Tamasha - Film Review

by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

‘Tamasha’ means spectacle, fun and amusement;
It also means pantomime, sideshow and pageant.
Director Imtiaz Ali has seamlessly interwoven all these elements
In ‘Tamasha’, a complicated love story, with cinematic brilliance.

‘Tamasha’ is the story of a passionate storyteller,
Caught in his mundane professional life’s potboiler,
Minding his P’s and following boss’s Q’s
Unable to articulate or express his views.

The lead pair meets in Corsica and is attracted to each other,
And embarks on a fun-filled journey without a care, together.
They decide that their easy-going bonhomie shall have some caps,
Like not meeting again and keeping their true identity under wraps.

Meet again they do with their real identities revealed;
As Ved Vardhan Sahni and Tara Maheshwari unveiled.
Tara is shocked to find Corsica’s free-spirited Ved caught
In a monotonous daily routine, totally resigned to his lot.

Tara helps the trapped dreamer Ved to break loose,
From a humdrum mechanical life he did not choose.
All this is narrated by the master story-teller Imtiaz Ali,
Presented in great Tamasha style in places in the movie.

As this multi-layered love story with fun yet insights bristles,
Ranbir’s and Deepika’s crackling on-screen chemistry sizzles.
Both of them have come out with a rock solid performance,
That reflects soul, depth and yet a cinematic nonconformance.

Imtiaz Ali has as usual handled a complex love story with ease
Providing many moments in the movie that enchant and please.
A R Rahman’s music in this movie appears mostly incidental,
His instrumental build up to Matargashti song is phenomenal.

Beautiful Corsica locales captured in S Ravi Varman’s camerawork,
His superb camera angles and excellent frames are an added perk
That intelligently takes the viewers on a journey to a fantasy land,
Only to be jerked back to Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai, by a Bhangra band!

As the script of ‘Tamasha’ cuts between past and present routinely,
Must say that not every idea in it has been communicated effectively.
Ved’s metamorphosis is contrived in places; Tara’s character lacks clarity;
This is particularly striking in a film that celebrates storytelling with brevity.

‘Tamasha’ is a film that would appeal to most people,
For there is a Ved in most of us, causing quite a ripple.
We can identify with his inner struggle and confusion,
Trapped between a forced profession and true passion.

My personal rating for ‘Tamasha’ is a Four Star,
As I feel, Imtiaz Ali could have still raised the bar!

‘Tamasha’ is a 2015 Indian romantic drama film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in lead roles. The film tells the story of Ved (played by Ranbir Kapoor) who loses his self by living according to the social conventions expected of him. He is lovingly helped by Tara (played by Deepika Padukone) to find his true identity and calling in life viz. storytelling. The film’s music and sound track album are composed by A R Rahman with lyrics penned by Irshad Kamil.

11-Dec-2015

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Comments on this Poem

Thanks Kulbir for both your welcome and for liking this poetic review.

Padmaja Iyengar
18-Dec-2015 12:21 PM

Padmaja,

Welcome back, and thanks for your great poetic review.

I have seen the movie, and I agree with your write-up.

Kulbir
18-Dec-2015 10:39 AM