ITALY: Indian film "No Smoking" goes beyond just kicking the habit.

Controversial Indian film-maker Anurag Kashyap is in Rome for the premiere of his latest film "No Smoking." The film, set in India, Azerbaijan and Russia, focuses on "K" - a rich and powerful chain-smoking businessman who decides to kick the habit after his wife threatens to leave him. This then leads him to the "Laboratory" which is not quite the run-of-the-mill rehabilitation centre but a dungeon run by yet another powerful character Baba Bengali whose ideas of reform are different from the usual "twelve steps" programme. Jazz music scores the scenes as "K" struggles to stick to the programme and each time he succumbs to the urge, the consequences are fatal: loved ones die and everything around him explodes into a huge inferno. The film is presented with snippets of black comedy interwoven with song-and-dance numbers. One scene shows chadar-clad women taking appointments in a call centre - Kashyap's comedic take on India's reputation as a hub of call centres. Kashyap, who also wrote the script, says the film is a reflection of his own professional battles with Indian film censors. In 2003, Kashyap made his directorial debut with Paanch - a film on sex, drugs and rock and roll. He also directed critically-acclaimed Black Friday which is based on the 1993 serial bombings in India's financial capital Mumbai. Both films were banned in India. "I think it's actually the film is much more beyond smoking. it's also smoking and beyond, it's also some kind of a metaphor for, I'd been fighting a battle for almost, it's like, I was losing a battle in the country, trying to get a film released. and constantly getting banned. It's almost like a battle, wanting to breath or smoke, people stopping him," said Kashyap who was in Rome where his film is one of those featured in the city's annual film festival. Lead actor John Abraham says the strong script attracted him to the film, and away from his usual Bollywood productions. The former model turned actor says although there are certain philosophical ideas in "No Smoking," it entertainment value far outweighs everything else. "Well i think for one the film's entertaining, simply putting it, it's great entertainment value. On the other hand, there's a social message that goes out by the end of it, saying that cigarette smoking is injurious to health, you know. but i think it's entertainment, more importantly," said occasional smoker Abraham who says he ended up smoking 80-100 sticks each shooting day. Both Abraham and Kashyap are aware that their film's toughest critics will be their own audience. The film will premiere in India on Friday, October 26. "I find it difficult to present a film to Indian audience... I've grown up on a staple diet of cinema from all over the world. The cinema I actually have assimilated and imbibed is from the world. Indian cinema I've seen it, but only for entertainment. But a cinema that made me want to come and quit everything and want to make me make films was a cinema from the world. So I find it much more easy to reach out to them than to probably my own audience. Which is what I'd been trying to work up because I want to reach out to my own audience before I reach out to the world," said Kashyap who shot the 3 million U.S. dollar film on location in India, Kazakhstan and Siberia. Although the film is not in competition, many of those who have seen it say it easily beats other films. "I think it will appeal to the wider public, it isn't just a niche film and if it has a good distribution in Europe and America it could do really well at the box office," said Italian film student Marco Fagnocchi. "For me it's one of the best movies in this festival," said Gianni Chiarini, a cinematography student, who singled out the film's excellent lighting and camerawork. The chain-smoking director says he's happy that he's made it this far and anxious to see how the rest of the world, including home India, will see the film and make their own interpretation. But for now, he knows one thing: his film managed to communicate one thing - smoking is bad for you. "It does, it scares people, it scares people shitless. But it's also much more beyond. many other things. Which for me is personal which I don't want to ... I want to see who all gets it and if they get back to me, ill get back to them and we'll connect," said Kashyap as he frantically searches his pocket for a cigarette at the end of the interview.

ITN Source | October 31, 2007

Tags:. .diet. .scares. .reform. .controversial. .breath