'Tamasha' Film Review: Director Imtiaz Ali Fails to Match 'Jab We Met' [SPOILERS]

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A photo posted by Tamasha (@tamashaofficial) on Nov 29, 2015 at 3:50am PST

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone star in the film Tamasha, released last week. The film is doing excellent at the box office, but after watching it, one question comes to mind: Did Imtiaz Ali forget how to write and direct films after Jab We Met? Tamasha fails to meet the successful storytelling of Jab We Met.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The curtain rises and Ali's Tamasha begins. The film opens at a theater where Kapoor, who is dressed as a robot, and Padukone, as a clown, are performing on stage and talking about the life Kapoor is living. Like any other of Ali's film, Tamasha starts with cuts between narratives. One minute in you are seeing a young Ved (Kapoor's character) sitting beside an old man (Piyush Mishra) listening to the stories of "Ramayana", Romeo & Juliet, Heer Ranjha and Christ. Then, all of a sudden, you find Ved, now in his 30's, drinking beer in Corsica, France.

Fifteen minutes into the movie and you are still confused as to whether you are listening to a story from Mishra's point of view or you are actually seeing Ved trying to woo Taara (Padukone's character) with Bollywood dialogues. The cinematography was done by world acclaimed cinematographer Ravi Varman and is breathtaking but the director again fails to establish the characters, and he is still struggling between his style in earlier works like Rockstar and Love Aaj Kal and the characters in Tamasha.

In Corsica, both characters promise that they will not share any personal details with each other and they are going to disguise their identities. All goes according to plan until suddenly Taara realizes that she is, in fact, in love with Ved and she knows that she cannot convey her feelings to him. So, after sweet love making with Ved, she leaves for India where we find that she is working for her father's tea company.

When, after many years, she finally meets Ved again and reveals her feelings to him, but what she finds is that this is not the same Ved she fell in love with in Corsica. At this point, the audience felt that there might be some issues of alteregos but, at much disappointment, this is nothing more than an oppression of Ved's life from his father and the society in which he lives.

All his life, Ved was asked to do things that he did not like, things such as taking mathematics as a major, pursuing a career in engineering and other life choices that were not his own. The oppression of his young mind has created an altogether different personality inside him, which is provoked when Taara tells him that he is not the same guy she fell in love with. According to her, he is just yet another machine who is following orders.

The rest of the film dwells in the self-realization of Ved and how he breaks the boundaries of what society expects of him and finds solace in his own reality before the curtain falls.

ACTING:

Padukone, who gave an astounding performance in Sanay Leela Bhansali's Goliyoki Raasila Raam Leela, did not get that much time on screen to give life to her character. All Taara's role is, is to make Ved realize his own strength. There were points in the film when you feel sad for her because she is so much in love, or she is so blind and has lost her self-respect that she sits on her knees in the main market just to ask forgiveness from Ved. Padukone could have done better but there was not much for her to work with in the script.

Kapoor is among the most versatile actors in Bollywood at this moment, but in Tamasha, even the Rockstar actor is trying very hard to cope with his image as a star and as Ved, who is an underdog. Kapoor got a Filmfare award for his role in Ali's Rockstar but failed to impress the audience in this newest endeavor because of the poor script.

Mishra is one of the finest method actors in India as of now and there is no denying the fact that when he comes on screen, one does not want to look at Kapoor. Mishra has beautifully carried a small role and again impresses with his performance.

MUSIC:

Tamasha's music is given by Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman. In songs like, "Tu Koi Aur Hai," "Chali Kahani" and "Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai," Rahman again gives something new and out of the box to his fans.

WRITING & DIRECTION:

When Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor starred in Jab We Met, Kareena's character Geet became the talk of the nation. Every teen girl wanted to be like Geet and every guy felt that he needed a girl like Geet. This was the power of writing and direction by Ali. In Tamasha, the director tries to mix all of his earlier films to make one. The philosophy behind Ved's character reminds one of Jordan in Rockstar, the shooting and camera angles are again similar as well. Furthermore, the philosophy of love and a career is very similar to Love Aaj Kal.

VERDICT:

According to Indian Express, the movie earned $6 million in its first weekend, so there a chance that it will be a box office hit in the end.

Tamasha is a film which takes you on Ved's journey but, at the same time, will leave you for wanting more. When you watch the film, just try to forget that this is the same director who once won our hearts with Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal.