No Smoking : review

I’d been putting off writing this review for over a fortnight now; primarily because I wanted to do justice it.

It’s been after a long time that I saw a movie that can be called weird in a very positive sense of the word. The most striking thing about the movie was the revelation that some directors, like Anurag Kahsyap are actively discovering and executing movie making techniques that rely on more than just dialogues, songs and sets. The subtle but profound references to known works in literature, the extensive symbolism and active use of the properties of the medium, like color and frame sequencing, are definitive indicators of a rapidly evolving bollywood. Though most of this exquisiteness completely eluded a majority of audience and critics as well, who flogged the movie bloody; I’d call it a martyr for a cause rather than a flop.

Starring John Abraham as K ( yes, the reference is to K in Kafka’s Castle), Aisha Takia in a stupendous double role as K’s wife and his secretary, Paresh Rawal as baba guru ghantaal, ranvir shourie as K’s devious friend; the movie with a story content of a 15 minute documentary, runs for an intriguing 2 hours.

John, in one of his best roles yet, scintillates with an unexpectedly natural performance. The ‘it’s my life’ character actually grows on him and for the first time you see him sporting an expressive face, which is bossy, frustrated, bewildered and scared... whatever the script says. The reason why Aisha Takia was chosen for a role…correction.. a double role is a closely guarded secret, which Kashyap claims, will go with him to his grave. She’s the single oddity in the whole cast who can be tagged weird in the actual sense of the word. Paresh Rawal has reinstated his position in my great actors list with an exceptional performance. He and his entrouge, or should I say menagerie, evoke the laughter and at the same time plants fears into your deepest vaults.
Kashyap has been witty, and smart; but after a few reels, his tongue-in-cheek way becomes irritating rather than humorous. Nevertheless, what he does is more than you can expect from Indian cinema for another decade. Vishal Bhardwaj’s music fits well with the mood of the film and Rajiv Ravi’s cinematography stumps you.

The dialogues could have been better and a few choice cuts in the reel could have made it go down better with the crowds, but I guess they were left there for a purpose.

All those who are on the lookout for intrigue and novelty, it’s a must watch. The Jab we met crowd better say at home; you’ve been warned.