New Delhi:
Why always the same story? Boy meets a girl and society ruins their love; Tamasha is Imtiaz's attempt to redefine the happening in a much complex way. Be it Rockstar or Highway, love has never come up easy in his movies but what remained constant is the best performing actors. Even in this one Ranbir Kapoor returns to mesmerise all with his almost perfect act and stunning Deepika Padukone; add beautiful locations of Corsica and Shimla to it and what you get is Tamasha.
With three back to back flops – Besharam, Roy and Bombay Velvet - Ranbir Kapoor undeniably needed a film like this to recuperate his diminishing charm in Bollywood. His desperate need and Imtiaz’s soulful attempt keep the film grooving with an emotional tinge to taste life.
SPOILER AHEAD
Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) and Tara (Deepika Padukone) meet in Corsica by circumstance. Without wasting a moment they decide to make their stay fun-filled and adventurous with only one condition to not reveal their true identities or leave any clue that can trace them. In this short vacation they enjoy every single moment to the core before heading their separate ways. But then comes a twist, Tara unknowingly started missing being with Ved, she struggles for four long years but then finds a way to reach him.
As they say, keep trying until you get the desired result, Tara finally bumps into Ved in Delhi and this time she leaves nothing to chance and they embark on the relationship she has been craving for long. Don’t forget, this is an Imtiaz movie and things can’t be so easy. Tara slowly realises that this version of Ved is actually different from the one she had fallen for in Corsica. So who is this Ved? Don, who had once given her true taste of life, or the product manager, who is well-behaved and perfect in every manner? With a genuine concern Tara approaches Ved with the same query to keep things easy. What follows from here is an emotional and intriguing take on reactions we face when desires get killed with an open invitation.
Though the story doesn’t sound so fascinating, what remains interesting is the visual appeal of the sets. All thanks to cinematographer Ravi Varman for picking up such beautiful locations. This time Imtiaz certainly fails to create the magic as in the first half of the film viewers are left vacationing with the stars instead of taking them closer to the characters. There are sequences which play worthy role in keeping the par above entertainment with well-choreographed songs but protagonists’ personalities remain mystery till the film exits from the vacation. Cut to second half, it is an entirely different affair. Ved and Tara now get served to the audiences with real performances. While first half takes a ride with AR Rahman’s soothing music and Irshad Kamil sharp lyrics, second half is a buffet of power packed performances.
Apart from the lead cast, two actors who have done an impressive job are Piyush Mishra, a story-teller, and Vivek Mushran, Ved's well-disciplined boss.
There is an interesting sequence where Ved approaches Piyush Mishra seeking solution to the miserable problems of his life thinking every story is the same and the story-teller must know what happens in the end. Instead of getting a solution, Ved gets to know that he is a coward man who seeks advice from someone else. Isn’t this what we all do – seek an approval from someone to believe that our heart’s calling is right? We shouldn’t.
Both Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone have managed well to evolve the best of them in this offering by Imtiaz Ali. While Deepika stays in her Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani mood, Ranbir takes the flight to move over like a ‘Rockstar’. From playing Don, mimicking legendary Dev Anand and Ved under societal pressure to kill his childhood dream of story-telling to lead a robotic well mannered life; Ranbir Kapoor aces in all forms of characters. He is the charm in this one.
As mentioned earlier background music and songs play a major part in this one. AR Rahman reassures why he had once won Oscar for his music while Irshad Kamil ensures people get struck with the sharp and crisp lyrics. The songs are already beating the chartbusters and seem to stay for long.
Final verdict: Even though there are many visual treats, soothing music and also powerful performance by Ranbir and Deepika, keeping things simple would have been a better choice for Imtiaz. It is definitely a one-time watch and not the one that stays with you.
