No Smoking (2007 film)

No Smoking

Theatrical Poster
Directed by Anurag Kashyap
Produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak
Vishal Bhardwaj
Screenplay by Anurag Kashyap
Story by Anurag Kashyap
Raj Singh Chaudhary
Based on Quitters, Inc. (1978) 
by Stephen King
Starring John Abraham
Ayesha Takia
Paresh Rawal
Music by Vishal Bhardwaj
Cinematography Rajeev Ravi
Edited by Aarti Bajaj
Distributed by Eros International
Release dates
  • 26 October 2007
Running time
 128 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget INR23 crore (US$3.7 million)
Box office INR38 crore (US$6.0 million)

No Smoking is a 2007 Indian neo-noir psychological thriller film written and directed by Anurag Kashyap and co-produced by Vishal Bhardwaj and Kumar Mangat under the banners of Eros Entertainment and Big Screen Entertainment Pvt. The film stars John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, Ranvir Shorey and Paresh Rawal in the lead roles, while Bipasha Basu appears in an Item number.[1] The film is loosely based upon the short story Quitters, Inc. by Stephen King, which was previously adapted as one of three segments featured in Hollywood anthology film, Cat's Eye (1985). It became the first Indian film to be adapted from a Stephen King novel.[2] The story follows K (Abraham) a self-obsessed, narcissist chain smoker who agrees to kick his habit to save his marriage and visits a rehabilitation centre, but is caught in a labyrinth game by Baba Bengali (Rawal), the man who guarantees he will make him quit.[3][4]

The film released worldwide on 26 October 2007, but was met with a lukewarm response from Indian critics and mixed response from overseas critics.[5][6] The film did not perform well at the box office either, becoming one of the major disasters of the year.[7] According to Kashyap, the film failed because, it was considered much ahead of its time, courtesy of its dark and unusual storyline comprising with elements of surrealism, fantasy, dream, reality,[8] horror and dark humour which left critics and the cinema-goers baffled, this was frowned upon by Indian audiences, as it was unconventional, pretentious and they had never seen anything like it.[9]

No Smoking was nominated at several award ceremonies in 2008, primarily for the technical aspects of the film, including 3 Filmfare award nominations. Before a full cinematic release in India, the film was invited to be screened at the Rome Film Festival where it won huge appreciation from the audience and critics alike.[5][10] In 2011 the film was played at several film festivals in India and China, receiving unanimous applause and praise, as well as winning a number of awards.[11]

Synopsis

The story is about a man known only as 'K' (John Abraham), who is in his 30s and is a heavy chain-smoker. He is very confident in himself and very arrogant in nature. K is also revealed to have smoked spiked ganja (marijuana) and landed up in hospital due to it. His well-wishers have tried to make him quit but to no avail. Both his friends, Abbas Tyrewala (Ranvir Shorey) and the doctor who treats K's brother (played by Karan Makhija), offer to set up an appointment at a rehabilitation center called 'Prayogshaala' ('The Laboratory'), which they claim will rid K of his dreadful habit. K finally relents after his wife Anjali (Ayesha Takia) leaves him, unable to take the strain K's smoking places on their relationship.

K decides to check out Prayogshaala, and meets Shri Shri Prakash Guru Ghantal Baba Bengali Sealdahwale (Paresh Rawal), the man who is to save him. When he gets to Kalkatta Karpets, the front for the unconventional rehab center, his Labyrinth-esque adventure starts. The method Prayogshaala uses to cure their patients of their addiction is 'fear'. Each time a patient gives in to their vice, Baba makes sure that something shocking happens to them.

  1. The first offense is almost killing a loved one by keeping him/her in a chamber full of cigarette smoke the person has smoked in his entire life for a duration of 5 minutes.
  2. The second offense is losing a finger.
  3. The third offense is the death of a loved one.
  4. The last offense is taking the soul of the person from his body although this offense is described very loosely.

K refuses to sign the contract and pay the fee of INR 21,11,111 for his treatment but is forced to do so by Baba Bengali and his disciples.

K keeps to the terms but fails twice and is punished. K is now very conscious about the third time.

