"Tamasha" has touched many on a personal level with its story of self-realisation and director Imtiaz Ali says it is a response to those who believe audience understands only certain type of films.
"This film was made with a view that the audience is not stupid. I often feel they are more advanced than filmmakers.
We sometimes try to put our mistakes, our incapacities upon them. The heartwarming reaction to 'Tamasha', hopefully, will dispel that notion that the audience does not understand or you can fool them," Imtiaz told PTI in an interview.
The director says it is overwhelming and emotional to see people responding to Ved and Tara (played by Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone) as if it is their life that the film is talking about.
"I met this lady who said, 'You should have made the film earlier. I am too old to define my life now...' There were other people and before I could understand what she had said, she was gone. I wish I could have just talked to her... There are many such reactions to the story, which is exhilarating as a filmmaker."
Imtiaz has turned the traditional love story on its head to talk about the internal conflict and the eventual personal journey that the character takes in the movie to recognise the storyteller in him.
"It is only with love that somebody can reach your heart and make the correction that needs to be made. That was my vision. I don't know whether it qualifies as a love story or not but it is beautiful to me.
"There are so many things going on in this film. For example, seeing Ranbir and Deepika in Corsica, it is hard to believe that the scene just before 'Agar tum saath ho' will come in the movie."
Both Deepika and Ranbir have been praised for their performance in "Tamasha". Imtiaz, who has repeated Ranbir after "Rockstar" and Deepika after "Love Aaj Kal", says the actors responded to the story in a very instinctive manner.
"With Ranbir, I don't know what we are looking for but we seem to be looking for something in life. We connect on people, stories and feelings. It is exciting to explore a scene or feeling intuitively with him. I think we fulfill some desire in each other related to filmmaking."
As far as Deepika is concerned, Imtiaz says she was like the magic in the story.
"She is the grace in the movie. She is like the muse. In old texts, there is always this invocation to a feminine energy, she is that. I have seen women to be like that in life. You can grow only so much before a woman comes to take you to the next level, who touches you.
"It can be a destructive relationship or constructive...
it is not necessary. A woman's touch is such a cliche but it operates. I have seen this happening around me."
"Tamasha" released last Friday.