I was exactly like Sid at one point in my life: Ra

Ranbir Kapoor

So, I've never written a blog before but this seems like a fun way to communicate. Maybe I'll turn into one of those avid bloggers and have lots of followers and create controversies and… OK, I must not get carried away. The reason I've decided to start this blog is because I want to write about something I really believe in: my film Wake Up Sid.

Wake Up Sid is a film about so many things that it's hard to pinpoint and talk about any one aspect of it. Over the next few weeks, I will try my best to cover all of them. But let's begin with Sid, as the movie itself begins.

Sid is a character that's universally known. He's a lazy, unmotivated slacker who is at a transitional period in his life. His childhood is behind him, and he's not ready to embrace adulthood quite yet. Or, as Britney Spears would have said- "He's not a boy, not yet a man…"

Anyway, before all my embarrassing music preferences are let out, l should tell you that I was exactly like Sid at one point in my life. I think everyone, even women, will identify with Sid's character.

He represents that time in our life when we suddenly realize that our life isn't going to be one big party after all, and that we must grow up and make something of ourselves.

Funnily enough, that's what the cast and crew were doing while the film was being made. We were all growing up! That's how the film was made, with a bunch of young people with little experience but a lot of energy and passion.

Ayan Mukerji, the 25-year-old director, is the poster child for the 'Wake Up Sid' vibe. Young, bright, and with truckloads of energy, Ayan won me over 15 minutes into his narration of the script.

He is yet another Sid, someone who loves sleep and food and lying around his room and watching movies. We immediately hit it off, both being just two films old, and it was a rollercoaster ride of fun from then on!

Almost all of the rest of the cast and crew were even less experienced than we were! Konkona Sen Sharma, of course, has a lot of very prestigious work behind her. And we also had very senior actors like Mr. Anupam Kher and Mrs. Supriya Pathak.

Other than that, we had a bunch of talented newcomers like Namit Das, Shikha Talsania, Shruti Bapna and Kainaz Modiwal. The crew included some young blood as well. The extremely talented production designer, Amrita Mahal Nakai, is just one film old.

As was my costume designer for the film, Priyanjali Lahiri. It's no wonder then that the film has such a fresh, new look about it. Of course, our cinematographer Mr. Anil Mehta has a lot of films to his name and was the like a harrowed professor to us unruly bunch of students!

This new energy is palpable in every frame of Wake Up Sid. Everything from the writing, to the performances, to the visuals, and the music, is fresh and honest and not bogged down by any kind of exaggeration or 'filminess'.

This group of young aspirants has come together with a real and distinct voice that echoes throughout the film. This is the film's strongest asset, I believe.

Each and every character and moment in the scene is relatable and sincere, because they were born out of personal experiences and thoughts, rather than outside influences.

I've become increasingly attached to Wake Up Sid, and to my character Sid. His mom, his dad, his friends, his hangouts, his entire lifestyle is captured in such a way that one can't help but see their own lives in his.

His story is my story, and the story of a million other young guys and girls who are at a point in their lives where things are about to change. At a point when they are all about to wake up.

http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=30614