After Rockstar’s grand success at box office, Imtiaz Ali and Ranbir Kapoor’s second mutual endeavor, Tamasha, is a bit of a mystery. It reveals less about its two protagonists than it withholds. It is parsimonious about emotional outflow, nonetheless manages a very dramatic case history for its protagonists The film doesn’t entirely succeed in its endeavor to decode the heart's mysterious excursions, but the journey it showcases is fascinating and commendable, though not utterly gratifying. We wish director Imtiaz Ali had invested more time in gathering out scenes that showed them as a troubled couple working out their issues, instead of diverting his attention to showing Ved’s penchant for mythological stories or how mechanical his life in the corporate rat-race is. Tamasha may have its spirit in the right place, but the clash in Ved and Tara’s lives will not get your pulse racing. The couple looks picture-perfect, but the movie isn’t free of blemishes.

Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha is a theatrical attempt at exploring love, life and the love for life in its best form - free from the shackles of society. Be it Rockstar, Highway or Jab We Met - Imtiaz’s characters seem to be treading the same line. While Highway was a well-explored journey of Veera (Alia Bhatt), Imtiaz Ali fails to offer any novelty in Tamasha. What is more disappointing is the fact that the director does not build his characters enough for the audience to empathise - almost half the film is dedicated to the scenic beauty of Corsica and harps more on the sizzling chemistry of Ranbir-Deepika rather than bringing the .  In the first half, there are sequences that touch upon the dark sides of life and well-choreographed songs but these scenes don’t explore the protagonists’ personalities and lives. There is not even a proper conversation to hold the audience - most of the scenes that involve dialogues are peppered with background music and songs - which is good, with AR Rahman’s soothing music and Irshad Kamil sharp lyrics - but it hampers the audience’s engagement with the characters onscreen. The second half, thankfully, gears up and brings us a little closer to Ved and Tara. Tamasha could have been, but is certainly not, Imtiaz’s best - I found it better than Rockstar, but it is not as gripping as Highway. With Imtiaz’s intriguing take on love stories, scenic locations and brilliant acting by Ranbir and Deepika, it is a one-time watch, but nothing more.

An off-the beaten track love story that does not go far enough with its surprises, Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha is a film that flatters to deceive. It rolls along smoothly, but so facile are its placid twists and pat resolutions that they cause nary an emotional ripple. It is a pretty film, thanks to cinematographer S Ravi Varman’s lighting and camerawork. Every frame is picture-perfect. And Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are on top of their game.  Added to that are an intelligently elliptical narrative, imaginative use of songs and occasional bright spots. Yet, Tamasha is disappointingly inert and unexciting. In a film that belongs essentially to a superb Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika does not let the screenplay shortchange her. If Ranbir is exhilarating in scenes and situations that tap his versatility, Deepika is sure and steady even when the spotlight isn’t on her and she is reduced to playing second fiddle. Tamasha is at best a one-time watch because of the sparkle the leads lend to it. It could have been so much more.

The experience of watching Tamasha presents a profound paradox: the supposedly fun bits in the movie are the driest and the driest bits are the most fun. The thing to note here is that it’s exactly these kind of stories around which some our most successful advertising campaigns are also mounted. So another paradox of the movie is that by the end of the movie, Ved the marketer remains a marketer -- just that he is more grimy and less on the nose.  Sadly enough, the essence of the movie, like all Imtiaz Ali movies, is gleaned more from self-help books than the tragic realities around us. There are a couple of supporting turns that give the picture enough motor even when the proceedings turn repetitive. But between all that templatisation, here, Ali, very briefly tries to document darkness without trying to verbalise it. Very briefly, we see an honest film and some three-dimensional characters. The dread in Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha feels real. The silliness, however, comes across as too orchestrated.

Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone are back with Imtiaz Ali’s most complex story .  Just short of an hour into the film, I was up to there with ‘Tamasha’. All we’d got till then was scene after pretty scene in Corsica – picturesque bistros, colourful locals in fancy dress, leafy green countryside, sparkling blue waters, and two of the most interesting actors in Bollywood desperately acting out their parts : over-emphasising their meet-cute, making eyes and coming hither. To absolutely no effect. No impact. Zero. Nada. I really liked a lot of the second half. There’s so much good stuff going on, including the pair which strays, and then journeys towards each other. Despite its flaws, this is Ali’s most complex story, teeming with ideas, and gives us Ranbir back again, along with the lovely Deepika, even if the plot keeps losing sight of her : there are tracts when she goes missing.

If you watch Imtiaz Ali's new film assuming that Deepika-Ranbir have unfinished business, you will forgive Tamasha its indulgence. The writer-director obviously knew he was dangling a carrot in front of these two Bollywood exes whose unrequited love has been gossip-column fodder for years now. And, they probably decided (this is an assumption) that if they hook up on screen once again, perhaps they could reach a closure. The philosophy of the film is simple. If you conform in life, you will exist. However, if you indulge, even from time to time, you can actually live. Deepika and Ranbir convey their angst and passion so convincingly that you're hooked. Except for the curiosity about them, the rest of the drama is `oh,never-mind'. Matargashti and Heer toh badi sad hai, two of Rahman's songs, are magical even as standalone numbers.

Yes, it is a love story. But if you thought it is like an Indianised version of the beautiful 'Before Sunrise' series or just a love story blooming in a foreign land – you are on the wrong side. Ali's direction, as expected, is pretty good. However, the story at times lays stale – ridden only with a mere mishmash of cinematography and vivid colours of Corsica, offering not much until the first half. The second half, however, accentuates the intensity of the film, thanks to Ranbir's powerful performance and Deepika's contribution to the plot – which runs on the emotional ambiguity of the two characters. But wait, it is not all about pain and angst. It is also, in equal parts, about victory and rejoice. The screenplay wins, as it complements the plot with its quirk and speed, and at times, it slows down to a dulling pace. Overall, 'Tamasha' is a definite watch for all those who believe in love and the fact that people change, but not always for reasons of their own, but because of the world they live in. A clear picture of how twisted your life can get under the painful currents of life. All said and done, the clear winners in this 'drama' are the protagonists, more than the story itself.