Watching Anurag Kashyap’s latest film No Smoking is like having a bizarre and absurd dream.

Being unconventional doesn’t mean being absurd. And thinking out of the box doesn’t mean throwing logic to the winds. Anurag Kashyap does just that, and more, in ‘No Smoking’.

In his bid to be different, to be “artistic”, to break the set parameters, and to rebelliously defy all that is stereotypical, Kashyap goes over the top. He has made a film, which, frankly speaking, is hard to understand. There is no logical progression in the story. The plot keeps flitting from one situation to another – some amusing, some ludicrous.

Director Anurag Kashyap did not directly offer the lead role in No Smoking to John Abraham .

Before offering John the lead part in the film Kashyap wanted to see if the actor could tell a bad script from a good one.

So when Kashyap met John he first narrated him the script of a movie called ‘Lapata’ (Missing). John did not like the script and told it on Anurag’s face.

Kashyap nodded and narrated to John another script. This time, it was the script of ‘No Smoking’.

John Abraham shot a very unusual and unique scene for Anurag Kashyap’s movie No Smoking .

The movie has John playing a chain smoker trying to kick the habit. There is a flashback scene in the film in which both John and his friend Ranvir Shorey are shown smoking their first cigarettes as adolescents.

While any other filmmaker would have used child artistes or visual effects to shoot the scene, Anurag Kashyap , known for his experimental streak, decided to shoot the scene on John and Ranvir only.

Instead of making the scene realistic, Kashyap apparently wanted it to give a farcical look.