Tamasha Post-Script: Deepika and Ranbir share how Imtiaz Ali brings the best out of them

Life is nothing but a stage. Encapsulating the idea in his film, Imtiaz Ali's latest film Tamasha starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone presents a unique love story - a one of its kind. In a candid one on one, the Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani couple open up about the film, the characters and the response they are expecting from the people...

The film is starkly different from what you guys have done before. This is not just candy floss romance. Let’s talk about the other side to the film..

Ranbir: There’s no dark side to the film per say. It’s just the metamorphosis of a character. We become a cheap copy of ourselves. We become mediocre. So sometimes in life, you need an inspiration to come your way, the way Tara comes in my life in the film and remind you and then post that, the changes that you go through to become the best version of yourselves. It might seem dark but it’s troublesome. There’s no angst but there’s a discomfort. I guess Imtiaz has made Rockstar and people are expecting something of high intensity from him. But even on the other side that we show in the film, there are comic elements too.

'Tamasha' doesn’t seem to be the perfect title for a love story. Don’t you agree?

Ranbir: Who said? Like Imtiaz says that Tamasha also means spectacle, entertainment. Since this is the entertainment industry, the story has been told in a Tamasha way.

Deepika: It’s the Tamasha of life told through a life story. Tamasha is not necessarily used in a negative way or the way we see in plays. Just the tamasha of life and in a very simple way what Shakespeare had said. That we are all the puppets and the world is our stage. I think all of us. Every day we are different people. You also play different roles at different points of time. You are a journalist now, you are a brother, a son at home, a friend to your friends. We also don’t know when those hats are changing because it’s seamless. Tamasha over here is very positive. It’s a love story and it’s about the journey of how these two people become better because of each other. They add so much to each other’s lives. The main thing that the film talks about is how mechanical people and relationships have become today. There’s a set formula that people think they need to follow in life. Go to school/college, have a job, get married, have babies- it’s almost like everyone is leading a routine life. It’s about following your heart, being what you want to be, and not succumbing to pressure, life or somebody else.

Ranbir: In short, write your own story!

Was there anything you found extremely challenging?

Ranbir: There can’t be just one scene or one point which can be challenging. Working with Imtiaz, he really wants you to connect with the character and become the character. He doesn’t take upar upar se artificial work. He wants you to surrender to the power. So most of the credit goes to him. The character comes alive because of him. Just the part of me having to understand who the character is, that’s challenging. He wanted this guy to be extremely average. The way he is, dresses, or speaks, he wants the character to come across as average. Because that’s special quality inside him has been killed and Imtiaz didn’t want it to come alive. There was a dream that was shattered by his father’s expectations, social pressures and other things. So for a hero to play average was challenging.

Who signed the film first?

Deepika: Ranbir signed it first.

Ranbir: When you are working with Imtiaz, you only get a basic idea of the film. It was not really a big script. Just the fact that Imtiaz is making a film is a given for me to be a part of his vision. All his ideas come from a very original, true thought. It’s not inspired, not trying to copy someone or be what he’s tried to be before. That’s enough for me to get excited about the film.

Ranbir, you have an interesting series of films lined up. How difficult is it for you to switch from one film to another?

Ranbir: See these are old commitments of mine. If I had my way, I would do one film at a time. And I am doing that. I am finishing one and then going on to my next. It’s just that Basu, Ayan and Imtiaz got into working with each other immediately after doing our earlier films. It is hard but I am an actor and I love being on the sets so I have no complaints. I would like to live everyday of my life on a film set.

Both of you have worked in other Imtiaz Ali films. How has the actor-director chemistry changed over the years with Imtiaz?

Deepika: I don’t it has changed. There’s a lot of love, respect. In fact, Ranbir and I are his fans, in a simpler way. We are like the guru-shishya in a modern version of it. We admire his qualities. We are also friends, we value what he says a lot. He understands us individually as human beings and is an extremely non-judgmental person. So you can talk to him about absolutely anything. Plus, he is interested in knowing so you don’t mind sharing your life, your journey with him. He’s been a part of our lives right from the time we started off in our careers. We take his advices seriously. He is also open to criticism and he takes our opinions very openly. The format he’s used for this film is very different. We weren’t bound by script specifically. We had a broad story and what the message was and what all we are going to do in the film. But a lot of times, he just wanted us to improvise. He would give us lines and dialogues but he would tell us I don’t know how I want to play it out I want you to do different things now and show me how you can do it. He has the faith in us that if he gives us something, we will be able to deliver something. That’s the equation we share.