K meets an old friend who has returned from Cuba to sell cigars in India. He invites K to his launch event. K goes and is forced to put a cigar in his mouth. Thirty seconds later, he gets a phone call from the police that they are at his house, his wife is missing and possibly dead. He calls Baba and is told that for smoking, his "loved one" i.e. wife, has been killed by Baba for the third offense. He protests that he did not smoke and only put the cigarette and Baba apologizes for the mistake saying it is too late. He asks baba to tell the police about this, but the line goes dead and the phone number is non-existent on dialling. K's protests are ignored and even his friend, who lost his fingers, now seems to have all his fingers. The police do not believe K and force him to light up. Two minutes later, K gets a phone call that his brother committed suicide due to his smoking habit. K raves angrily at the police and is thrown in Jail.

After getting bail, he discovers that Baba Bengali permits the sins to be done during Zero minute and he goes to a fair where he sees Baba just before he lights up, but cannot reach Baba. Suddenly the scene changes and K has woken up in a Russian army base with a call from his wife who asks why he believes she is dead. K is confused, but escapes from the base jumping into water and ends up in a ragged room from which he sees himself staring out from a hospital room. He sees his wife and Baba behind his suited self and they are telling him that the version he sees is his body. He calls out but no one can hear him because his body no longer hears his inner soul. Next part is a bit haphazard about what happens to the soul of K. But he wakes up to find his wife sleeping near him.When he goes to washroom, he finds that his two fingers are cut off as a punishment for smoking second time. Later he is seen recommending about "Prayogshala" to a friend while holding his snipped finger.

Cast and crew

Cast

Crew

Production

Development

The idea for the film came during the making of Satya (1998), when director Ram Gopal Varma pitched a story about a chain smoker's encounter with someone who despises smoking. Varma later incorporated his own idea of the story as a short segment in his anthology film, Darna Mana Hai (2003). During the shooting of Kashyap's Black Friday, his assistant narrated him a different script about a chain smoker who wakes up without cigarettes and is unable to get any because of a curfew.[7] Kashyap decided to take the story forward, taking inspiration from Quitters, inc and a surreal moment from Cats Eye, subsequently making him develop the story into a darker and more unreal version.

Casting

After the scripting was complete in 2006, Kashyap narrated the film to Shahrukh Khan, who was keen to do the film but later would back out for unknown reasons. When the deal fell through Kashyap who was in bad shape at the time, as one of his films were delayed and the other stuck in production, tried to get a hold of all the top actors, though none of them responded except for Abraham.[14] Vishal Bhardwaj, Kashyap's friend and producer of the fiim recommended Saif Ali Khan, as he was part of the smoking segment in Darna Mana Hai, though Kashyap had already finalised Abraham. Later false reports surfaced that Saif be appearing in a cameo, on the request of co-producer Kumar Mangat, who worked together in Omkara (2006).[15][16]

Due to the film having a complex storyline, when Kashyap was auditioning Abraham he read him a badly written fake script title Lapata (Lost), which Abraham inclined to. After which he read him the real script of No Smoking, he immediately agreed to do it.[17] Initially Takia was not comfortable with the love making scenes and the clothes of the secretary (Annie), though Kashyap refused to make any changes.[18] There is also a scene where Abraham is seen nude from rear, this stirred up some controversy.[19] Abraham who had previously quit smoking, smoked up to 90 cigarettes a day during the shooting to give the film a more believable look. Later when the film was complete Abraham went for an X-ray and found his lungs were heavily damaged.[20]

Originally director Rajkumar Santoshi was set to make his acting debut by playing the role of the doctor, and writer Abbas Tyrewala was to play the role later given to Shorey, hence Kashyap named the character after the writer.[21]

Filming

Most of the filming was done in unique ways. In one scene where Abraham and Shorey are seen as teenagers smoking Marijuana, most directors would have used child actors but Kashyap decided instead to alter the appearance of the actors and make them improvise and behave as kids themselves.[22]

The film was shot extensively in parts of the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Siberia, in extremely cold climates with temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius (°C), despite this none of the crew members had any problems during the shooting.[23][24] During the shooting in Uzbekista, a Russian actor dressed as a soldier had to chase Abraham. After running 200 meters the man collapsed, as the shooting was on high altitudes, there was a lack of oxygen. He had to be rushed to the hospital, as he had stopped breathing.[25]

