In contemporary Bollywood, love stories have undergone a far-reaching, fundamental transformation: from fighting the cruel world and family till the 1990s, lovers have been battling their inner demons approximately in 2000s. Have I fallen in love or is it just friendship? To commit or not to commit? Cinema is subjective, they say and the statement holds true. 5 years ago, we witnessed the Tamasha of our lives mirrored in Imtiaz Ali’s film. A film that almost mocks us by showcasing the monotonous life we have succumbed to. It is literally shouting at us. Asking us to separate from the herd we have comfortably blended into. Tamasha is a performance. We are the performers who are dancing to the society’s tune like a clown and dare we not obey the rules set by society. It’s only after we embrace what we truly are, we can put an end to this Tamasha. Even after all these years, the film is still as effective and it continues to push us to write our myth.
Tamasha goes a step ahead, leaving behind these seminal questions to dwell on something even more significant: finding your true, inner self that has been lost to robotic work life, to discover and embrace the clown lurking behind the automaton in you. In that sense, Tamasha could well be the next part in the Ranbir Kapoor-in-evolution series of Hindi cinema that boasts of films like Wake up Sid, Rockstar and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. There is definitely a good thought that Imtiaz Ali invests in Tamasha and some moments do come alive and reach out strongly. After all, a lot of us have been burning ourselves out; are caught in a rut, that too out of choice. Even the entire facade Imtiaz employs – of theatre, role-playing and storytelling – while referencing his raconteur-filmmaker self, places Ranbir in a nice art and aesthetics context as against the mechanical mode.
Tamasha is a love story, told in a non-linear narrative where a woman helps a man discover who he truly is. While some termed it as a mediocre ‘boy meets girl’ story, others were able to delve deeper into the world of Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) and Tara (Deepika Padukone), finding it a beautiful story that goes beyond just romance. Tamasha is more about how we often let ourselves be defined by society and jump into the race of making ends meet, thinking that is what life is about. Ranbir and Deepika Padukone work well together, be it communicating that buddy spirit, resisting love or giving in to it or facing up to the break-up. They belong to each other. But the telling of the tale becomes too turgid, ponderous and protracted. It’s then that the initial identification with the characters lapses into sheer disinterest and boredom.
Tamasha is a celebration. Even in its sombre & tortured tone, Imtiaz Ali manages to respect his own craft abiding by a story that might just be every man’s struggle. It decodes every single string in a person’s heart, ponders over the problem of becoming a soul-less robot & pushes the boundaries of existentialism in a glimmering, colourful stage of life. After the fabulous Highway, Tamasha seemed like a step back into the old Imtiaz Ali territory. But thankfully he has matured as a director. So he presents a film that serves as an ending to a story that Imtiaz wanted to throw across the floor right from the start. There are tidbits of all his films. His characters are broken, confused & overly enigmatic like Rockstar & they are playful & hippy-like Love Aaj Kal. Because life is also a collection of stories and Imtiaz has presented life as a combination of stories, which, may or may not be always important.
While the film is mostly about Ved (Ranbir Kapoor), I was amused to see what Imtiaz did with Tara (Deepika Padukone). The beauty is not scared of confessing, almost begging for the love that got away. She hasn’t been portrayed as the girl who keeps it all inside. A very contradictory character feature when you compare her to the film’s leading man. Yet, she is a ray of hope, a muse & a girl who shouldn’t be treated like any other girl. Imtiaz’s film has a love story at its core but I’m so glad that he doesn’t put all his mind & power to it. Love acts as a catalyst for bigger & more important things. Learning, for instance.
Tamasha works hugely because of A.R Rehman’s music. Unlike most of what Bollywood has been doing, Imtiaz knows how to use his songs. The tracks don’t harm or overshadow the film’s essence & go quite evidently with the narrative. The ‘Wat Wat Wat’ track tells a story on its own & has to be one of my favourite moments from the film. While you see glimmers of over the top failures in his rendition of Ved, you know deep down that everything is intentional. Ved’s character has a scale of variations & Ranbir manages to get them all right. His pious effort shows the depth he could go for bringing a character to life. Deepika is equally good. You question her character in the very first segment of the film but fall in love with her as the film goes by.
Yes, the film has its flaws. The characters could have been more detailed, the story could have been structured better, and we wish Ved’s childhood was better explored. But then, it is a journey worth embarking upon. It has intense & severe narrative drifts, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you are willing to hold-back, you will realize that Imtiaz Ali has weaved his magic wand again. He has made a film that is a nice little tribute to life itself. Tamasha, thus, is a ball of yarn that comes undone differently each time. Not every film is a treat to the eyes, some are meant to feed the soul.
