Just Say Yes to "No Smoking"!

People often complain that Bollywood is not original. And this is a valid statement since many movies are Indian versions of Hollywood hits. But, once in a while, comes an avant-garde picture with an original story, a revolutionary execution and terrific performances. No Smoking is one such picture. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, No Smoking stars John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, Paresh Rawal and Ranvir Shorey. The jazzy soundtrack is by Vishal Bhardwaj who I already praised in my U Me aur Hum review.

K (Abraham) is a chain smoker. His fiancee Anjali (Takia) realizes that he probably loves the cigarette more than he loves her, so she leaves him. Feeling lost without her, he decides to win her back and the only way he can is to quit smoking. Easier said than done! His friend Abhas Tyrewala (Shorey), who is sadly not called Cheenu by the characters, tells him about a camp of sorts that helps smokers quit smoking. What he thinks is a rehabilitation center is actually something quite different. He meets the eccentric Shri Shri - no kidding! - Baba Bengali (Rawal) who swears to K that his soul will be cleared of the dirty vice. K is a little spooked because a) to get to Baba Bengali is a quite a process; b) he hears screaming and sees many disturbing images; and c) one of Baba Bengali's heroes is the one and only Hitler. But, he signed the contract and cannot get out of it in this tale of addiction, the souls of humans, love and the power of the cigarette.

Everything in this film is novel. Cartoon bubbles present the thoughts of characters. A flashback scene is shown like a Charlie Chaplan flick. The background score is zingy and also uses old Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra hits. Anurag Kashyap succeeds in making Bollywood's first abstract - not unrealistic - film. The film switches from dream to reality and back again without apology. By the time the film reaches its shattering conclusion, you just don't know what to do with yourself. The film is scary, hilarious and thought-provoking all at once (but not in an "all-in-one" masala film way). Yes, there were times where I wanted to do anything else but look at the screen but in a good way. I feel that cinema's first goal is to entertain, yes, but its second goal is to challenge the viewer and make the viewer uncomfortable. For it is only when we are uncomfortable do we question ourselves. In what way am I like K? What are my addictions and what are they doing to my soul?

It doesn't hurt that John Abraham gives the second best performance of his career (his first will always be Jism). He is just perfect as the arrogant K. John Abraham, in my honest opinion, is just suited better for artsy independent films. He then doesn't get caught up playing the "hot villain" or whatever. Sure, this film does make use of his sex appeal but it totally makes sense for K to praise himself in the mirror after stepping out of the bathtub. John Abraham can be totally Western but also very Indian. He is just very good!

Ayesha Takia, though she doesn't have much to do, is brilliant. She actually gets a double role of sorts. She plays Anjali the concerned fiancee and also Annie the sexy secretary. Annie is really inconsequential except for some clever risque lines that I have heard elsewhere but not in Bollywood. Ayesha Takia plays both very differently. Not only that but she can do so much with so little and that goes to show that she is not a flash in the pan girl.

Ranvir Shorey is okay as Abhas. He is funny at times but he is the kind of character who is important but not enough to get a lot of screen time. Shorey is one actor who always gets sidelined sometimes. Paresh Rawal is excellent as Shri Shri Baba Bengali. He is mysterious and scary while stil working in a few jokes. I wouldn't say that this is his best role but the role could not have been done well without him, that's for sure.

Vishal Bhardwaj's score fits the bill. The songs are used mostly in the background with only the two chartbusters, Jab Bhi Cigarette and Phoonk De, having full-out videos (the latter of which stars the amazing Bipasha Basu). Jab Bhi Cigarette should be noted for its original choreography which is in the style of Bob Fosse. Even the bar the song takes place in is called The Bob Fosse!

Anurag Kashyap's cautionary tale about the dangers of addiction wasn't a box office gold mine nor did it garner great reviews. Perhaps the majority of Bollywood fans isn't ready for such abstract visuals and symbolic dialogues. Perhaps they don't like to question themselves or to make their own interpretations. That's okay. That group of Bollywood fans can always stick to their "Oh, So Obvious" masala films. But the rest of us can enjoy this enigmatic picture. No Smoking rates an 8.5/10.