Reception

Critical reception

India

The film was heavily panned by Indian critics. Sify gave it 2 out of 5 stars saying "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. 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".[26] Rajeev Masand of IBN Live giving it 1.5/5 said "What the director gives us is an extremely arrogant piece of work that reeks of over-confidence and self-proclaimed genius. How else do you explain the intentionally incohesive screenplay, the bizarre dialogue, and the blatant disregard for the viewer's time and patience?".[27] Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India also gave it 1.5/5 stars and said "No Smoking leaves you completely baffled and desperately looking for logic in its surreal sequences of John in a jaded jail, John in a tunnel, John in a bathtub, John in Siberia-like surroundings".[28] Indu Mirani from DNA India rated it 1.5/5 saying "There is a fine line between intelligence and indulgence and with No Smoking, director Anurag Kashyap crosses it often. It’s not like he has made a rank bad film, but ‘No Smoking’ is so influenced by graphic novels and Neil Gaiman books, that understanding its plot’s many forward and backward movements would be out of the scope of the layman".[29] Khalid Mohamed of Hindustan Times rated it 1 star and said "Too in-depth man, too in-depth, puffing, driving, the sex act, fingers being chopped. Kcuf, kcuf. what’s happening out here? You can’t make out, you don’t care, and you’re fed up of the affectations, the self-indulgence."[30] Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama giving it 1 out of 5 said "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. On the whole, No Smoking fails miserably. Very disappointing!".[31] Prithviraj Hegde of Rediff.com gave the film 0 stars and said "The movie unfolds like a bad dream and spins into a downward spiral that's unreal, incomprehensible and leaves you dazed. And as you may have gathered, I still have no clue what the movie was about."[32] On the contrary, Chandril bhattacharya of Anandabazar patrika praised the movie uninhibitedly and described the film as first of its kind in India and historical.[33]

In 2012 No Smoking was voted no 2 on the list "The Ten Worst Films Of John Abraham" by Rediff.com.[34]

Overseas

On Rotten Tomatoes website the film has received 50% fresh rating, indicating mixed reviews.[35] Phelim O'Neill of The Guardian gave it 3 out of 5 saying "While no screen credit is offered to King, it's clear his tale directly forms this film's basis, making it kind of a first for Indian cinema. It could be the beginning of a trend. While a slack pace, unsettled internal logic and a goofy subplot undo much of director Kashyap's hard work.[36] Film 4 also rated it 3 out of 5 stars and said "Those whose concept of Bollywood involves elephants, saris and dance numbers might be pleasantly surprised by Anurag Kashyap's film, a slick thriller that combines a screwball sensibility with a nightmarish twist".[37] Tajpal Rathore from BBC Films gave it 1 out of 5 and said "No Smoking is a surprisingly sincere effort, but shouldn't make your life feel any more fulfilled, even if you are a smoker. The shoddy screenplay is stale, and its situations laughable, and though the actors' give it their all, it just doesn't light up in the end. No smoke, and no fire, in what is ultimately a bit of a drag".[38]

Box office

The film was screened in private a day before its release, as most of the audience could not decipher the film, they left, which resulted in a negative word of the mouth spreading. The film was further affected from negative critical reception.[39] No Smoking opened to a poor response at the box office, and was one of the biggest disasters of the year.[40]

Awards

53rd Filmfare Awards

Impact and legacy

“I was extremely angry and bitter after No Smoking. People reviewed me rather than the movie. It was a new kind of film and while it was getting international recognition, in my own country it was being ripped apart. I learnt a lesson though and it was that it you have to do something new, you have to go step by step. First and foremost, look at how the film would recover money. No Smoking was an expensive film and it hurts"

Anurag Kashyap's reaction to the failure of No Smoking.[42]
Famous scene of K (Abraham) sitting in the bathtub.

