A four-letter expletive repeated thrice is what I am left with. In an excited tone. In an “I don’t believe I just saw that in Hindi” tone. And most fascinatingly in an “It is beyond me to completely comprehend what I saw in one take” tone.

The beauty of abstract concepts is that there are almost as many meanings as there are viewers. What a paradox!? Something that is not obviously meaningful has many more meanings than a clear statement! Oh, did I just digress?

Coming to the point - the movie was a treat for the senses. The background music, sound design, camerawork, special effects - all worked towards narrating the idea. Nope, I cannot make myself say I saw a story; it was a visual description of an idea - a ‘what if…?’ Such cinema might not be the proverbial “everyone’s cup of tea”. But, the point is, it is now available for those who enjoy a different flavor. Thank you, Mr. Director!

John Abraham plays K and absolutely everything in the movie is from K’s point of view. But, don’t let that keep you away, even if you are wary of his acting skills. Because he is literally ‘unbelievably’ good. The transition from the self-obsessed, full-of-himself man to the person who has lost his grip was remarkable. Especially because this came through to us with his performance and not merely the lines given to him. However, we could have certainly survived without the animated thought bubbles. What exactly was their purpose? They were not funny, not insightful - especially since you could make out what John was thinking from his body language and movement of facial muscles (yes believe me, he can actually do that!).

It was a joy to watch Paresh Rawal not making a fool of himself. But his performance lacked a punch that the character demanded. A more powerful, more menacing “Sri Sri Sri … baba” would have been great.

The dialogues are nice and crisp, and absent when not needed - leaving a lot of room for interpretation. At the very least a couple of metaphors to decipher. Especially, the commentary on the infinite self-improvement programmes resorted to these days.

Do any of the umpteen movie awards given out have a bravery award? I guess not. I think the time has come to start one and the first one should go to ‘No smoking’ Not just for the technical brilliance, but for the concept itself.

Sadly, though, it might not go down as well with too many people. And those who are exposed to world cinema, have seen similar stuff before. But, what I admire is that I was able to watch it in a theater that screens mainstream Hindi movies and there were people who applauded when the credits started rolling.

The question that I am still struggling with is - Would I have liked it as much if there were more obscure ideas translating into movies? Well, I’d say bring me more and we’ll know!

- Meetu, a part of the audience