This is the story of two absolute losers from totally different walks of life. Their paths cross each other, wreaking havoc in their already messed up life. The story is pretty much really on the edge and most times movies with such stories end up being full of overacting, cheap jokes and loud music. But "Taxi Number 9211" is different thanks to two some great directing and excellent performances by the two lead actors.
OK ... Nana Patekar is not really great in this movie. That's only because of some scenes in which he relapses into his regular madman over-acting mode. But for most parts , he is just as good as he used to be in his earlier days before he started doing the same madman routine for any role that came his way. In "Taxi ..." , he's good for 75% of his screen time and that's saying a lot for most actors these days.
However , John Abraham varies from good to absolutely GREAT almost in all his scenes . Yes , this is the same John Abraham who has only looked like a two dimensional suiting model in all his earlier films! In "Taxi ..." he gives a refreshingly good performance . And its really amazing , for in Bollywood , male leads only start giving some sorta good performances around the age of 40 or beyond ! So , two great performances from the lead almost guarantees an enjoyable movie , but WAIT ...the supporting cast are even better than Nana Patekar! Sonali Kulkarni gave me another clue as to why "Dil Chahta Hai" was such a great movie. For whatever small roles she gets, she gives it her all. Its a pity she doesn't come in bigger roles because she's way ahead of the starlets who are in the movies 'coz of their Mamas and Papas.
There are also great performances by most of the other sideys like the little Hawaldar with his happy smirk when he gets Nana Patekar to the Police-station. Even the police Inspector does his job well. And then there's Mr. Batliwala , whatever the name of that actor. He does it so well , its difficult to imagine him having any other name in real life! There's also the Mr. Bajaj in a little role that he handles very professionally.
All in all a collection of good performances .
Add to that , a great storyline when a whole lot of movies are being made "based on" or "inspired by" or "accidently similar" to some Hollywood movies , this one seems refreshingly original , although I might be wrong.
"Taxi Number 9211" seems to be made with tender care and with an intent to make a good movie. There is attention to detail without being a hindrance to the flow of the movie.
However , I give the movie two negative points for some little things here and there. There's Sanjay Dutt's "Vaat lag gayi" narration in the background. His Bambaiyya accent is definitely over-rated and he does overdo it. A better idea would've been to chose someone with a real accent for lesser money. For some time after the interval the movie is direction-less and threatens to go the way of most Hindi movies that start well. That's another negative point.
However , the movie's end (almost unrelated to the story) is just AWESOME . A Kishore Kumar classic is used in all its full glory without the regular loud computerized trashy music remixed with it. Just vanilla Kishore Kumar ... just blew me away . And so did Priyanka Chopra :) A definite bonus point to make it 9 out of 10 for "Taxi Number 9211".
OK ... Nana Patekar is not really great in this movie. That's only because of some scenes in which he relapses into his regular madman over-acting mode. But for most parts , he is just as good as he used to be in his earlier days before he started doing the same madman routine for any role that came his way. In "Taxi ..." , he's good for 75% of his screen time and that's saying a lot for most actors these days.
However , John Abraham varies from good to absolutely GREAT almost in all his scenes . Yes , this is the same John Abraham who has only looked like a two dimensional suiting model in all his earlier films! In "Taxi ..." he gives a refreshingly good performance . And its really amazing , for in Bollywood , male leads only start giving some sorta good performances around the age of 40 or beyond ! So , two great performances from the lead almost guarantees an enjoyable movie , but WAIT ...the supporting cast are even better than Nana Patekar! Sonali Kulkarni gave me another clue as to why "Dil Chahta Hai" was such a great movie. For whatever small roles she gets, she gives it her all. Its a pity she doesn't come in bigger roles because she's way ahead of the starlets who are in the movies 'coz of their Mamas and Papas.
There are also great performances by most of the other sideys like the little Hawaldar with his happy smirk when he gets Nana Patekar to the Police-station. Even the police Inspector does his job well. And then there's Mr. Batliwala , whatever the name of that actor. He does it so well , its difficult to imagine him having any other name in real life! There's also the Mr. Bajaj in a little role that he handles very professionally.
All in all a collection of good performances .
Add to that , a great storyline when a whole lot of movies are being made "based on" or "inspired by" or "accidently similar" to some Hollywood movies , this one seems refreshingly original , although I might be wrong.
"Taxi Number 9211" seems to be made with tender care and with an intent to make a good movie. There is attention to detail without being a hindrance to the flow of the movie.
However , I give the movie two negative points for some little things here and there. There's Sanjay Dutt's "Vaat lag gayi" narration in the background. His Bambaiyya accent is definitely over-rated and he does overdo it. A better idea would've been to chose someone with a real accent for lesser money. For some time after the interval the movie is direction-less and threatens to go the way of most Hindi movies that start well. That's another negative point.
However , the movie's end (almost unrelated to the story) is just AWESOME . A Kishore Kumar classic is used in all its full glory without the regular loud computerized trashy music remixed with it. Just vanilla Kishore Kumar ... just blew me away . And so did Priyanka Chopra :) A definite bonus point to make it 9 out of 10 for "Taxi Number 9211".