The film was made on huge budget and at the time when it sank at the box office, the director Kashyap fell into depression not expecting the critics to lash at it.[42] He admitted that most of the audience expected to see a film about quitting smoking and that pre release the extensively played item song featuring Basu gave audience the wrong type of image as they expected her to play the lead role opposite Abraham.[9] In 2011 Kashyap stated that No Smoking was his favourite, of all his films.[43]

No Smoking has garnered a strong cult following, among Kashyap fans and movie buffs, who rate it as one of the most abstract stories, which can have multiple interpretations.[44] The film has seen more positive response from overseas rather than India,[42] though the audience now views it as a modern masterpiece, critical reception has still not improved. It is often compared to the films of Hollywood director David Lynch, who is known for his cult surrealistic films.[45][46]

No Smoking has been played at several Film festivals. It was played at the Indian film festival and won multiple awards, after being repeatedly screened. The film was also played at various venues in Beijing, (China) and Rome.[11]

Interpretations

No Smoking is notable as being the only Bollywood film which can have multiple interpretations.[47]Kashyap explained that the film has nothing to do with quitting smoking but relatively about the state of mind, which refers to the mood or the mental state of the films protagonist, K. He has left it upon the audience themselves to make their own interpretations and speculate what transpires.[48][49] There are many unofficial blogs on the internet by fans trying to solve the films meaning.

Soundtrack

No Smoking
Studio album by Vishal Bhardwaj
Released September 2007 (India)
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Label Eros Entertainment
Producer Kumar Mangat & Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj chronology

Omkara
(2006)		 No Smoking
(2007)		 U, Me Aur Hum
(2008)

The official soundtrack was composed by Vishal Bhardwaj who also co-produced the film. Background Score was done by Hitesh Sonik & Clinton Cerejo. The lyrics were penned by Gulzar.[50] The music rights were sold to Eros Entertainment and were released in September 2007.[51] The album is available to download from iTunes.[52]

Track listing

Song Singer(s) Lyricist Duration
Phook De (Club Mix) Rekha Bhardwaj Gulzar 5:15
Kash Laga Sukhwinder Singh, Daler Mehndi, Vishal Bhardwaj Gulzar 5:47
Ash Tray Deva Sengupta Gulzar 4:39
Phook De Sukhwinder Singh Gulzar 5:55
Jab Bhi Ciggaret Sunidhi Chauhan Gulzar 5:06
Jab Bhi Ciggaret (Jazz) Adnan Sami Gulzar 5:03

Reception

The soundtrack album received critical acclaim. Abhishek Singh from Planet Bollywood said "Over all, as expected, the music turns out to be daringly different and in complete contrast to anything that you might have ever listened. Almost all the songs carry the message of the film along and for that reason only, one can’t be sure of this album on a stand alone basis but seen along side the concept of the movie, it sure hits the bulls eye".[53] Joginder Tuteja from India Fm said "With music by Vishal Bhardwaj and lyrics by Gulzar saab, one expects an unconventional soundtrack in the offering. Well, unconventional it is and in at least a couple of places, exciting too! This has to be one of the most original tracks ever written. 'Jab Bhi Cigarette' is the opening song of the album and may well be termed as the title song of the album".[54] Satyajit from Glamsham said "No Smoking dares to be different for chartering unexplored territories and have surprises in raucously driven vivacious tracks like “Phoonk De” and “Jab Bhi Cigarette”. Rekha Bhardwaj’s peculiar nasal twang will be garnering major spotlight in “Phoonk De (club mix) with chartbusting success after her subtle and submissive Laaga Chunari Mein Daag".[55]

Possible Sequel

Despite the film being critically and commercially unsuccessful, in 2011 Kashyap discussed the possibility of a sequel, with Abraham once again playing the lead character and the story carrying on from where No Smoking left of. He asked fans on Twitter for ideas and what they would like to see.[56] Abraham has also expressed interest in making a sequel, to spread more awareness on quitting smoking.[57]

