Tamasha

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Audience reviews (13)

40 ratings · user score 6.8

1. TE

   Tejas NairNov 2015

   1/10

   I really don't know what's wrong with Imtiaz Ali. Whatever it is, it should prevent him from making confusing and pretentious films in the future.<br /> <br /> A young boy living in a fantasy world of his own adorn by some famous literary characters and their stories grows up to become a half-wit named Ved (Kapoor). Both, the introduction of the film and the introduction of a grown-up Ved meeting his future kissing companion, another half-wit called Tara (Padukone) is horrendously boring, if not cringe-worthy. The half-wits meet in an exotic city in France and the film ends when they successfully shed themselves of their wits.<br /> <br /> The first fifteen minutes would be enough for a sane person to grow uncomfortable with the way the narration moves to a wayward direction. And then there's no stopping the characters who slide from one idiosyncrasy to another without any respect to their audience. Plus there is this annoying jingle playing throughout the film - be it people conversing or people kissing. Once you deduce how the two protagonists think highly of themselves and regard everybody around them to be dumb, you will realize the degree of stupidity involved in the story that ensues. Complex love stories are fine, but here the writers don the caps of mathematicians and play calculus with the theme of romance.<br /> <br /> Pretending to re-enact popular characters of Hindi cinema, the film not only messes up what little it had to say but also adds a drop of dizzy into the mixture, and ends up sour. Other than Mr. Kapoor's haircut, the beautiful locales, and Ms. Padukone's sizzles, this film has nothing to offer.<br /> <br /> BOTTOM LINE: Imtiaz Ali's much-anticipated Tamasha is really a tamasha (joke) which can be best described as the complex product of the director's previous films which has come out as reeking vomit.<br /> <br /> GRADE: F<br /> <br /> Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

