Karan wakes up with Ayan and Ranbir

Producer Karan Johar talks about Wake Up Sid!, young director Ayan Mukerji and working with Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma.

“Wake Up Sid! is a very special film. Ayan took some time off to write the film. He called me one day and narrated it to me. He told me it wasn’t the quintessential Dharma Production film and I loved it because I wanted to break out of that mould anyway. Ayan’s film is small, special and simple. It is a film with its heart, gut and soul in place. It is not screaming opulence and melodrama. It’s a slice of life and coming-of-age story. It’s about characters, people and the city of Mumbai. All this has been woven into a film with a lot of heart. Each character in the film and the situations are very identifiable,” says KJo.

“There is a Sid in every home, there are parents who are concerned about their child’s potential and future and there is a girl who is trying to find her bearings in the glorious city of Mumbai. Ayesha represents that angst of wanting to prove your mettle in a city like Bombay. Ayan has beautifully integrated all these moments and characters in Wake Up Sid. I am very excited because it marks a new beginning for us at Dharma, a new age of cinema, cinematic space and me branching out,” says Karan as he explains the characters.

“It is the only Dharma film that has been shot entirely in Mumbai. So I won’t get the question of whether this film is targeted at the NRI audience,” he jokes.

“I have had no input whatsoever in Wake Up Sid! It is completely Ayan’s vision and baby,” he clarifies, adding, “I consciously decided to keep out of it. He is a decade younger than me. He has a different energy and sensibility. I decided I would be the wrong person to offer any input to this film, be it the music, execution or narrative. I think I am too old to be part of Wake Up Sid!”

About the stars of the film, he says, “I haven’t worked with Ranbir and Konkona before. When you see the film, you don’t think you are watching people act, you think you are watching people in a real situation. Ranbir is young, new, today, fresh and amazing in the film. He has it all in his DNA.”