How This Deleted Scene From ‘Tamasha’ Could Have Changed the Movie

A review of how this deleted scene could change the narrative of the film.

It’s a sun-kissed evening in Corsica, and Ved (Ranbir) and Tara (Deepika) have been shown as they were when they first met. The sky is a hue of orange, and the mountains are quiet, as are Ved and Tara. This is how Imtiaz Ali’s film Tamasha (2015) ends – in a golden epilogue.

It sounds like the perfect romantic note to end the film on. The star-crossed lovers are finally united, after a decade of heartache, nervous breakdowns and defeated expectations. But would it fit so perfectly had Ved forced himself on Tara? Or if he had slammed the door on her face?

Since the film’s television premiere on 30 April 2016, a scene which didn’t make it to the final cut has been doing the rounds on the web. It was probably meant to follow Ved’s proposal to Tara. The exchange between the two protagonists in the scene is heated. The intensity of the breakdown and Ved’s aggression as he forces himself on Tara arguably changes the course of the film’s narrative.

The way we saw the film, Tara was shown as the sorted self-aware ‘supporting character’, who loves Asterix. Unfortunately, that’s all we managed to find out about her. She came in at convenient times to compel the hero’s story forward. Ved was shown unhinged, and fast spiralling downward (and yet nobody suggested he seek medical attention). Had the scene been retained, perhaps the film would not have ended with the woman waiting dutifully for the man to return from his journey of self-discovery. Maybe it could just have been about a relationship that didn’t work out owing to one’s emotional instability, and the other’s unreal expectations of love. And maybe, we as an audience could have been spared yet another heteronormative romance between two soulmates.