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2. BI

   Bindu CherungathNov 2015

   6/10

   Tamasha, Imtiaz Ali's film brings Bollywood's one of the favourite pair Deepika and Ranbir on screen. I am so much confused when I sit to review this film now. If you expect the magic of Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal in this film, you may be disappointed. Imtiaz's Rockstar was also a bit different from his typical style of filmmaking which earned him mixed reviews. But his latest film Highway had received great critical acclaim and appreciation, which saw a different side of Imtiaz's style of filmmaking. Tamasha certainly differs from his earlier films in spite of love being the central theme. Rather, he experiments with a different style of storytelling through Tamasha. Tamasha means spectacle. I loved the plot of the film, which focuses or reminds us that most of the time, we are mere spectators in our lives. We choose a gallery, where we can sit comfortably and just watch things happening in and around us. We don't even decide for ourselves. When we don't design our choices in our lives, somebody else makes choices for us. And if this is the case, do we enjoy these choices made by somebody on our behalf. Probably not. We just live our lives, fall prey to the monotonous way of living. We ignore the real 'us' and just compromise with the happenings of our lives. We ourselves don't recognize the real self and just pull through life by engaging in mundane activities and appear not to be bothered as well. Imtiaz Ali's film Tamasha tells us – "Your most personal thought is your life's biggest Tamasha". The concept is so nice, but the film falters at the execution level. Two terrific actors on screen could have set the stage on fire, but it doesn't happen so. Even the sequence where lot of fun elements could have been added was a bit dry. And the sequence, where emotions could have played a major role in getting the audience connected was underplayed. But certainly, this film can't be written off, watch it for the beautiful philosophy, which Tamasha brings to us and of course for its lead pair, Deepika and Ranbir. The film begins with a troupe performing Tamasha on stage. The very initial scene itself makes the whole theme of the film very clear. The story telling happens through this Tamasha. Ved as a kid in Shimla is extremely fond of stories. He would collect money, even steal money at times to pay a storyteller (Piyush Mishra) who would tell him stories of Ramayana, Laila Majnu, Heer Ranjha, Romeo Juliet etc. The interesting aspect of Piyush' storytelling was that he used to say that every story was the same. Ved used to passionately listen to the stories. As far as the studies are concerned, he is not very fond of many subjects especially Mathematics. But when he grows up, he yields to his father's pressure to pursue engineering. The adult Ved's story begins in an exotic island – Corsica in France, where he happens to meet Tara (Deepika Padukone), who had lost her passport and some other belongings. Both of them hit it off at the very first instance. Ved wanted their story to be different from the regular ones, so they decide that they would not even reveal their real names, and tell any truth to each other. They only lie about themselves, Ved becomes Don and Tara becomes Mona Darling. They also had set the norm that they would never meet each other once they leave Corsica. But as expected, love blooms, though both of them don't accept that. Tara returns to her home at Kolkata and joins her father's business. Ved goes to Delhi and joins a regular corporate job. She does feel Ved's absence around, but she is not being shown as a depressed girl, rather she is shown actively engaged in work. Although the scene is not very clear, but it shows her being true to her emotions by breaking off with her boyfriend or fiancée. The screenplay covers a period of four years through a song. Tara lands up in Delhi for an assignment. 'Social' of Hauz Khas Village is the spot where she keeps coming, certainly with the hope of meeting Ved. And when she meets Ved, does she find the same Ved whom she met in Corsica. Though, they meet almost everyday, Tara is disillusioned with this Ved. She feels that the Ved who was always there with her since her return from Corsica was far different from this Ved. Tara was facing problem to accept this Ved who had succumbed to a conventional way of leading life, routine job. Tara wanted to highlight the point that Ved had the potential to do much beyond the routine things in his life. But Ved had a problem in accepting the external dimension of his 'self' from Tara. What happens thereafter? How does Ved meets his real 'self'? How does Ved take charge of his life? How does he define his own internal dimension of 'self'? Does he give life to the storyteller within him? How does he move out of the shackles of the family / social expectations of being an engineer, pursuing a corporate job, being part of the rat race? How does Tara's love play a role in bringing the real Ved out? Does Ved ever feel liberated in life? If the story started in Corsica, and paths of the lead pair crossed at Delhi, where does the story reaches at the climax? Watch the film to get these answers. Ranbir has definitely played Ved with great conviction. He has imitated Devanand also. Deepika looks ravishing as always, but I kept wondering why her eyes are almost always moist. She indeed brings lot of energy to Tara's character. The scene, where Deepika meets Ved in Delhi, how she enacts her emotions is superb. The angst of an individual, who is being brought up in a very traditional and conservative background and who is expected to be only perfect in his life and fulfill his family's vision is also very well portrayed by Ranbir. The young Ved is also very good. Piyush Mishra in his role as storyteller is very nice. Another beautiful scene is the one where the storyteller tells Ved that why he is asking him in regard to his (Ved) own story. He shouts at Ved and asks him to tell or create his own story. I found this particular scene to be very powerful, which makes us ponder that are we ready to design our stories and proclaim the same to the world. Also, another aspect which I liked about Tamasha is that it depicts a love which makes a person identify and encounter self which facilitates one to bring out his / her real optimum potential. The song which needs special mention is "Agar Tum Sath ho…" by Alka Yagnik and Arijit Singh. It would touch your hearts. You may enjoy this movie, if are ready to just sit back, relax and watch. You may not enjoy this movie, if you expect the miracle through the combination of Imtiaz-Deepika-Ranbir and also want lot of fun. Tamasha talks about one of the most intriguing philosophy of life that we as human beings tend to be mere spectators in our lives, allow others to design choices for us, stop following our own dreams and find ourselves in the shackles of the societal norms of following conventional rules. We may not be ready to explore our true potential, but someone who loves us, could take us to a great journey of self-optimization. Though, Tamasha, the spectacle, is not a debacle; I sincerely wished that such a beautiful philosophy could have been executed in a much better manner through a gripping screenplay.

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3. LA

   Lasit RoyNov 2015

   8/10

   Critics sucks, especially those who rate it with 5 star or less. Don't know what they want. Okey, traditional mindset will never accept it. There is various issue that the film reflected. 1st, contemporary modern man's conflict about how to treat life, follow passion or family background. Suffer or enjoy? Such ideas are very much contemporary and reflective. Imtiaz Ali made a comperision between Indian mythology to depict the modern conflict vividly, he is successful in it. Both the script and direction simply outstanding. Who is saying it doesn't have a story? One may not understand but it contains a strong story but non- leniar. Corsica is the centre and the story revolves around it. Okey, about music no one should ask a question. Outstanding A.R. Rahman. Superb. Inspirational movie, good to watch. Youth must watch it.

