Taxi No. 9 2 11: Nau Do Gyarah

This film opened my eyes to Bollywood films, it is simply superb especially Nana Patekar an unknown actor to me up till this point, who suddenly entered my top five list of male actors. The original: Changing Lanes is not a poor film either compared to what usually get out of Hollywood, but this Bollywood adaptation of the story runs rings around it with ease. Thanks to superb acting and some subtle changes to the manuscript of the original story Taxi 9211 becomes a more intense and engaging film. It should perhaps be told that it is, perhaps somewhat unusual for a Bollywood film for though there is a brief song and dance routine at the very beginning of the film as in most Bollywood films the director has gone out of his way to hide it and integrate it into the film so that it blends in without being disruptive and without it leaving the stamp of Bollywood on it, the film itself has more in common with French cinema than Indian.

Copy of changing lanes with Indian masala to it. Great movie keeps u in suspense and is unpredictable. Unfortunately average Indian audience will not see it since it does not have the romantic yash raj touch to it. John and Nana give the best performance of there career. Great music. Sameera is to die for. Milan's great director. Deewar was another brilliant film but unfortunately his films always get unrecognized.

Here is the story A party player(John abraham) in a rush to make a court appointment to take original will involving a multi-million dollar trust gets the ride of his life when he sits in the cab of an alcoholic taxi driver(Samuel Jackson), who thinks he is always right and the whole world is wrong. John leaves the scene of the accident and strands the taxi driver, causing him to runaway from the cops. During the process of the post-crash discussion, John accidentally drops the key to the locker for his dad's will he needs to present in court. The judge gives him until tomorrow to present the papers and thus begins a cat and mouse game between the proponents. A few questionable actions later on both parties' part, they finally start questioning their actions and their lives. In the end, both come to new understanding of what is important and appear to be set in new ethical and moral directions.

Taxi Number 9211 is a story of one day revolving between a taxi driver named Raghav Shastri and his passenger named Jai Mittal.The two are the exact opposites with strikingly similar problems in their personal lives.

I watched Taxi Number 9211 today and to be honest it did not quite go well to my expectations.It's not a bad movie or anything but in the end it would be known as a film which promised more but delivered less.But nonetheless a good watchable movie overall.

I think the film was a bit rushed on to the floor without much work on the screenplay and scripting.The concept was a quite unique and different one from the Indian movie format though.The performances by the lead actors is good.The film is very good till the interval with lots of comic punches but tends to bore you as it progresses after the interval.And at one point the ending becomes very predictable and is very much like any traditional Indian movie ending(everyone lives happily ever after stuff).

For someone used to watching regular Bollywood stuff, this one comes across as strikingly different. For starters, it's got quite an intriguing plot (dunno if it's a rip-off), interesting characterizations (not the stereotypes, mind you!), engaging acting and some witty dialogues!

The story unfolds when two individuals from totally different lifestyles bump into each other and prove to be each other's nemeses! Nana Patekar does a class act and it seems that the role was tailor-made for him. John Abraham is really beginning to get his act together and does a decent job. The chemistry between the two lead actors is what makes the movie worth your while. Truly, the casting has come up trumps!

Yes, it's got its pitfalls - the script isn't flawless, tends to be patchy at times and the overall work could surely have been better. One only wishes that more effort and time would have been invested to make this film a really delectable experience.

Again, the film makers have to be commended for not yielding to any song and dance routine (except for the introductory song) which keeps the film racing and bracing!

Rating : 7 on 10

Actors - Nana Patekar is the best, although John Abraham and Sameera Reddy have also started to learn. Nana's dialogue delivery is superb. John Abraham has been, finally, given a role he would match. Sameera Reddy, Kurush Deboo, and Shivaji Satam have strong roles.

Story - The story is well written, but the screenplay could have been better. For those who haven't seen the film, go take a look, and expect a few twists in the storyline.

Music - The music is pretty good. Look out for Bappi Lahiri's Song Bambayi Nagariya, Adnan Sami's Meter Down, and Aazmaale Aazmaale, probably from K.K.. Don't miss the music video of Meter Down.