I went to see Taxi Number 9211 after seeing the trailer. It seemed an enjoyable movie ... something different from the usual fare. I wasn't too wrong in my initial assessment. However, there are certain flaws too ... ones which detract somewhat from the entertainment value in the long-run.
The movie is really one of a kind, with a unique storyline. The women who feature as part of the plot, are almost redundant since the story is essentially about the clash of the super-inflated ego of the taxi-driver (Patekar)versus that of the heir to a vast fortune (John Abraham).
The dialogue is enjoyable and funny, though both Abraham and Patekar are at their offensive best! Their hot-headed exchanges are a dream for someone who wants to be rude and obnoxious! The movie starts out with a lot of promise. Somehow, things peter out somewhere along the way. For one, the action and intended violence seems somewhat unwarranted. Patekar trying to kill Abraham because he (Patekar), will not part with the key to the locker that Abraham has unwittingly left behind on the seat of the taxi cab. Okay, he doesn't want to let Abraham get his way ... but attempted murder??!!! What if the man had gone and got himself killed? Wouldn't have been too funny, would it? And, I mean ... trying to kill a person just because your taxi cab has been smashed up and you've been peremptorily thrust into the police lock-up as a result of this man's whims .... A bit far-fetched!! Somehow, I got the feeling that the producers of "Taxi Number 9211" needed the movie to run for the full duration of a feature film and were being forced to conjure up situations unnecessarily. They could easily have done with a little less action. After all, the basic storyline would not have been affected by the omission of a few scenes of brawling and abusing. Everyone, without exception, seems to be ultra-hyper, in this film ... The film would still have had it's appeal as a movie with a difference with a little less palpable tension.
The sea-change (almost) that comes over both the main characters, as a result of their interaction with each other, is effective as a denouement. Both of them simultaneously realise the fact that they had been attaching too much importance to issues that were actually very insignificant in themselves. Their mercurial disposition takes a beating, thanks primarily to each other. If that was meant to be the moral of the story, the film has succeeded.
The ultimate song ... shown during the credits ... is very enjoyable. Unfortunately, a lot of people, I found, had already started vacating the theatre-hall, before the song started. Perhaps the timing could have been better ... if the audience is expected to watch "Meter Down".
Though enjoyable, I wouldn't recommend this film to people who, like the characters in the film ... have a dearth of patience!
