|
By Taran
Adarsh, October 26, 2007 - 13:04 IST
 After
having watched NO SMOKING, the first thing you want to
do is ask Anurag Kashyap, the director of this
misadventure: Now what was that? Cinema is all about
three Es -- enlighten, educate and entertain. But NO
SMOKING neither educates, nor enlightens. As for
entertainment, forget it!
You try so hard to understand what NO SMOKING tries to
say, but the film is like one big puzzle that refuses
to get solved.
What ails NO SMOKING, did you ask. Simple, it’s the
most complicated cinematic experience of 2007. Agreed,
the director’s intentions are noble. Cigarette smoking
is injurious to health and Kashyap wants to highlight
this message loud and clear via his new movie. But
what has Kashyap come up with?
NO SMOKING leaves you exasperated and disgusted.
Exasperated, because till the end credits roll, you
just don’t know what happened in those 2 hours.
Disgusted, because Kashyap had solid backers [Eros,
Kumar Mangat, Vishal Bhardwaj] and a competent cast
[John, Ayesha, Paresh Rawal] at his disposal. Yet, he
couldn’t pull it off.
In short, NO SMOKING is a terrible waste of a terrific
opportunity!
 K
[John Abraham] is a stubborn and obnoxious guy, who
does exactly what he wants. A chain smoker, he feels
nothing can come between him and his cigarette -- not
his wife [Ayesha Takia], his friend [Ranvir Shorey] or
his life. Till he encounters Baba Bengali [Paresh
Rawal].
Baba Bengali has his own set of draconian laws to stop
people from smoking. He guarantees results, provided
his clients obey his orders to the T. But K revolts
and pays a heavy price for it.
The only aspect that stands out in NO SMOKING is its
cinematography [Rajeev Ravi]. It’s a good-looking film
with some stylishly executed scenes. But Kashyap, who
is an accomplished writer himself, ought to know by
now that moviegoers want to watch a good story at the
end of the day. The lighting, the sepia effect, the
visual effects, the production design… everything is
secondary. Honestly, it’s difficult to believe that
the director of BLACK FRIDAY could conceive NO
SMOKING.
 There’re
hardly any songs in the narrative, but the one filmed
on Jesse Randhawa [‘Jab Bhi Cigarette Peeta Hoon’] is
imaginatively filmed. Surprisingly, the popular
Bipasha Basu track, which has also been publicized
extensively, is placed after the end titles.
John makes a sincere attempt to leave a mark and
succeeds to an extent. Really, one wonders, what
prompted John to instantly approve this bizarre story!
Ayesha runs through her role mechanically. The
supremely talented Ranvir Shorey is a big bore this
time. Paresh Rawal is okay.
On the whole, NO SMOKING fails miserably. Very
disappointing!
Rating:- *
|