References

  1. ↑ "No Smoking Cast & Crew". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "The Inspiration Behind Anurag Kashyap's Films". Rediff.com. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  3. ↑ Manish Gajjar (10 October 2007). "No Smoking". BBC. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "No Smoking preview". Apunkachoice. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Biased criticism doesn't help: Anurag Kashyap". Hindustan Times. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Lashing from critics for 'No Smoking' hurt: Anurag Kashyap". Oneindia.in. 6 January 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Anurag Kashyap's 'No Smoking'". Times of India. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Sandipan Dalal (30 November 2007). "Anurag’s Saif option". Times of India. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Critics failed to understand 'No Smoking': Anurag Kashyap". Apunkachoice. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "No Smoking in Rome". Rediff.com. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Shree Misra (20 July 2011). "No Smoking wins awards at Indian Film Festival". Times of India. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "No Smoking film gallery". BBC Films. October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "No Smoking film gallery". BBC Films. October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Taran Adarsh (4 October 2007). "No Smoking passes from Shahrukh to John". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Saif and Bipasha: No butts please". Times of India. 21 July 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Saif Ali Khan is not doing 'No Smoking'". Apunkachoice. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  17. ↑ Patcy N (23 October 2007). "'No Smoking will create a genre". Rediff.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  18. ↑ Patcy N (24 October 2007). "'Our cinema is immature'". Rediff.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  19. ↑ "John Abraham to do a nude scene for No Smoking". Bollywood Hungama. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  20. ↑ Upala KBR (19 October 2007). "Smoking turns John Abraham's lungs black". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  21. ↑ "Rajkumar Santoshi to act in No Smoking". India Fm. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  22. ↑ Nikhil Kumar (23 September 2007). "'No Smoking' defies convention". Apunkachoice. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  23. ↑ Johnny Vaz (12 January 2007). "No Smoking to be shot in Russia". Businessofcinema. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "John Abraham shoots in chilly climate". Apunkachoice. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  25. ↑ Patcy N (23 October 2007). "'I am doing films that are more meaningful'". Rediff.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "No Smoking". Sify. 27 October 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  27. ↑ Rajeev Masand (27 October 2007). "No Smoking Review". IBN Live. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  28. ↑ Nikhat Kazmi. "No Smoking". Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  29. ↑ Indu Mirani (26 October 2007). "No smoking". DNA India. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  30. ↑ Khalid Mohamed (26 October 2007). "Review: No Smoking". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  31. ↑ Taran Adarsh (26 October 2007). "No Smoking". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  32. ↑ Prithviraj Hegde (26 October 2007). "No smoking". Rediff.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  33. ↑ chandril bhattacharya (11 November 2007). "Collar tola chhobi". Anandabazar Patrika. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  34. ↑ Sukanya Verma (10 April 2012). "The Ten Worst Films Of John Abraham". Rediff.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  35. ↑ "No Smoking(2007) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  36. ↑ Phelim O'Neill (26 Oct 2007). "No Smoking". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  37. ↑ "No smoking review". Film 4. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  38. ↑ Tajpal Rathore (22 October 2007). "No Smoking (2007)". BBC Films. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  39. ↑ Taran Adarsh (5 November 2007). "Jab We Met gives Box Office a breather". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  40. ↑ "´Jab We Met´ Succeeds ; ´No Smoking´ Sinks ; ´Bhool Bhulaiyaa´ Races To 41 crores". Planet Bollywood. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  41. ↑ "Sudeepto Bose VFX artist". SudeeptoBose.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 Sampurn (12 February 2009). "Anurag Kashyap: I was extremely angry & bitter after No Smoking". Glamsham. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  43. ↑ Aseem Chhabra (24 August 2012). "Anurag Kashyap: I loved No Smoking the most". Rediff.com.
  44. ↑ Abhishek Raghunath (1 January 2012). "I Don’t Try to Make Cult Films: Anurag Kashyap". Forbes India. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  45. ↑ Raja Sen (15 November 2007). "Why Anurag Kashyap is like Bhansali". Rediff.com. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  46. ↑ Sudhish Kamath (11 August 2012). "Gangs of Wasseypur - Gags of Wasseypur". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  47. ↑ "What is your Interpretation". blogspot. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  48. ↑ Sonia Chopra (26 October 2007). "Anurag Kashyap: No Smoking is a state of mind". Sify. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  49. ↑ "The director's guide to No Smoking". Rediff.com. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  50. ↑ "No Smoking songs". SmasHits.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  51. ↑ "No Smoking(Music) - Erosentertainment". Music Review. Eros Music. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  52. ↑ "No Smoking - EP (Original Soundtrack)". iTunes Store. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  53. ↑ "No Smoking music review". Planet Bollywood. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  54. ↑ Joginder Tuteja (2 November 2007). "No Smoking - Music Review". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  55. ↑ Satyajit. "Music Review : No Smoking". Glamsham. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  56. ↑ "No Smoking sequel on Kashyap's mind". Hindustan Times. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  57. ↑ "John Abraham plans No Smoking sequel". Hindustan Times. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2012.

External links