Jodhaa Akbar - One Majestic Epic!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, winner of Miss World in 1994, wife of Abhishek Bachchan, was put on this Earth to play Jodhaa, the fiercely independent yet totally devoted Rajput princess turned empress of all India.

Hrithik Roshan, son of Rakesh Roshan, husband of Suzanne Khan, too was born to play Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar, the religious yet secular, the valiant yet ultimately peaceful Muslim emperor of India.

Ashutosh Gowarikar's romantic historical epic is lavish and exciting but also very human and emotional. The characters are not lost in the grand sets, the grand moments of history nor in the grand battles. The movie is just as comfortable with the internal scenes inside a dark, closed room as it is with large war scenes with thousands of extras and elephants and horses and the clanging of shield and sword. Aside from Aishwarya and Hrithik, the cast includes Sonu Sood, Ila Arun (the very same woman who sang Resham Ka Ruhmaal and Choli Ke Peeche), Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Nikitin Dheer, carrying on Ashu's tradition of using big names for only the leads. The divine music is by A.R. Rehman with the poetry of Javed Akhtar.

Jalaluddin (Roshan) is the first Mughal emperor to be born in Hindustan itself. Thus, he has a deep love for his country and its people and wants his people to practice whichever religion they choose since the people are mostly Hindu and the rulers are mostly Muslim. Raja Bharmal (Kharbanda) rules Amer, and agrees to rule under Jalaluddin, much to the chagrin of the other rulers. To solidify this deal, Raja Bharmal offers the hand of his daughter Jodhaa (Rai Bachchan) to Jalaluddin. She agrees to the marriage only if Jalaluddin lets her keep her Hindu beliefs and if he builds her a temple in her chambers. Admiring her straightforward nature, Jalaluddin agrees. This marriage is scandalous, alerting Maham Anga (Arun), Jalaluddin's nanny/most trusted minister and Sujamal (Sood), Jodhaa's cousin-brother/best friend. Sujamal, on a campagin to rule Amer, joins Sharifuddin (Dheer) to take down Jalaluddin, who now has won the favor of the people. They honor him by giving him the title Akbar (I'm not sure if this is just a name or if it means something. Jalaluddin is his given name as in, when he was born, his parents said, "And he shall be named Jalaluddin.") How Jalaluddin sees through the treachery of Maham Anga, wins the heart of Jodhaa and conquers the rebellious Sharifuddin forms this tale of love, war, deception and religious tolerance.

Ashu makes some bold artistic choices. Choices that make a viewer ask: "Did he just go there?" But, in the end, the movie is better for it. For instance, in any other movie by any other director starring any other actor, showing Jalaluddin completely entranced by the Sufi singers (in JA's loveliest song, Khwaja Mere Khwaja) would be almost laughable. But here it works. Because we know that Jalaluddin holds his faith very dear to his heart as well as his patron Khwaja, or saint. Also, Ashu and Haidar Ali write very interesting scenes for the blanks in the history book. Most amusing are the scenes showing the Mughals baffled by Jodhaa's Hindu practices or the subtle, adorable courtship between Jalaluddin and Jodhaa. Also, the scene where Jalaluddin travels through the Amer market, dressed as a nobody is key in showcasing Jalaluddin as a good ruler and why he deserves the title Akbar. The Rajput feast is a great sequence as is the scene where Jalaluddin punishes his traitorous foster brother Adham Khan. Basically, the movie is full of exciting scenes and great dialouges. You really only feel the weight of the running time right before the intermission but that's only because that part of the movie is full of great intermission points and Ashu chose the greatest. (The moon reflected in the lake being the "o" in "intermission" was just classic.)

