Tamasha is a 2015 Indian romantic drama film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in lead roles. Tamasha tells the story of character "Ved" (played by Ranbir Kapoor) who loses his self by living according to the social conventions expected of him.Principal photography began in Corsica, France in July 2014. Post this schedule, filming continued briefly in Indian cities—Shimla, Delhi, Gurgaon and Kolkata followed by two-day schedule in Tokyo, Japan. The filming concluded in Mumbai by August 2015.
The film score and soundtrack album are composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics from Irshad Kamil.
The film opens with Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) and Tara (Deepika Padukone) putting up a spectacle that shows monotonous life and feelings of a man in the corporate world. In the spectacle, they show a teacher complaining about a young boy to his father.
A flashback shows the complaint scene turning real where, in Shimla, young Ved (played by Yash Sehgal) and his father (played by Javed Sheikh) return back to home from school. He goes to a story teller (played by Piyush Mishra) who keeps mixing up his characters. He talks about Ram and Sita one day. The next day, he’s in Troy, with Helen and Paris.
When Ved protests to disconnectivity of stories, the story-teller wants him to enjoy the stories. The next, his mind has transformed processions into Samyukta’s retinue during her swayamvar, as she searches for Prithviraj Chauhan, varmala in hand. Young Ved visualizes himself taking part in the Romeo-Juliet stage drama. He observes that each story has a sad episode in it.
Present day, the film moves to Corsica where Tara abuses a local man in Hindi for not letting her call back to India. Adult Ved is eavesdropping, he follows Tara where she narrates the incident of phone call to him. By the time a call returns to Ved’s phone from India she is just about to introduce herself to Ved. But Ved tells they mustn't disclose their identities that he is Don and Tara replies as Mona darling. Majority of the conversations they make in Corsica are filmy dialogues between Don and Mona darling. They earn some money putting a stage drama at an expensive restaurant.
The story flashes back to young Ved who questions the story teller about the reason for happy times ending up quickly.
The story returns to Corsica, and Tara has to leave for India. She tells a sleepy adult Ved that they won’t meet again. She kisses Ved goodbye and realizes that she has fallen for him.
The story flashes back to young Ved who is sad after the story telling session ends.
Tara returns to Kolkata, India. Through the song “Heer to Badi Sad Hai”, Tara’s sad and confused state of mind and life is shown. She is off to Delhi for work. Four years have passed. Once upon a day, a reading session in the library, Tara is surprised to meet adult Ved who is now a product manager. They reveal their original identities and she is happy to find Ved single all these years.
For the evening, she fixes a dinner with him at a Japanese restaurant. She expects him to talk romantic but Ved talks about the business of that restaurant, the brand Japan associated with the restaurant and companies. She calls Ved up home and they kiss. He leaves for his home. Next morning Ved wakes up on time, completes the morning chores, wipes the car, ignores the eunuch on the way, lets a female colleague into the lift all this happens on his way to the office. He fixes a plan for meeting Tara in the evening. This evening they are to PVR Cinemas. The incidents from morning to evening keep on repeating with monotonically.
It is Ved’s birthday when he proposes Tara with a ring in the cake piece. However, she tells him that he is changed. However, Ved tells he was acting in Corsica and this is original him. But Tara thinks contrary. Ved shoots down all this calling that it is all in her mind. Tara states that she is searching something else in him, further, she already has this share of similar monotonicity in her personal life. She leaves, declining his proposal.
Ved comes to Tara’s door to apologize but he is unable to get rid of the complexities in his mind being aware of the things he heard from the stories of childhood. Tara wants indirectly wants him to be normal . He leaves and travels in an auto-rickshaw driver (played by Ishteyak Khan) who narrates how his dreams of becoming a singer were crushed.
The film goes in flashback, scene in Shimla, where Ved tells his weakness in Mathematics and doesn’t wish to do engineering. His Dad narrates him that he had to give up his interest for flute playing to support his family after they moved to Shimla from Lahore post the Partition of India. He criticizes Ved’s failures during engineering and asks Ved of his future plans.
The film comes back to present day Delhi where he starts telling story session to some local people. Flashback scenes of Shimla are shown where Ved leaves Shimla and his interest to pursue engineering.
The film comes back to present day Delhi where Ved is back to his office. He is more aggressive and using illogical sentences in a business meeting which upsets his boss.
The story goes into flashback as to show what happened between Ved and Tara after the argument at the door. Tara tries calling him and they meet at the library. Tara expresses her realization of hurting him and apologizes. Ved affirms she in love but with someone else (else implied the Corsica natured Ved). Tara promises him to make things fine but Ved wants to get away from all the tussle and he leaves.
The next day Ved is off to his office but with a change in routine-instead of ignoring the eunuch on the way, he gives her the diamond ring. Later, on reaching the office, he doesn’t let a female colleague into the lift. During the business meeting he uses illogical sentences and portrays careless behavior. His boss throws him out of the job. Later, in a party he assaults the colleague who enquired of Ved's well-being.
Ved comes back to Shimla and reveals that he isn’t doing any job since six months and will leave the home right now after having a small quarrel with his father. Ved has introspection in the mirror where he realizes that he needs to meet the same old man (story-teller). Ved meets the story teller and narrates him the crux of his own life story with Tara. He expects an answer, however, the story teller, now old yells at Ved and tells him to introspect his heart and realize what he wants. Ved understands and pays him more and leaves. After a long time, the family is sitting together where Ved narrates his entire journey of life to everyone. Moved by the difficulties faced by him, his father hugs him and lets him act according to his will and wish. Ved returns to Delhi where the eunuch returns him the engagement ring. The eunuch tells that this ring is to be given to the special person in his heart.
The film shows Tara at the company Oracle in Tokyo. After finishing a business meeting she heads for refreshment where she observes a note titled “Don Returns”. She also observes a half filled tea cup and realizes that Ved is here. She moves outside the office premise and Ved draws her attention in the “Don” way and however, Tara introduces herself with a Japanese accent and both relive their Corsica moments.
The film goes into flashback, Shimla scenes showing the free spirited-young Ved, college going Ved and adult Ved.
The film returns to present day (first scene of the film) where Ved and Tara complete the process of putting up a spectacle on stage (in continuation of the opening scene of the film). Tara arrives from back stage and kisses him for the success. Film credits with principal cast and music personnel roll in. They are momentarily paused by a scene where Ved and Tara are enjoying music on a cliff, dancing to tunes played in their respective headphones.
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• Ranbir Kapoor as (adult) Ved Vardhan Sahni
• Yash Sehgal as (young) Ved Vardhan Sahni
• Deepika Padukone as Tara Maheshwari
• Javed Sheikh as Ved's father
• Sushma Seth as Yash's grandmother
• Vivek Mushran as Ved's boss
• Nikhil Bhagat as Tara's father
• Faraaz Servaia as Tara's brother
• Punam Singh as Tea Executive
• Piyush Mishra as Storyteller
• Ishteyak Khan as auto-rickshaw driver
