No Smoking

No Smoking is a film by Indian director/writer Anurag Kashyap. This film deals with themes not normally encountered in Indian cinema, which make the movie an interesting watch.

This post contains many spoilers, so if you haven't watched the movie yet, first watch it and then come back.

No Smoking is about systems of control, totalitarian authority figures, and rights and responsibilities in society. The movie follows the travails of smoking addict (K) who enrolls in an unconventional rehabilitation program. K's nightmarish experiences during his treatment reflect a relentless tension between individual freedom and the inevitable conflict it generates with acceptable norms of a broader society. Smoking merely serves as a metaphor for human desires that are not deemed acceptable in the "normal" world. Individual freedom is often overridden by an infinitely larger matrix of rules and regulations. K lives in an illusory world where he believes he has complete freedom in making his own choices, although he has to constantly reassure himself that this is the case and ends up being inconsiderate, arrogant and egotistic. Such an attitude invariably has a negative impact on his relationship with the rest of society (for example, he has a strained relationship with his wife, he has health problems, his brother blames him for his missing lung etc.).

In the end, we see K succumbing to the requirements of a greater system of control, and the only way he can do his is by submitting himself to an existence in full conformance with the world of rules and morals. K's nemesis in the movie represents the relentless power that makes an individual conform (via real repercussions or even just the threat of repercussions).

The movie alternates between K's inner world of resistance to authority and defiance on one hand and the "real" world of rules and constraints on the other. Questioning which world is more "real" is an interesting philosophical discussion.

The significance of the 'one rupee' payment and the eventual destruction of K's self is not clear to me (from my trivial literary knowledge, the only mythological reference I know is to the coins that were placed on the eyes of a corpse (in Greek mythology) as payment for the ferryman who would carry the dead person across the River Styx into Hades)

In the end, K seems to get in line with society and in the process appears to settle into some form of uneasy compromise. Certainly, K's expression at the end doesn't seem to indicate that deep inside he believes this is a good thing. But the benefits for him are many (better health, a good relationship with his wife etc.).

2 possible interpretations:

• Depressing interpretation: K's surrender at the end indicates materialism and freedom are fundamentally incompatible with each other. At some point, all human beings unknowingly (or by being bludgeoned into submission) make a choice to relinquish their freedom in pursuit of short-term material gains. 
• Positive Interpretation: K's submission (sacrifice? relinquishment?) is actually a good thing that enables him to lead a better life. K is no longer egotistical, inconsiderate and clinging on to a false sense of self-importance, but rather is at peace with the world around him. This doesn't mean extinction of K's agency, but rather means that K's individuality and the world as a whole merge together seamlessly, effortlessly and without conflict. (Tat Tvam Asi?)

A second viewing will probably reveal more intricacies and other trivia.

Other interesting tidbits:

• K's one-lunged brother (or is it step-brother ?) is called J (J comes before K, but in the movie, J is probably younger than K)
• Some level of similarity between the experiences of K (from the movie) and Josef K. from Kafka's The Trial. Both characters go through unreal experiences that they can't understand.
• Seems to be no point to the Annie/Anjali angle (other than being reminiscent of David's Julie/Sofia confusion in Vanilla Sky)
• Some resemblance to a Stephen King story (Quitter's Inc.)
• K's wife watches Nazi gas chamber archival footage before breakfast. (why?!)
• Underworld in the movie a reference to Hades?
• I got some serious deja-vu when watching the detectives interrogate K in a cell. Reminded me of the conversations between David/McCabe in Vanilla Sky.
• Best scene in the movie is K’s descent into the underworld (the first time he goes to Kalkatta Karpets or KK). Brilliant!
• I love the mysterious visiting card concept. ‘Kalkatta Karpets’ correspondences in other movies I can think of are ‘Consumer Recreation Services’ or CRS in ‘The Game’, ‘Fleur de Lys’ in LA Confidential, ‘Life Extensions (LE)’ in Vanilla Sky.
• The midget reminds me of a similar character from Twin Peaks.

Movies with related themes (probably many more)

• Vanilla Sky
• The Trial
• Brazil
• 1984