No Smoking (2007)

My theory, i think checks out if you analyse it in reverse. In one word mindfulness. On his way to prayogshala he's on autopilot, rejects coins given to him by a beggar. The contract had one rupee condition. "Mera bhai mar raha hai air aapko 1 repay ki fik at hai", K...Guru ji tells him to be very careful because it can cause him everything. Had he paid that coin (mindfulness), he'd be able to make the call to his shareer (body) from that dungeon.. SELF-AWARENESS is what i think he'd talk about.

Though quality movies never get the attention and appreciation they deserve(thanks to glamor of crappy star studded movies),this is one of the most under rated movie made in India. It's a fine piece of art which carries the viewer through imagination of the protagonist and at points events are expressed very subtly. Anurag Kashyap is the best director around but unfortunately six years back the audience was too immature to understand or value his work. Warning : For those who like glamorous crap from Hollywood/Bollywood this movie can drive them insane.It's for a limited audience who prefer and enjoy watching something like french cinema and quality works of art..

After watching this movie first thing came in my mind was 'Dante's Inferno'. Movie is like a pre-renaissance theological epic.Movie proceeds with metaphor to metaphor. At Some points these metaphors are logical and touching but some times Its just perception so hard to get. as far I understood Movie is about Indian philosophy of soul and Nirvana which also includes hell and heaven concept. Cigarette is metaphor for Lust or 'Kaam' which lie between incertitude of Moral and Immoral. Baba bangali is God or angel who want to purify soul from lust to help him achieve nirvana but also give him hell if fails to do so. John is protagonist who has different set of morals fabricated with ego. Like all God baba bangali is has very nature of God : totalitarian,part kind,part terrible etc. And understanding of morality and immorality of God is just polarization of perception(like always). For Baba all those thing which majority think Good/Bad is Good/Bad. stubborn behavior of John provoke Baba's wrath on him.... Rest is just viewer's perception what he want to see in this movie

Inspired by movies made by auteurs like Kaufman, Lynch etc, Anurag Kashyap makes 'No Smoking'. Given the premise, which is very interesting, one would expect something stunning, especially since Kashyap has assumed director's seat. However, 'No Smoking' fails to meet up expectations. Kashyap's style of making, which is inspired by Kaufman's works, is impressive on the technical side. The editing, cinematography, lighting and special effects are very well done. Vishal Bhardwaj's score is terrific. Kashyap also succeeds in creating a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere but the main problem's are with the script and performances. The basic skeleton of the story treads the path of a traditional thriller where the writers later added elements of surrealism and symbolism. At the same time Kashyap tries to tackle too many themes but they all end up half-baked. John Abraham turns up with a truly abysmal performance. He is wooden to the core and wears one expression almost through the entire film. While Paresh Rawal's Baba Bangali lacks mystery and intrigue. Rawal repeats his hyperactive-chatterbox act. Ayesha Takia isn't given much scope. With movies like 'Black Friday', Anurag Kashyap has proved to be a more than capable film director. However, 'No Smoking' does not meet up with the standards.