Tamasha – Movie Review

Just half an hour into the film I was thinking “yeh kya tamasha hai?”

Yes, one of the most anticipated films by this power couple turned out to be a big disappointment and a “tamasha” in itself. Not because of their acting but the film just failed to make any impact on the audience; or the majority of it at least.

The film is mostly shot in the beautiful island of Corsica with its attractive bistros, lively locals in extravagant dresses, green countryside and glittering blue waters. Deepika and Ranbir were both desperately stressing their parts, trying to be all cute; but still the movie failed to deliver what the director, Imtiaz Ali was trying to show.

The hero Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) is an average man going about his life in the routine prescribed by his father and the society in general because of which he lives a pretty robotic life. The film traces his journey from following the set patterns of life to getting back to his childhood self where he was in awe of stories and characters. It’s when he meets Tara (Deepika) when the breakthrough arrives and he resurfaces leaving his robotic existence behind, in a world of stories filled with imagination and magic.

The part in which he tells stories about himself is when the movie gets a little interesting which is towards the second half of the film. The stretched out and wasted first hour of the film where the characters are roaming around aimlessly is especially what made it a big disappointment. So much so that a lot of people actually left the cinema in between and missed the part where the movie started to become fun.

As far as acting goes, Ranbir and Deepika both did a brilliant job and performed maturely. Ranbir, who has recently been facing criticism, surprised us with his excellent acting skills. Those parts of the movie in which he is talking to himself in front of the mirror and the time when he tells his story to his family are some of the most outstanding sequences in the film. Be it the role-playing Don, imitating Dev Anand or Ved himself, wavering between his office routine, the freedom-loving story-teller and life in general – he aced all forms of the characters played. Tamasha is without a doubt, one of Ranbir’s best films till date in terms of acting.

Tamasha could have been but is definitely not Imtiaz’s finest effort – Better than Rockstar, but it is not as enthralling as Highway. With Imtiaz’s fascinating take on love stories, picturesque locations and excellent acting by Ranbir and Deepika, the movie is a one-time watch, but nothing more than that.