The Pinkvilla Movie Review- Tamasha

Phir kya hua? Majnu ne liye kapde phaar, beech bazaar phir ek baar... dekh Tamasha. That's one thing that stands true about the film - Dekh Tamasha. It is undoubtedly Imtiaz's boldest work till date. If you thought that a woman walking out on her husband right after her wedding or a woman falling in love with the man who abducted her, was his bravest work, wait till you watch this movie. For Tamasha, the maverick borrows his basic idea from Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots, places it in a romantic set-up and has sheer fun with it. 

A lot of what transpires in Tamasha happens subconsciously, which Ali's actors bring out beautifully on screen. No two people are better suited for Tamasha than Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. Even in a sketchy character, Padukone shines. She is the film's anchor and it is her performance that brings out the best in Ranbir. She is elegant, graceful and her chemsitry with Ranbir is palpable as always. RK ups his game by going a notch above his performance in Rockstar. He invests wholeheartedly in his character, surrenders to each mood of Ved (his screen name), so effortlessly yet so skillfully. He shifts from being Don to a corporate slave in a matter of seconds and conveys it merely by a look in eyes or simply changing his demeanour. He internalized the role and plays Ved to the T. In one of the scenes, when he goes to meet Tara on the night of his break-up party, his tirade begins on a polite note and his pitch rises by the second. It is a beautifully written scene where RK plays both Ved and Don. It is the credit of an actor when he can exhibit so many shades in a matter of just one scene. Every time Ved looks at the mirror, you'll be compelled to look at the complexities of your own life. The dreams you didn't pursue , the decisions you are proud of. Ved will connect to all. 

Two people have a one vacation stand in Corsica. Four years later, they again meet in Delhi. The girl is the same - instantly falls for him all over again, dresses up for their dates, is giddy after kisses, clearly has butterflies in her stomach and flutters her eyes full of glee at finding love. The man is far from the image she has in mind. He talks about Japan being an emerging brand in the culinary market on their first date, contrary to talking to the hills and drinking water from a pond (like he did on their Corsica vacation). She tries finding her Don in Ved, who has lost himself to the mundaneness of the world. When he proposes to her, she says she loves someone else - who looks like him but isn't quite him.

In its own way, Tamasha is sizzling, seductive and gorgeous. For any art lover, the film is a spectacle. It brings together too many stories and the common thread running through them is Ved's own story. The world is forcing him to be mediocre and he has lost the zeal to fight back. After losing his job and being scorned by friends, he goes to an old storyteller to find out the ending of his story. The wise man says, "It is your story, write your own ending." Imtiaz recreates his own song Main Kya Hoon from Love Aaj Kal and when Ved makes dash towards life, you can't help but cheer for him. His final speech to his dad about how the world is running a race without knowing what race it is or where are they running to, makes perfect sense. Are we unquestioningly moving towards mediocrity? Why not run a race in which you win and not just be average!

Imtiaz challenges notions like always but this time he makes his hero go neurotic , snap at random strangers, bond with rickshaw drivers over their common pain - dard uska bhi wahi tha. The only thing you wish is that Tamasha was edited better. It falters in parts, feels long in many scenes in the second half and the non-linear narrative can be distracting. Despite its flaws, the film is alluring. 

Tamasha is not a romantic comedy but it is breathtakingly romantic. It will knock the wind out of you and is about the kind of love that changes you, brings out your real self - ugly, eccentric, absolutely weird but affable. Imtiaz's films cast that spell, catapult you into a parallel world and this time he pulls it off better than ever before. Give your conflicted side a chance, it probably can do better than you believe.

Full marks to Deepika, Ranbir and Rahman but it is Imtiaz's victory. Take a bow for the gut-wrenchingly painful Agar Tum Saath Ho, for the spark in Ranbir's eye when his father tells him - Yeh Wala Hero Best Hai, for returning Mona Darling her Don and mostly, for giving average people the hope that they too can find their extraordinary side. Thank God, you have the courage to explore the space between dil and dimaag and give us an inspired story that triumphs. Thank you for not giving us the same story! 

We rate this film a 65% on the Pinkvilla movie meter.