Tamasha Movie Review, Casts, Release, Production

Released on November 27, 2015, “Tamasha” received mixed reviews. Critics praised the performances of Kapoor and Padukone but criticized the plot’s complexity. The film grossed ₹136.63 crore worldwide against its ₹87 crore budget. Although not a commercial success initially, “Tamasha” later achieved a strong cult following, particularly among young audiences.

At the 61st Filmfare Awards, “Tamasha” received four nominations, including Best Actor (Kapoor) and Best Music Director (Rahman), winning Best Lyricist (Kamil for “Agar Tum Saath Ho”). At the 2016 Stardust Awards, the film won Best Actress (Padukone).

Story

The film opens with an onstage skit performed by Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) and Tara (Deepika Padukone), depicting the monotonous office lives of people interspersed with flashbacks of their pasts. The narrative shifts to Shimla, where a young Ved is captivated by the tales of a roadside storyteller (Piyush Mishra) who jumbles up his characters.

The story then moves to a time when Tara meets an adult Ved during a holiday in Corsica. Instantly connecting, they make a playful pact to keep their real identities secret to avoid falling in love. They enjoy various antics, often pretending to be movie characters, with Ved as “Don” and Tara as “Mona Darling.” As their bond deepens, Tara realizes she is falling for Ved and decides to leave Corsica to avoid complicating their relationship. In another flashback, a young Ved questions the storyteller about why happy times end quickly, reflecting his growing awareness of life’s fleeting joys.

Back in India, Tara returns to Kolkata and takes over her father’s tea business, expanding it into a line of tea boutiques. Four years later, while in Delhi for work, she unexpectedly meets Ved, now a product manager. They reveal their true identities, and Tara is excited to rekindle their connection. However, she notices that Ved’s charismatic and carefree persona has changed. He now behaves more formally and follows a rigid, monotonous routine.

As they spend time together, Tara becomes disenchanted with Ved’s transformed, reserved demeanor. On his birthday, Ved proposes to her, but she declines, unhappy with this new version of him. Disheartened, Ved leaves and breaks down during the journey home, exacerbated by a conversation with his driver about crushed dreams. Ved’s borderline personality disorder is triggered, leading to erratic behavior at work, culminating in his dismissal.

Desperate, Ved pleads with Tara to return, but she gently tells him she misses the lively version of him from Corsica. She encourages him to rediscover his true self and apologizes for hurting him. Confused and frustrated, Ved departs in tears. The next day, he makes small changes to his routine, ultimately getting evicted from his workplace.

Ved returns to Shimla and clashes with his father, Brijmohan Sahni (Javed Sheikh), after revealing he lost his job and has been wandering. He then gains introspection and revisits the storyteller from his childhood, seeking to complete his own story. The storyteller challenges Ved to confront his irrationality and finish his story, which inspires Ved. He returns home and narrates family events through theatrics, earning his father’s forgiveness and approval to pursue his true passions.

Ved goes back to Delhi and retrieves the engagement ring from the hijra. In Tokyo, after a business meeting, Tara is surprised to see Ved, now back to his cheerful self. They happily resume their playful impersonations. The film then flashes back through Ved’s life stages as a child, adolescent, and adult. It returns to the opening skit, which Ved and Tara conclude before taking a bow to audience applause.

Main Casts

Production