TN 07 AL 4777

Remaking films from Bollywood or Tollywood involves potential risk in Kollywood. Director Lakshmikanthan has tried his hand at redoing a recent Hindi blockbuster 'Taxi No 9211', which is racy and riveting. All credits should go to the director for not trying anything farfetched in the Tamil version, managing to retain the flavor of the original. Produced by GV Films, the movie revolves around two main characters - a taxi driver and a rich young man played by Pasupathy and Ajmal respectively. All credit to Lakshmikanthan for his apt characterization. They live the character coming out with a brisk performance. Unlike recent run-of-the-mill stuff, the movie has a good storyline to boast of with catchy dialogues sure to evoke applause in theatres. The aspirations of the poor and the rich, their outlook on life have been captured well. In a nutshell, it is about two different persons belonging to different strata of the society. They meet in a ride and a chain of reaction begins. Pasupathy plays Mani, a hot -tempered cab driver. He leads a contended life with his wife Subbulakshmi (Simran), who thinks that her husband is an insurance agent. Mani comes across Gautham (Ajmal), a rich spoilt son of a businessman. Gautham has a peculiar problem. He comes into contact with Mani and also comes to know that he would be losing several crore of his father's property to a trustee unless he produces his father's will. An accident leaves Mani and Gautham part ways from the taxi leaving the locker key in Mani's cab. He gets arrested. Eventually, Gautham informs Subbulakshmi that her husband is behind bars and that he is not an insurance agent but a cab driver. Ruckus breaks in their house. What happens next forms the climax. Pasupathy plays the role of a cab driver with finesse. His rough looks and cool body language evokes applause. He has done justice to the role done by talented actor Nana Patekar in Hindi. It's not an exaggeration if we could term him as our own Nana for Tamil filmdom. Ajmal has left his bad boy image in 'Anjathae' and comes out with a new demeanor this time. He has brought out emotions well on screen. At many places, his character reminds one of a role played by Madhavan in 'Anbae Sivam'. He is cool, suave and trendy. His emotional turmoil has been brought out well. Simran hogs limelight with her decent portrayal. As a devout housewife, she fits the bill well. Meenakshi fulfills the oomph factor. Though she has no major bearing on the story, she plays her part well. Vijay Anthony's musical score is hip-hop and trendy captured well on screen. Lakshmikanthan deserves a pat for choosing a right script for remake in Tamil making suitable changes that would find favor with the Tamil crowd. All said, the very fact that it is a remake lingers on our mind ever since the word go. But for others, it is a movie sans any bumpy ride.