Why Wake Up Sid Is My Favourite Movie

I don’t think Wake Up Sid is my favourite movie because it has the best plot ever written.

It doesn’t.

It’s a pretty simple story.

A confused 21-year-old guy doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. He spends his days playing video games, partying, spending his father’s money and generally avoiding the question that every Indian parent eventually asks:

And honestly?

That’s exactly why I love it.

Because Sid doesn’t suddenly wake up one morning with a five-year plan.

He just starts trying things.

And I think that’s something we don’t talk about enough.

Growing up in India, there is a strange pressure to have your entire life figured out before you’ve even lived it.

And somewhere between all these questions, you are expected to magically discover:

Sid doesn’t have an answer.

And neither did I.

Maybe that’s why the movie feels so personal.

This is probably the biggest thing I took away from the movie.

At the beginning, Sid looks like the stereotypical irresponsible rich kid.

• He doesn’t study.
• He doesn’t care about his exams.
• He doesn’t take his internship seriously.
• He fights with his father.
• He spends most of his time doing absolutely nothing productive.

But underneath all of that, I don’t think Sid is simply lazy.

When you don’t know what you want, even simple things become difficult.

You procrastinate. You scroll. You play games. You sleep.
You tell yourself you’ll figure it out tomorrow.

And then tomorrow becomes next week.
And next week becomes another year.

Aisha is one of the reasons the movie works so well.

She moves to Mumbai because she wants to become a writer. She doesn’t have everything figured out either.

But she has something Sid doesn’t:

And I love that distinction.

She isn’t some perfectly successful person who arrives to teach Sid how to live. She’s figuring out her own life too.

The difference is that she’s willing to move.

And slowly, Sid starts doing the same.

For me, it’s not the college scenes. It’s not the comedy. It’s not even the romance.

There’s something beautiful about watching someone become interested in something without initially knowing where it will lead.

He picks up a camera. He starts taking pictures. He notices things differently.

And eventually, he realises:

That’s it.

See what you’re willing to get better at. And maybe, somewhere along the way, you find your thing.

That’s another reason I love the title.

Because growing up isn’t necessarily about suddenly becoming responsible.

It’s about becoming aware.

Sid doesn’t become a completely different person overnight. He simply starts paying attention.

And maybe that’s what adulthood actually is. Not having all the answers. Just becoming more conscious about the questions you’re asking.

Every time I watch Wake Up Sid, I notice something different.

• At 18: I saw a fun coming-of-age movie.
• Later: I saw a story about finding a career.
• Now: I see something slightly different.

Because sometimes the thing you’re looking for isn’t hidden somewhere inside you waiting to be discovered.

And that’s why Wake Up Sid will probably remain one of my favourite movies.

Not because Sid figured everything out. But because he finally decided to start figuring it out.

And honestly, I think most of us are still somewhere between those two moments.