Casting, Cinematography, Crisp Running TimeCasting, Cinematography, Crisp Running TimeShades of Nayantara's 'Dora' movie, Screenplay, Predictable, Heroine track
Post the blockbuster success of his family entertainer romantic comedy Geetha Govindam, sensational hero Vijay Deverakonda had faced double disasters, in the form of the colossal failure of his political entertainer NOTA, and the leak of his ambitious flick Taxiwaala, and now, he's back with the theatrical release of Taxiwaala which was long delayed. Here's team AP Herald's exclusive first on net Taxiwaala review.
Shiva (Vijay Deverakonda) belongs to a small family, comprising of his brother Ravi Prakash and sister in law Kalyani, a couple, who have been longing to have a child. Shiva comes to the city in search of a job, and his fate leads him to a car, as opts to turn a taxi driver. Just as he gets to meet and falls in love with Anu (Priyanka Jawalkar), he encounters paranormal activity inside the car and confirms it as the car takes the life of a doctor who comes as a customer. As Shiva further tries to know the mystery behind the incidents, he learns about Sisira ( Malavika Nair), and the cold-blooded events that happened in her life that have to lead her to a revenge mission. What happened to Sisira, and whether Shiva helped Sisira in the mission is what Taxiwaala is all about.
Vijay Deverakonda as the happy go, lucky youngster, is an extension of his Pellichoopulu character and is an instant charmer, and in the emotional episodes, excels. He carries the film on his able shoulders with his looks and screen presence, and coming close to him is Malavika Nair, Malavika sports a cool and trendy hot avatar, as a rich and arrogant girl, who later gets into grief and revenge mode. Priyanka Jawalkar is perfect as the eye candy, and some shots of the actress sans makeup are an eyesore. Shiju as the antagonist is cliched and predictable, and his antics are very typical of a villain in such a revenge setup flick, Kalyani and Raviprakash are cast in stereotypical tearjerker roles and Madhunandan occasionally generates laughs, while the rest of the cast including Yamuna, Uttej, Ravi Varma is adequate.
Jakes Bejoy delivers a stunning Background score, which gives the thriller effects best, and elevates several scenes to a whole new level, while of his songs, Maate Vinadhuga is the pick of the lot. Sujith Sarang's cinematography is top notch, as he has captured the action/chase episodes, and the graphics shots perfectly, presenting the audience a visual treat. Sreejith Sarang's taut editing makes Taxiwaala crisp.
Debutant Rahul Sankrityan has made his debut with a supernatural thriller premise, and with a happening star like Vijay Deverakonda on board, he must have created wonders with the screenplay, However, the director has failed in that aspect, as the first half takes its own sweet time to enter into the plot, with the so-called comic episodes not working in the favor of the movie, and as the movie gains momentum towards the interval, the viewer gets surprised. However, the surprise doesn't last long, as except for terms like Astral physics, there's nothing innovative, as the second half becomes a routine plain revenge drama with the spirit angle, reminding the audience of movies like Dora which released a year back, with the car coming for revenge with a spirit possessing it. Despite a crisp 2 hours and 12 minutes runtime, Taxiwaala is a dampener due to the uninteresting proceedings, and the cliched screenplay and the lack of proper commercial elements like comedy and peppy songs (except for Maate Vinadhuga, none impress), further add to the worries. All said, Taxiwaala ends as a can watch despite its predictability just for the massive efforts by the CG team and Sujith and Sreejith Sarang.
Vijay Deverakonda,Priyanka Jawalkar,Bunny Vas,Rahul Sankrityan,Jakes BejoyTake this taxi, only if you need to kill time and don't have options. An average, predictable supernatural ride.
