Though Tamasha (2015) didn’t set the box office on fire upon release, the film has steadily grown into a cult favourite over the years, deeply resonating with audiences who discovered its emotional layers much later. At a recent fan meet-up in Mumbai hosted by Laksh Maheshwari, director Imtiaz Ali made a rare, vulnerable appearance. He has always been charming and composed when he shares anecdotes from his journey. However, this time was different. For the first time, the filmmaker was seen getting teary-eyed as he revealed an intimate and little-known trivia about the Ranbir Kapoor–Deepika Padukone starrer. The revelation left the audience visibly moved.
Imtiaz Ali began by saying, “I haven’t told this to a lot of people as to why the protagonist in Tamasha is named Ved. Only those close to me know about it.”
His voice broke and he struggled to control his tears. He then said, “I was a very shy kid in school. It was very difficult for me to make friends. I was not good at anything, be it studies, sports, drama, singing etc. There was no talent in me. In the 5th standard, I met a boy who had relocated from England. His name was Ved Vardhan Tripathi. The character’s name in the film is Ved Vardhan Sahni.”
Imtiaz added, “As I was writing the script more than 30 years later, the name Ved came up. I thought maybe I got the inspiration from Ved Vyas. Lekin aadmi apne hosh mein nahin hota hai, jab likh raha hota hai. Ved Vardhan was that friend with whom I felt safe and protected. I used to not feel conscious. I used to be happy about the fact that ‘mere saath bhi koi hai’. I began looking forward to going to school as Ved was there.”
He continued, “After many years, I got transferred. There were no mobile phones then and hence, we lost touch. But I did connect with him. At times, I would hear about him from a friend. I learned that he wanted to play the guitar, but he got busy with his MBBS. As a result, he couldn’t pursue music. He trained some people and they found success in the field and not him. At this point, I met Ved occasionally. He got addicted to alcohol. He got married. Then, one day I learned that he was dead. I could not, for the life of me, understand that aisa kyun hua? There was some mystery. Kuch tha jo woh dhund raha tha.”
Imtiaz Ali revealed, “I had met him when I was shooting Love Aaj Kal (2009) in London. He was based there and he seemed happy when we met. We used to talk on the phone. He used to call late sometimes. He used to be intoxicated and would reminisce about old days and the shameless things we had done together!”
He also said, “When Tamasha was made, I went to London and met his family. My daughter Ida was with me. We met his sons and played cricket with him. They told me, ‘Woh kuch chahta tha, but he didn’t get it. He used to be out of the house mostly and would play music. He became a misfit’. That day, sitting at his house, I realized why I might have called this character Ved. Andar hi andar aap bahut saari chezein process karte ho jo aapki intelligence aapko nahin samjha sakti. However, I didn’t tell them that to check out what the name of the character was in Tamasha. I just requested them to see the film.”
Imtiaz ended his answer by saying, “He was a pure soul. In summers, he would wear woollen clothes and in winters, he would refuse to wear sweaters. He would say, ‘Isse meri endurance badhegi’! I lost one Ved but in this audience, I can see so many Ved's!” As expected, there was a thunderous applause.
Also Read: Imtiaz Ali film starring Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari to release on June 12, 2026
More Pages: Tamasha Box Office Collection , Tamasha Movie Review
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