Review of Tamasha (2015) by Greg C — 13 Dec 2015

What happens in Corisca stays in Corsica,.. or maybe not. Boy from good family leading an uninspired cubicle rat existence goes on vacation and meets a girl. They spend 7 days together in a romance of agreeable mutual lies. Back to reality. Girl is love sick and seeks out boy, etc.

Honestly I had one of those rare movie theater experiences. I was alone in the place (no surprise). It occurred to me that this is a great film. It was toned down in the number of forced dance numbers from the current Bollywood standard. That foreign sensibility (over 2.5 hours) leaves time to really explore the message, feelings, and drama. There is deeply felt core message from the writer/director about finding one's true self or calling. And of course the whole was riotously stylish, colorful, and really beautiful. It does have one of the longest opening sequences of recent memory. The devices of a stage play (which becomes a necessity at the end of the movie), and a young boy taken with oral stories from and old village story teller can be at first confusing. Ultimately they are great devices for making the story bigger. Things which at first appear to be a hot mess likely weirdly juxtaposed musical montages, turn out to be brilliant choices. Director Imtiaz Ali's grasp is on par with and may even exceed his lofty aim. (friggin awesome!).