No Smoking Hindi Movie

Oct 26, 2007 By Ashok Nayak

'No Smoking' by Anurag Kashyap is a movie that subtly aims to deliver a message of quitting cigarette smoking as it's injurious to health. The director's intention is good but he has not succeeded in conveying his message rightly. The film is a puzzling and frustrating experience.

K (John Abraham) is so addicted to smoking that it has become impossible for him to quit smoking. Fed up of his habit his wife Anjali (Ayesha Takia) walks out on him never to return unless he quits smoking. It is then that he decides to do something about his obsession. He goes to meet Baba Bengali Sealdahwaale (Paresh Rawal), who runs a 'Prayogshala' -- a centre for rehabilitation from all sorts of addiction and afflictions. When he meets the Baba; he walks into an agreement he can't walk out of. Proud and desperate, K throws caution to the wind and challenges the Baba's diktats. How he escapes from the clutches of the baba forms the rest of the story.

As the reels move and the story unfolds itself you start to wonder if it comes from the same director of Black Friday. Well, it's too hard for me to comment much on the movie for the reels were just not to my understanding. From the start to the end, no matter how hard you try to keep your mind calm and free it just gets confusing and exasperating and you find it just impossible to connect yourself to the movie. It's just torturing to sit through the full movie.

I wonder what made John Abraham act in this movie. When it comes to his acting he is just Ok. Ayesha Takia is plain. Such role for Paresh Rawal is a big No. His act is just bad throughout the movie. Ranvir Shore is a talent wasted.

Overall, No Smoking is not worth watching. I m not sure if it conveys the message "Smoking is Injurious to health", but it conveys one message very clearly and that is "Watching No Smoking is very injurious to health".

Rating: 1