Say "YES" to "No Smoking"Don’t listen to anyone - just go see it...., its
that good.
AK has taken Indian cinema several notches above..., kudos to anyone and everyone associated with this project. All i can say is our beloved critics (really box office pundits nothing more) have no idea what is going on (and to an extent the audience too) - by claiming "boredom" on seeing this film we are merely acknowledging our "intellectual fatigue" and our inability to comprehend ‘personal cinema’ expressed in this case as “Symbolic Cinemaâ€. Now symbolic cinema have long existed in Indian cinema and let me add in its most crude form (why do you think they sing & dance in our cinema?). But I doubt anything as surreal as this one has ever burned the Indian silver screen. I am no film historian or theoretician – but I have seen my “quota of cinema†and this one is strikingly unique atleast for Indian cinema.
The film in itself resembles a dark comedy (atleast I feel it is), which takes on the style of a “surreal neo-noir†cinema. The existence of an ‘underworld’, use of shadows, layered characters, moody atmosphere, weird camera angles and of course the quintessential femme fatale (perhaps the weakest link of the film) points me to believe AK wanted to create a noir-istic mood for this offering and what a treat it is. No amount of adjectives or superlatives will ever truly translate to what you see on the screen – a picture is indeed worth a 1000 words, a pure kino-matic experience!
Now for the film itself
** spoilers ** (or do u care?) , the film revolves around characters (quite literally) the protagonist is called “k†, his wife, his brother (called “jâ€), a doctor, a friend, a secretary, a high-priest, a mother, a policeman, a watch man etc. etc. at an abstract level there is no difference between them of course other than their ‘obvious’ profession or should we say their “purpose of existence†in society – all in a way zombies carrying on with their everyday mundane life. I believe this might be a reason why so many characters repeat themselves (wife is same as secretary, driver & security all the same man , at some point a character even says he is there to meet an alphabet!). The film also is very claustrophobic with most things happening in a very “closed†environment inside bath tubs, inside elevators, inside car, inside a prison etc. perhaps highlighting how much we are all “restricted†to move not necessarily with our body but also with the mind – what we are allowed to do and what we can really do. The other point worth mentioning is that the film is not necessarily a linear film – i.e. events shown on screen don’t necessarily follow one another in space or time. It pretty much unfolds like a dream not knowing where you started, not sure where you will end, not sure when it happened or how it happened. There is also a continuous flow of sexuality in the film – from a Narcissus ‘k’, to recurring homo-sexuality themes, transsexual/transgender rendezvous (at the traffic signal), infidel “castro†cigars, ‘performance issues’, the jazz number (loved it!), secretary fetish …, to the extent I believe the last post-credit song is also merely an extension of ‘k’ renewed sexuality (it was funny to see how the audience was in awe of the last song more than the film !).
With so much going on in the film its tough to tie all the dots and give a concise “central theme†if I am asked to write something say at gun-point (pun intended) then I have to say its about suppression, the ability or the lack of ability to do what we want to do. Perhaps the “Prayogshala†is representative of the society and ‘guruji’ our government (or any governing body)…, you have to follow certain rules to be accepted into formal society and that rule AK believes applies in particular to the soul (which is more free spirited than the body). Any “body†that does not conform first goes through a physical strain (a big bang), where the “body†looses all sense of hearing. You are given “special†hearing aid – perhaps this is to make free spirited people to listen to ‘them’. Then there is the psychological fear – hurting the body and his near and dear ones. This “fear†is a powerful tool and it makes even the toughest nut crack. Now when even this doesnot work its time for the soul to be “freedâ€â€¦.,gas-ed to be precise, very similar to the German gas chambers (another recurring theme in the film). When the “free spirited†soul is killed the body abides and everything is back to normal. Once ‘k’ is “cleansedâ€, he now has to work towards getting more people into the system (similar to the amway system?).
The film is also very circular in narration – characters keep visiting the same places, have the same nightmares over and over again, do the same thing. One of images that stick to your mind is the “arrogantâ€, “perfect†John looking at himself in the mirror in awe of himself – so full of it…, that is he is succinctly branded as ‘gay’ by his wife (could this be true ?), perhaps this self centered thought process is what brings about his demise. Had he paid attention to the transsexual then he would have the “one ruppe†to free his soul (she does say “it will come of useâ€), but in real world he is deaf (he does not have the hearing aid then!). His arrogance has cost him his soul. The ‘almost’ final shot of himself staring at “emptiness†but realizing his “soul†is looking back at him is poignant and bland at the same time.
The film in way is autobiographical I presume, in the way this country and its people treat its artists and their free will. The film title is a misnomer – by saying “No Smoking†it really means loosing your free will by cleansing your body and killing your soul. Perhaps in its “truest†form this film is anything but anti-smoking and for anyone who thinks this is a film against “smoking†and its “ill effects†they really need a smack against their cinematic sense…, if you still don’t get it, no worries “Om Shanthi Om†and “Saawariya†are waiting for you – enjoy them.
My humble request to all cinephiles in India – I assume most of the folks reading this have not lived during the hay days of Ritwik Ghatak, Mani kaul, (among numerous other unsung giants and “real†mavericks of Indian cinema). This film marks the point when “real†cinema in India has just been fertilized…,but with this joy also comes a sense of in security, perhaps a desperation that even before this “cinema†grows…, its going to be killed by the omnipresent “consumer cinemaâ€. I never “dreamt†that we would be analyzing the work of an Indian filmmaker like how we do for films from Lynch or dare I say Bunuel (perhaps even Takashi Miike)…, oh for how long have we waited for this day to come. Now the question is – is this a dream ? If so don’t wake up from cinema nirvana.
I could go on and on but to explain it any further will invariably lead to deviation from the director’s true intent and I will stop at that. Perhaps a directors commentary on the DVD ?, it’s a nightmare to image its going to be done by ERO$
i got so excited with this film that i had to do this...,Its late @ night and i am sure there are several typos in the above post - excuse me for that guys..., I sincerly hope atleast some of you share the same enthusiasm that i doand ofcourse its good to be back too...,
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have always been visiting the forum but always lazy enough to contribute anything 