Showing posts with label Konkona Sen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Konkona Sen. Show all posts
'Wake Up Sid' wakes up the box office
Ranbir starrer sidelines Govinda’s ‘Do Knot Disturb'
Debutant director Ayan Mukerji's charming "Wake Up Sid" about a young man and a woman five years older has not only wowed critics but pulled in the crowds too, sidelining the Govinda starrer "Do Knot Disturb".
The box office received a shock with Ashutosh Gowarikar's "What's Your Raashee" that released on Sept 25 but proved to be tedious for audiences with its length and 13 songs.
But the buzz is back with "Wake Up Sid", starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma, that released on Friday (Oct 2) along with "Do Knot Disturb".
"'Wake Up Sid' is doing extremely well. We've had an occupancy of more than 90 percent across 17 shows over the initial weekend and it is still going strong while 'Do Knot Disturb' had only a two-day run with close to 75 percent despite 16 shows," Amit Awasthi, manager (programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas at Noida, told IANS.
"We are expecting 'Wake Up Sid' to continue a good run at least until the Diwali weekend, which has major releases like 'Blue', 'Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna' and 'All The Best'. Though we have 'Acid Factory' on Oct 9, we are sincerely doubtful about its future in multiplexes," he added.
Made at a budget of around Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million), "Wake Up Sid" has been produced by Dharma Productions Pvt Ltd and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures with around 700 prints worldwide.
"'Wake Up Sid' has had a very good occupancy and opening over the first weekend. It is a different movie for different people and is totally a multiplex movie. It is going to have an extended play," said a source from PVR Cinemas.
"It has done what 'Rock On!!' did last year... it has evoked people's hidden past and is so associative. While 'Do Knot Disturb', despite having almost the equal number of shows as the former (around six each per property) did have a good opening, but it fell flat in no time," the source added.
"Do Knot Disturb" has been co-produced by Vashu Bhagnani and Big Pictures and directed by David Dhawan. Released across 1,060 screens worldwide, it stars Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.
Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, however, thinks it is too early to tell.
"We kept around 10 shows each for both the movies across different properties and the result has been around 60 and 80 percent respectively for 'Do Knot Disturb' and 'Wake Up Sid'," said Raizada.
"The response for the latter has been very good and this one is in fact sustaining too but, as far as the long run is concerned, nothing can be said as the business has mostly been done during the initial weekend," he added.
The box office received a shock with Ashutosh Gowarikar's "What's Your Raashee" that released on Sept 25 but proved to be tedious for audiences with its length and 13 songs.
But the buzz is back with "Wake Up Sid", starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma, that released on Friday (Oct 2) along with "Do Knot Disturb".
"'Wake Up Sid' is doing extremely well. We've had an occupancy of more than 90 percent across 17 shows over the initial weekend and it is still going strong while 'Do Knot Disturb' had only a two-day run with close to 75 percent despite 16 shows," Amit Awasthi, manager (programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas at Noida, told IANS.
"We are expecting 'Wake Up Sid' to continue a good run at least until the Diwali weekend, which has major releases like 'Blue', 'Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna' and 'All The Best'. Though we have 'Acid Factory' on Oct 9, we are sincerely doubtful about its future in multiplexes," he added.
Made at a budget of around Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million), "Wake Up Sid" has been produced by Dharma Productions Pvt Ltd and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures with around 700 prints worldwide.
"'Wake Up Sid' has had a very good occupancy and opening over the first weekend. It is a different movie for different people and is totally a multiplex movie. It is going to have an extended play," said a source from PVR Cinemas.
"It has done what 'Rock On!!' did last year... it has evoked people's hidden past and is so associative. While 'Do Knot Disturb', despite having almost the equal number of shows as the former (around six each per property) did have a good opening, but it fell flat in no time," the source added.
"Do Knot Disturb" has been co-produced by Vashu Bhagnani and Big Pictures and directed by David Dhawan. Released across 1,060 screens worldwide, it stars Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.
Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, however, thinks it is too early to tell.
"We kept around 10 shows each for both the movies across different properties and the result has been around 60 and 80 percent respectively for 'Do Knot Disturb' and 'Wake Up Sid'," said Raizada.
