘Wake up Sid’ is a coming-of-age drama, beautifully depicting the dilemma that a carefree, college dropout, Siddharth AKA Sid (Ranbir Kapoor), faces and how he wakes out of it.

The movie opens with a spoilt rich-kid, sitting on a desk in a messy room, preparing for an exam. Dressed in graphic tees, cartoon boxers and doodling Simpsons – we are introduced to Sid. As is evident from his routine before an important exam, he is a ‘devil-may-care’ child in the body of an adult. Ayan Mukerji, who has also written the movie, gives us a peek into his nonchalance, which may seem annoying but stems from his confused state of mind. Born to a self-made businessman (Anupam Kher) and his not-so-well-read wife (Supriya Pathak), Sid is shown to be indifferent towards his parents and takes them for granted. His life is all about hanging out with friends, until he meets Ayesha Banerjee (Konkana Sen Sharma), an aspiring writer from Kolkata. Ayesha is diametrically opposite to Sid – she is independent, organised and has her goals set. As we progress through Sid’s transition into a mature, young adult, Ayan unravels Ayesha and displays her vulnerable and childish side. One of my favourite scenes in the movie is when Ayesha returns from a Jazz concert, upset with her boss calling her ‘immature’. This is where the role reversal happens. A usually juvenile and carefree Sid, is shown as the calm and responsible one. While a usually sorted Ayesha gets agitated and displays her innocent child-like side. Again, reaffirming that one may grow up, but the immature child in us does spring up sometimes.

Wake up Sid is as much about Sid’s journey, as it is about his relationship with his parents. As a boy blessed with all the luxuries of the world, Sid grows up to be ungrateful towards his parents. Like most of us, he takes his parents for granted, only to value them when he moves out of their house. His scenes of realization with his mother and father are heart-warming. How lovely is Supriya Pathak in the light and fluffy scene with her son, bonding after a long time over old photographs! Her eyes light up when she sees him and you crackle into a laugh, when she says, ‘You are a handsome my son’! Pure form of a mother’s love! Sid shares a cold relationship with his father, which thaws in a moving climax scene. When an arrogant Sid puts aside his ego, apologises to his father and gifts him his first pay-check, one cannot help but tear up. The hostility between the father and son finds a closure when Sid’s father brilliantly words it. He says, ‘Tum bade ho gaye, beta. Tumhare paas mere photographs ke liye waqt nahi tha aur mere liye photography ka matlab tha tumhe kheechna’. Just the way, hum sab bade ho gaye!

Interestingly, Wake Up Sid was a foray of sorts for Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions into small, slice-of-the-life flicks. Often considered parallel or multiplex cinema, this is one genre that big banners such as Dharma stayed away from. But 2009 was an interesting year, with Yash Raj Films also making a debut in the same space, incidentally with another Ranbir Kapoor starrer, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. While both the films were critically acclaimed and were made by two talented filmmakers (Rocket Singh was helmed by Shimit Amin, after a spectacular Chak De! India), Wake Up Sid struck a chord with audiences for its real and relatable portrayal of a boy paving his way through his confusions.

Good actors get to experiment at the beginning of their careers, when they are not bogged down by the demands of stardom. Wake Up Sid was one such movie in the filmography of Ranbir Kapoor, before he attained superstardom and stars only in big-ticket movies. Even 10 years after its release, Wake Up Sid continues to be a feel-good, light-hearted movie that I love revisiting.