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4. RA

   Rahul RDDec 2015

   9/10

   You will love it only if you can relate to it. Its a personal story.

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5. RA

   Rakshit RainaDec 2015

   6/10

   Its really conflicting to talk about this one. There are parts that I absolutely adore, but they preceded by an underwhelming first half!

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6. VE

   Vedant PatilDec 2015

   8/10

   story starts in from a tamasha and then in corsica 1st half is worth watch but in second somewhere you get bore but as usual end is important end of the movie is not everyone's cup of tea ..And the end decides how the whole movie was??

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7. MO

   Monomalya BhattacharyyaDec 2015

   6/10

   The story was good but it lacks the way of showing it on screen....Ranbir was brilliant but Deepika, what type of acting she was doing god knows....

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8. SA

   Saheb AbdullahMay 2016

   6/10

   More Than A Love Story Tamasha Is A Coming Of Age Movie..A Self Discovery.2nd Half Is Decent, But 2nd Half Is Very Good.Characters Are Half Baked, Needed More Explanations.Ranbir Delivers His One Of The Best Performance

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9. MI

   Midhun Ben Thomas (Dilseben)Sept 2016

   5/10

   Among the high profile releases of the year, one of the most eagerly awaited was Imtiaz Ali's "Tamasha" which had hit the screens this week. With Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone cast as the lead pairs, the sense of anticipation was palpable among the audience considering their credentials & past history. The trailer promises it to be a rocking movie & seemed to be along the lines of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwaani". So does it deliver what it projects??? Tara (Deepika Padukone) had the worst start to her holidays when she loses her baggage the moment she set foot on the beautiful French island of Corsica. Luckily for her, she meets up with Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) who helps her out & within moments they hit off famously. However, the duo decide to withhold their true identities so as to avoid any emotional baggage later on. Though they part as planned with no questions asked, Tara couldn't stop thinking of Ved who had swept her off her feet. Four years down the lane, they meet yet again but will everything be same as before??? Imtiaz Ali brand of films have always been unique & exudes class be it "Jab We Met", "Rockstar" or his last release "Highway". In his latest venture, though the film does set off in a rollicking manner after a point of time it gets lethargic & doesnt seem to offer anything sprightly enough to keep the audience engaged. It would be fair to say that this is the most complex protagonist that Imtiaz had created who is weighed down by the inability to pursue his dreams but unfortunately for him the audience doesn't sympathize with his situation. In the technical department, Ravi Varman's visuals were awesome while A R Rahman's music didnt quite strike a chord with me. Ranbir Kapoor hasn't been having the best of times with his last couple of releases being box office duds but there is no denying the sincerity that he invests in each character that he portrays. Even as Ved, he was fantastic exhibiting the myriad of emotions that the protagonist goes through. When it comes to the female lead, Deepika was brilliant & for me, she actually outshines Ranbir inspite of playing second fiddle to him. As for the rest of the cast, none of them really mattered. Verdict: In all likelihood, the film should be able to garner a decent initial though how it fares depends solely on the multiplex audience. Unluckily for the makers, the film is unlikely to appeal to the audience which will hamper it's gross collections. In short, the lead pairs are fantastic but that doesn't quite salvage the movie!!! Rating: 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

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10. DA

    Daksh AroraNov 2016

    10/10

    Masterpiece delivered by Initial Ali.

