Sunday 29 November 2015

TAMASHA MOVIE REVIEW

Bottomline : It is surprising that a film which celebrates the craft of storytelling is let down by a script that feels too familiar and lacks the emotional depth to connect well with the audience. It may be experimental in terms of treatment, but it is the poor storyline and inconsistent tone that hurts the film more than anything else.

Review; It's high time director Imtiaz Ali handed over the writing department of his films to someone who can go past the "follow your dreams" zone and come up with something more genuine and imaginative. In the past, Bollywood has delivered quite a few films on the same lines, like Udaan (which I consider the best film made till date), Wake Up Sid, Yeh Jawani Hain Deewani, etc. Imtiaz himself has recycled ideas from his phenomenal Jab We Met, but the warmth and freshness of that film are sorely lacking here. He tries his best to keep things from getting predictable by adopting a non-linear narrative, as he did with Rockstar, but when the fundamental ingredient called story is bland, the final dish turns out to be inevitably bland. 

Don't get me wrong, Tamasha is not a bad film. It has a lot going for it, like A.R.Rahman's superb soundtrack and background score, superlative performances by the principal cast and the eye-watering photography of the islands of Corsica. Imtiaz, on more than one occasions, treats some nice emotional scenes with just the right dose of maturity and even infuses humour to keep the proceedings light and breezy. But when you realise such a talented bunch of people is associated with the film, Tamasha feels like a wasted opportunity.

Alas, it is the director's incredible knack to bring out the best in actors that is conspicuous throughout the film. Ranbir, a solid actor in great form, is the real show-stealer here. He oozes sincerity and affection for a character he's played many times before, and yet pulls it off so convincingly that you can't help pity he's restricted to perform under the ambit of the dull script. Deepika is pretty fabulous as well. Take that scene in the second half where she begs for forgiveness from Ranbir and he stubbornly rushes out of the situation. It's beautifully directed and acted, and the film needed a lot more of such moments to make it a memorable experience. 

I'm going with 2.5/5 for Tamasha. It's a pretty watchable film, though it packs in more disappointments than surprises. I'm eagerly waiting for the next film when Ranbir is not left short changed by a bad script.