You can either love it or hate it but you surely cannot ignore it. Imtiaz Ali’s theatrical attempt is much more than just another love story. It is a journey of exploring one’s self when lost. While other stories revolve around fighting the world to be with your soulmate, Tamasha offers a more genuine attempt at fighting your inner demons for real change.
Tamasha is a celebration. Even in its sombre & tortured tone, Imtiaz Ali respects his own craft abiding by a story that might just be every man’s struggle. Ali’s version of carpe diem is complex, intertwined with love and layered with an artistic voice.
Not all of us get to have a Tara in our lives. You have to be your own angel in times of despair or the world will consume the dreamer in you.
There is another character in the movie that goes unnoticed. There is an auto-driver that Ved met after his breakup. This man too felt stuck in his circumstantial loss. Without money, his talents, support and dreams of being a singer all became lost.
Does this suggest that risk-taking has a higher scope of success for people with privilege? Talent is not limited to the rich kids off on the other side of town, yet it does give them better opportunities. And it is also logical to consider the warnings coming your way before you leap. What it doesn’t mean is giving up, or putting out that fire burning inside you.
More than anything, Tamasha instils fear in your mind, a fear like no other.
Sometimes people give up on their dreams even before putting a start to them. They make compromises and choose stability in fields inaccessible to their passions. Tamasha makes you see that from a removed perspective. There is a tremendous difference between who you want to be, and who you settle to be. In this theatrical representation, you get to see both and decide for yourself your own faith.
Apart from unconventional jobs and being true to one’s self, Tamasha also gives us a peek into mental health. There are several scenes in the movie where triggers and other disorders are spoken of, depicted or hinted at. The scenes where Ranbir Kapoor’s character is shown conversing with his own self in the mirrors, almost introspecting and acknowledging what has happened are beyond words. The beauty of the movie lies in its realism and a slight blend of fiction which is also why it is a critically appreciated film. As the audience, we watch fiction to get an escape from reality. Here, there is no escape but only confrontation.