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11. مح

    محمد المطيريNov 2016

    10/10

    The film begins with an act of a ‪Tamasha‬ whereby we get introduced to a joker who is laughing at a robot having stuck between Dil & Duniya. The robot symbolizes most of us, our mechanical existence whereby we are killing our dreams each passing day by being unwillingly part of a routine life which we abhor but then we need the money.. The stage is set for another Imtiaz Ali extravaganza ----- On analyzing Imtiaz Ali film we can see he has an inclination towards characters that are aberrations to societal rules and traditions. They are not anti-social or asocial but are non-conformist in nature. Be it mild nature Viren Oberoi from Socha Na Tha or cutely hyper Geet from Jab We Met or rebellious Janarthan from Rockstar his protagonists are different who antics influences their contradictory counterparts thus shaping into an unusual love-story. And for someone like me who distants himself from mushy romance are attracted by Imtiaz Ali's characters who comes across as free-spirited and hatke. With Tamasha he brings back his non-conformist lead in the form of Ved but unlike Janarthan Ranbir Kapoor's character is an apparently soft- spoken dreamer who is a byproduct of materialistic societal existence. He is bored & wants to get rid of his mundane daily life which brings him closer to a bipolar personality. Well I guess majority of us can connect with him as he webs several stories and lives each of them in his mind. The world of dreams kind of gives him a freedom and there begins a fairy tale journey which culminates into self-actualization with Ved realizing his potential through the eyes of Tara Maheshwari. Last month Vikas Behl tried to narrate a similar tale but the surreal setting and quirky humour boomeranged. Imtiaz Ali tried the same story but gave it a dark & poetic tone, dealing with the complexities of human emotions. Ali dares to experiment with the narrative as it goes past, present and future as he paints 3 phases of Ved's life. He dexterously uses mirrors and shadows (as props) to reflect the inner conflict of the central character. In several sequences he proved why he is one of the finest directors around. One of my fav is the repeated scenes with cut shots of the following frames - his alarm clock waking him in the morning, brushing teeth, having breakfast, getting stuck in traffic, getting into office lift, swapping his card and settling at his cubicle. The gloominess of monotony and monstrosity of lifeless survival is effectively displayed which probably haunts 90% of those watching the film. Ali deserved accolades for many sequences like the one in an auto which leads to "wattu watu" songs is creative or the one where he confronts his father "lecture" on responsibility and blah blah blah... Ved's blabbering in client presentation or the scene where he confronts his boss. But honestly few frames looked manipulative and the one where his father's heart showed a change in the pre-climax seemed hurried and badly written. Ranbir simply puts his teeth into the role and proves why he is one of the best actors around. He should be also applauded for choosing this film. The complexity of bipolar Ved comes alive through him and the vulnerability of the character could be felt. Personally I wish this film at least works in the BO to give him confidence to select more bolder scripts. Deepika Padukone is one actress who had simply taken all the criticisms seriously in her early stage of career. Over the years she has improved a lot and after Piku this is another performance for her to cheer. Piyush Mishra's voice has a narrator is an apt one for a script which deals with human ambiguity. A.R Rehman's music, Ravi Verman's cinematography and Aarti Bajaj's editing compliments Ali's vision. Tamasha is not for those who are looking for a popcorn rom-com, but it is not a pessimistic film either. What make me delighted about Tamasha is that it hits on the plastic "holier than thou" society & urges people never to lose the child within one and try to follow one's heart. I couldn't dare to follow my heart but at least I can surely say that the child within me is very much alive And as the story-teller old man (a brilliant Piyush Mishra in a cameo) confronts Ved he gives a valuable life-lesson - there is no point in cribbing, end-of-the-day it is your own story and you have to find a resolution. Indeed, the pursuit of happiness continues

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12. RA

    Rahul DuttNov 2016

    10/10

    Great story great message great acting

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13. SH

    Shashwat SisodiaSept 2019

    7/10

    Imtiaz Ali has always been one of my most favorite storytellers of all time. He laces love with the messages he tries to deliver. Above anything, he decides how his characters perform, and how moving or how ridiculous a frame might have to look. If we observe at a close, Ali has always been scrupulous, with a precise eye for details in the writing of the films, something which Bhansali does to his sets he does it with the emotional structuring of his characters. 'Tamasha' easily sets high bars with a lovely tale laced with storytelling and the art of doing so. The meticulously driven tale has both storytelling and theater style entertainment. But interestingly, none of them overpower each other. And why would they, when here, the storytelling and the art of entertainment are soulmates! And romance has a key role to play, when, of course. A well-made story about a girl and a storyteller who met in Corsica, this film started off as a theatre tale, kept its pace heavy in a mediocre love story and became an offbeat feel-good saga of delectable romance. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone as Ved and Tara, the film with it's own vivid colours is amazing. Too bad it's underrated despite its flavours. Imtiaz gets experimental and offers you layers of love stories for the price of one couple. He softly and avidly gives you a Bollywood version of passion, affection and adventurous strolls. The film has a vivacious dazzle, but this never comes in the way of solidity in the ideas. The film's prowess lies in its never coming short of ideas. It is very long and sometimes, all of it feels overdone and manipulative. But it is never boring, and that's why I am giving it a 3.5 out of 5. Romance in the story indeed!

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