JointScene: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have done it again. The trio, known for their hit and melodious soundtracks in films like "Kal Ho Naa Ho" and "Taare Zameen Par", have composed another interesting music album in "Wake Up Sid", a Karan Johar film that stars Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma.
It has five original numbers and one remix.
"Aaj kal zindagi" is a soft, soothing and inspirational song. It is fantastically crooned by Shankar Mahadevan. The increase in tempo towards the end adds zing to the track.
Next in line is "Iktara", which is the best song of the album. A fusion of rustic and western influences, it has a heavy dose of guitar strumming. Kavita Seth's brilliant vocals strike a chord with the listener. Seth teams up with Amitabh Bhattacharya in the song and it is sure to be a chartbuster.
"Kya karoon" sung by Clinton Cerejo is an average, feel-good kind of a number. Cerejo's unconventional voice works well for the song.
Up next is a young and hip track called "Life is crazy", which has Uday Benegal and Shankar Mahadevan behind the mike. The track is soaked in contemporary sounds and is sure to be a hit, especially among youngsters.
Finally, we have the title track "Wake Up Sid", again sung by Mahadevan himself. It's a sweet and entertaining song with a strong musical backing. The highlight of the song is the way it goes from fast-paced to slow and then back.
The number also has a remixed version, which is not a typical add-more-beats kind of track. It is interesting and adds colour to the original.
On the whole, the composers have stuck to their signature style and have given music that will be liked by many.
JointScene: Next time when a star son gets an opportunity to get an author-backed role, let's not complain. That's because if he actually goes on to come up with as flawless an act as seen in "Wake Up Sid", there is no reason why one should really be looking around for anyone else.
Ranbir Kapoor comes up with a neat, simple and believable performance. When most actors would have been happy to establish their standing in Bollywood with a quintessential romantic hero role, Ranbir is anything but a hero here.
This is why he allows himself to be treated as a 'kid' by Konkona Sen Sharma, who by the way is happy to play a woman five years elder to him. However, there is this special something which brews between them that pretty much gives the true meaning of a platonic relationship.
There are five things that make "Wake Up Sid" a delightful affair. It has a constant flow throughout; no over the top or understated drama; no ultra emotional strangulation of audiences; absolutely no yuppie cool dude act; and last but not the least, this is an original and refreshing story.
While the film actually becomes really engrossing in the second half, the first half facilitates an adequate groundwork for the story to progress. There are bitter sweet moments in the first half as well but one still wishes for that extra something to kick start that would make "Wake Up Sid" go beyond a regular "coming of age" film.
This is where young director Ayaan Mukerji's writing comes in handy because unlike a conventional movie, he doesn't just bring a turnaround in Sid's character by throwing a song to bring in that 'overnight transformation'.
He keeps it soft and subtle starting from something as simple as Sid learning how to prepare an omelette, keep his comic books stacked, prepare his own bed and of course, earn his very first cheque.
By the time he returns to his dad (Anupam Kher in a short but effective role), you realise that the destination was eventually met even as the journey wasn't quite 'on your face' or 'over the top'.
Meanwhile KonkonaRanbir decides to go back to his parents' house. Her irritation in certain scenes with Ranbir is utterly believable too and so are the tender ways in which she looks after him.
The supporting cast fits in well too. The young man who plays Rishi (Namit Das - last seen in "The President Is Coming" as Ramesh) is just effortless. Kashmira Shah, in her four-scenes act, is a pleasant surprise while Rahul Khanna is decent in the limited footage.
While "Wake Up Sid" would of course raise Ranbir's stock in months to come, it would be noticed in a major way for Mukerji's script sense and direction. He makes the kind of debut that made Farhan Akhtar hot property after "Dil Chahta Hai".
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