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Ten years on, 'Tamasha' still holds strong recall value because it reshapes itself with each viewing. It invites new interpretations depending on the stage of life from which one approaches it. The film meditates on performance as a human condition, tracing how storytelling has shaped identity across centuries. Even with its sombre, sometimes tormented temperament, 'Tamasha' remains a fiesta of artistry. At its surface, the narrative of the film could be reduced to a familiar template: boy meets girl, they experience transformation and conflict, and eventually converge. Yet Ali’s treatment of this structure elevates it beyond the conventional.

Watch the full video to know if the film aged like fine wine or spoilt like milk?

Reporter: Sakshi Salil Chavan
Editor: Madiha Shakeel

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Transcript
00:00Some films resonate differently depending on who you are when you watch them.
00:04On Tamasha's 10th anniversary, it is easy to say that it's a film about conformity, about selfhood
00:11and about enduring love that people have admired or critiqued but repeatedly returned to.
00:16Welcome to Aged Like Fine Wine or Spoilt Like Milk, where we discuss and revisit cult films
00:32to ask the only important question that matters.
00:35Has time been kind or has it just exposed their cracks?
00:39Tamasha flopped at the box office, gained a cult status through streaming and became
00:45a favourite for many cinephiles and now exists in this murky space between underrated masterpiece
00:52and Imtiaz Ali at his most indulgent.
00:56So, where does the film stand now?
00:58From the start, Tamasha dazzles with its interesting structure, whether it is the story within a
01:04story or whether it is the theatrics of it all.
01:07Quite signature to Imtiaz Ali with films like Chamkeela, but this was quite daring for mainstream
01:13Bollywood back then.
01:15Rather than a linear coming-of-age, Tamasha presents time as layered and co-existent
01:21between childhood, fantasy and adult life.
01:27Simultaneously, Tamasha indulges in yet critiques the idea of romanticised memory.
01:33Wade's childhood stories and Corsica expedition are enchanting but they are also selective reconstructions
01:41of the past, showing how nostalgia can trap creativity and perception as much as liberate it.
01:48Corsica too can be read as a critique of Bollywood's long-standing fetishisation of European landscapes
01:55as spaces of liberation and finding yourself.
01:58We see Wade in the three mirrors, talking to his robot self, his clown self and the self stuck
02:05in the middle.
02:06Although Wade isn't just repulsed by conformity, he is also driven by the pressure to be exceptional.
02:13His rebellion is thus the collapse of two competing performances.
02:17His internal conflict though is confined to convincing himself to pursue his passion.
02:22The actual struggle of pursuing and performing the craft, something that every artist grapples
02:28with, is not quite there in Tamasha.
02:30Wade's narratives serve as rehearsals in truth and empathy, forcing him to confront his identity.
02:37The film, in subtle ways, also critiques the structural discouragement of non-conformist
02:43art in India.
02:44The film's gendered blind spots are clear as well.
02:48We never see Tara's professional or personal life with the same depth or interiority.
02:53Here to Badi Sad is one of the only places we see her life unfold.
02:58Although, when Tara realises Wade isn't the man she fell for, she rejects him, flipping the
03:04usual waiting heroine trope on its head, instead of just accepting him for his flaws.
03:09Wade quitting his job, convincing his father and following his passion to start from scratch
03:14is a vibrant tale of redemption.
03:17And for many ardent fans of Tamasha, it is not realistic but that is exactly why they find
03:23it cathartic.
03:24To witness someone being able to, even if in a movie.
03:29Despite Tamasha flopping at the box office, OTT proved to be a powerful catalyst, allowing
03:35repeated viewing and reflection, giving audiences time to catch subtleties they missed in theatres
03:41or experience the film for the first time at their own pace.
03:46Even its structural or artistic flaws contribute to its commentary on imperfect people and stories
03:53that still deserve to be told.
03:56At 10 years old, Tamasha has truly aged like fine wine.
03:59By finding a rare middle ground between cinephilic complexity and emotional accessibility.
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