Jodhaa Akbar can be seen as India's answer to the countless Greco-Roman stories being produced by America these days. The battle sequences have half the gore but maybe a third more the impact. This is because JA has real, live men battling each other not CGI clones. Also, these battle sequences include animals which just make things more awesome. Seeing an elephant crush a man is pretty cool even for me. I mean, normally I find battle scenes boring and I'm like, "Please just get to the drama and the romance! Jeez!" But these battles are exciting and original. They are not only well-choreographed but expertly performed by Hrithik and Sonu and Nikitin and Aishwarya. Yes, you read that right. Aishwarya gets two awesome, spectacular sword fights. And I know that it was really her and not just a double because a) her work in The Last Legion and b) her eyes are visible almost at all times in her fight with Sonu and her face is visible during her fight with Hrithik. Speaking of Mr. Suzanne Khan, his climactic fight with Nikitin Dheer's character is AMAZING as is the scene where he tames a wild elephant. No doubles were used in this movie or at least when concerning the two main leads. During the movie's many marvelous sequences, I thought to myself: How awesome is this movie!

Deciding which Rehman soundtrack is the best is like deciding which How I Met Your Mother episode is the best. It's impossible! Each is great and awesome. This holds true to JA. The soundtrack is absolutely splendid. Mann Mohana, the CD's weakest song, is picturized well, almost humorously (in a good way). Khwaja Mere Khwaja is such an amazing, laidback qawaali. The choreography is so simple yet very intricate. The camerawork is just too, too good. Jashn-e-Bahaara is good in showing the the growing love between Jodhaa and Jalaluddin. Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah is magnificent as the people's tribute to Akbar the Great. The choreography is great and spectacular. In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein is straightforward and so very romantic. I heard some lame comments about Aishwarya cheating on Abhishek and I wanted to yell out, "HRITHIK IS MARRIED TOO!" but I didn't want to ruin the song. Sure, the video is a bit racy but why not? It is their much delayed wedding night, after all. The songs are all very well-done.

Speaking of In Lamhon, here you have two of Bollywood's most attractive stars who both need to prove themselves. Three-fourths of Hrithik's hits have been directed by his father and Aishwarya needs to break the "Married Actress" curse that Kajol and Madhuri Dixit have been (rather successfully) trying to break. The chemistry between Aishwarya and Hrithik is practically living and breathing. After their romp in Dhoom 2, they succeed again in completely different roles. They compliment each other and they look good together. The best thing is that, while it is no question if Jalaluddin thinks Jodhaa is pretty, we get to see Jodhaa admire her husband's good looks and swordfighting prowress. Just another great touch to make these larger-than-life characters more human.

Of course, there's more to these two's performances than their rocking looks. Hrithik Roshan is completely at ease as Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar. His dialogue delivery and his body language is spectacular. He seems extremely regal but also extremely human. He is just so good and perfect as Jalaluddin and he doesn't even have to resort to a caricature of a guy who has some nameless mental disease and finds an alien! Aishwarya Rai Bachchan delivers a performance that no other Bollywood actress has attempted before. She is a woman who is very, very traditional but also very modern in thinking. She knows how to take control and push her man to be his best. Sure, she cries a lot in her first few scenes but then she gives a fierce, passionate performance. For both her and Hrithik, this is their career best.

The supporting cast is terrific. Ila Arun is fantastic as the evil Maham Anga, Sonu Sood is great as Sujamal but Nikitin Dheer takes the cake as Sharifuddin. The only real sour point is Amitabh Bachchan's narration. Sure, no one else has his kind of voice but why is he in everything?!

I dare say that Jodhaa Akbar is my generation's Mughal-e-Azam. It is a historical epic with a very modern message: people should not be judged by their culture or religion. It's funny that nowadays a Hindu-Muslim marriage is taboo because one of India's greatest emperors married a woman outside of his religion and fell in love with her despite these differences. Do these trivial things really matter? No. This movie comes at the right time. We all can learn from the just Jalaluddin and from the devoted Jodhaa. And while Lagaan was overrated and Swades was preachy, Jodhaa Akbar accomplishes much of what those two films tried to accomplish in its three hour and thirty minute running time. Kudos!

Jodhaa Akbar rates a 9.5/10.

PS: I am so glad Ash chose Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and not Aishwarya Bachchan. She will break the "Married Actress" curse, I know it.