No Smoking

When I went to watch this movie, I knew it will be different and yes, it was different. I was glued to the screen while watching the movie. I wanted to know what will happen in the next scene. All this while I didn't talk to my friends sitting beside me (which is very unlikely), as I was trying to understand, what the filmmaker is up to. What is in the director's mind. What is he trying to say. Frankly speaking, I did not understand the movie and that is why I am not in a position to say that it was a good or bad film. That is the reason, this post is not a review of the movie. This is just what I thought while watching the movie.

After watching the film, there were several thoughts in my mind. Like
1. Is this movie about a man's struggle to live in this bad bad world on his own terms? Smoking is used as a symbol. K wants to live his life the way he wants, but the world around him is not letting him do so. Finally he gives up and starts living his life the way others want him to.

2. The movie has been shot from two different points of view, one is how K sees himself and other is how others see him. Whatever you see in most of the movie is probably his hallucinations although to others he looks normal. Baba Bangali, his Prayogshala, the character following him all are in his mind.

3. You have to loose your soul in order to survive in this world, because there are people around you, who have expectation from you and there are people whom you care about. All these things does not let you live the way you would have wanted to. If you do something without approval of others, your loved ones might get hurt (K's brother committing suicide) or you will be forced not to do it (baba bangali and his tactics). There are always people telling you to live your life in a certain way (K's wife and friends)and somewhere down the line you give up.

4. If you do something wrong you are punished (cutting fingers, torturing your loved ones, making you deaf), but same can be undone if you repent and make up for your mistakes. (fingers coming back for recommending another client).

I am sure Anurag Kashyap also has different interpretations to this in his mind. After all it's his child and he only understands it the best.