"The response for the latter has been very good and this one is in fact sustaining too but, as far as the long run is concerned, nothing can be said as the business has mostly been done during the initial weekend," he added.
Wake Up Sid - Movie Review
Recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your list. Recall those years when staying awake at nights, chatting away with friends became a habit. Recall those years when bunking college and sneaking into movie halls was more exciting than books. Recall those years when you were completely clueless and aimless about the vocation you wanted to pursue once you graduated… That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life can never be erased from your memory.WAKE UP SID, directed by debutante Ayan Mukerji, is like revisiting those years that lay at some remote corner of your mind, after you moved on in life.
Actually, WAKE UP SID is a slice of life film. It's not merely real in concept, but has also been told most realistically, so much so that you can't help but draw parallels with your life or with someone you know. But what really makes WAKE UP SID most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who's mastered the craft at such a young age.
Verdict? WAKE UP SID mirrors those years with flourish. This one's a simple story that strikes a chord instantly. Strongly recommended!
WAKE UP SID tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid [Ranbir Kapoor], a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams. Sid's world is breezy, carefree and without any true responsibilities.
Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi [Namit Das] and Laxmi [Shikha Talsania], very rarely communicates with his mother Sarita [Supriya Pathak] and takes his father Ram Mehra [Anupam Kher] and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy; sweet, funny and above all, a good friend.Aisha Bannerjee [Konkona Sen Sharma], an aspiring writer from Kolkata, learns this soon enough when her path crosses with Sid's on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read and driven, Aisha has come to Mumbai to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha's first friend in the city.
As Aisha sets up her life in Mumbai, with the help of Sid and his gang, Sid allows for time to fly by over long drives, parties that stretch well into dawn, and endless hours doing absolutely nothing. But a series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself.
Let's not compare WAKE UP SID with anything you've watched before. Not DIL CHAHTA HAI. Not LAKSHYA either. Debutante director Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to instantly and treats it with utmost care. A few moments linger in your memory and evoke bitter-sweet memories.
The first hour, right till the intermission, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid's world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. But the post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It's only towards the finale that things perk up. Ideally, the film could've done with some trimming in this hour.
Ayan Mukerji packs in a solid punch in most parts of the film. The emotional moments especially gets you all moist-eyed. The humour too is well integrated in the sequences. Even the confrontation between the father and son is superb. Prior to that Konkona's birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. Music [Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] is melodious. Anil Mehta's cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are just right.
There's no denying that Ranbir Kapoor is a supremely talented actor, but in WAKE UP SID, he proves that he's amongst the best in the business today. No one could've portrayed Sid as effectively as Ranbir has enacted, that's for sure. This is an award-worthy performance.Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer. Anupam Kher is wonderful. Ditto for Supriya Pathak. Both shine in their respective parts. Namit Das and Shikha Talsania are perfect. Rahul Khanna doesn't get any scope.
On the whole, WAKE UP SID is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience this Friday. Its distributors [UTV] have very rightly released the film at plexes of metros and mini-metros [instead of flooding the market with physical and digital prints], which in turn should only make this small film talked-about in days to come. Thumbs Up!
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.”
Ranvir and Koko to wed
News is Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey are all set to tie the knot this December.
The couple has been dating since the past 3 years when they first met during the shooting of Mixed Doubles. The odd couple have never been secretive about their relationship and are seen at many do’s together.A source close to the actors said, 'They had been waiting for the right time and finally zeroed down on December 27th as the date of the wedding. Everyone is thrilled but they are being very hush hush about it. With Wake Up Sid releasing around the same time, she doesn’t want anything to affect the movies release.'
But an actor who has worked with Konkona in the past revealed, 'They are complete misfits as a couple, I remember during a wrap up party, Ranvir was completely sloshed and was behaving very badly with Konkona. I didn’t know why she was putting up with his behaviour and it seemed like it was everyday thing for them. I really wanted to knock some sense into her.'
When we contacted Ranvir Shorey, the actor refused to comment. If the news of their wedding is true, we wish the odd couple all the very best indeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
