Tamasha review: This Ranbir Kapoor,Deepika Padukone show is brilliant

                           

Film: Tamasha
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Piyush Mishra
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Rating: 3.5/5

Throughout Tamasha, there is a recurrent line - that it is always the same story of boy meets girl and society creates a rift between them. Is the Deepika Padukone-Ranbir Kapoor-starrer any different? It is not. Only this time, society creates the barrier through a much longer route - with the norms implanted deep down in the protagonist’s character.

Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha is a theatrical attempt at exploring love, life and the love for life in its best form - free from the shackles of society. Be it Rockstar, Highway or Jab We Met - Imtiaz’s characters seem to be treading the same line. Once again, the protagonist (Ved, played by Ranbir Kapoor) is a ‘normal, average’ man going about his life in the routine prescribed by his immediate society and family - a character caught in the drama of routine and decency. The film traces Ved’s journey from following the set patterns of life to getting back to his childhood self where he was in awe of stories and characters.

             While Highway was a well-explored journey of Veera (Alia Bhatt), Imtiaz Ali fails to offer any novelty in Tamasha. What is more disappointing is the fact that the director does not build his characters enough for the audience to empathise - almost half the film is dedicated to the scenic beauty of Corsica and harps more on the sizzling chemistry of Ranbir-Deepika rather than bringing the audience any closer to the characters. In the first half, there are sequences that touch upon the dark sides of life and well-choreographed songs but these scenes don’t explore the protagonists’ personalities and lives. There is not even a proper conversation to hold the audience - most of the scenes that involve dialogues are peppered with background music and songs - which is good, with AR Rahman’s soothing music and Irshad Kamil sharp lyrics - but it hampers the audience’s engagement with the characters onscreen. The second half, thankfully, gears up and brings us a little closer to Ved and Tara.

           People with an artistic bent in their personality are likely to identify with Ved’s character - he is mesmerised with stories and theatre, but life and its demands of making a living in accordance with his pragmatic father, take a toll on his real calling and make him forget his real self. It is only on a holiday trip in Corsica where he meets Tara (Deepika Padukone) and his love for fun and theatre comes back to the fore. Ved and Tara have an agreement that they won’t reveal real names or anything that can trace them back to their lives - leaving behind the fun, love and connection they find in each other.Tamasha could have been, but is certainly not, Imtiaz’s best - I found it better than Rockstar, but it is not as gripping as Highway. With Imtiaz’s intriguing take on love stories, scenic locations and brilliant acting by Ranbir and Deepika, it is a one-time watch, but nothing more.

The beautiful locations of Corsica, trippy camera angles and well-stationed frames ensure the movie takes the audience on a journey to a fantasy land - one where you do not have to play by the boring rules of real life.

Tamasha could have been, but is certainly not, Imtiaz’s best - I found it better than Rockstar, but it is not as gripping as Highway. With Imtiaz’s intriguing take on love stories, scenic locations and brilliant acting by Ranbir and Deepika, it is a one-time watch, but nothing more.