Release date : November 17, 2018
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Starring : Vijay Deverakonda, Priyanka Jawalkar, Malavika Nair
Director : Rahul Sankrityayan
Producers : SKN, V. Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Pramod Uppalapati
Music Director : Jakes Bejoy
Cinematographer : Sujith Sarang
Editor : Sreejith Sarang
Vijay Devarakonda’s Taxiwaala, which has been in the making for quite some time now has finally hit the screens today. Let’s see how the film turns out to be.
Story:
Shiva(Vijay Devarakonda) is a happy go lucky graduate who comes to Hyderabad for his livelihood. Upset with not finding a suitable job, he buys an old car and becomes a cab driver. Things take an U-turn when weird things start happening in his car and Shiva gets scared for his life and decides to dispose of his car. What is the backstory behind this car? Why is it troubling Shiva? and how will Shiva get rid of it? That forms the rest of story.
Plus Points:
The concept itself is unique as the horror comedy is set around a car. The director has written his script well and made it look convincing with his taut narration. Even though he takes time to establish his story, he has generated nice comedy, horror, and thrills in the first half and ends the movie on an emotional and believable note.
Vijay Devarakonda looks super dashing as the stylish cabbie. His keeps his performance simple and gels with the whole set up quite well. Heroine Priyanka looks good and shares a good chemistry with Vijay. A hospital scene in the second half evokes good comedy and Chammak Chandra’s performance is superb during this time.
The horror comedy which has been generated in both the halves works quite well and there are few scenes featuring Vijay and his friends which leave the audience in splits. Second heroine Malavika gets a crucial role and is neat in her character.
Madhu and the other guy who played Vijay’s friend evoke decent comedy in the film. The interval bang is good and elevates the film on a solid level. Yamuna, who played a cameo was impressive in her emotional performance.
Minus Points:
The length of the film is a tad long as few minutes in the second half could have been easily edited out during the flash back. After a very engaging first half, the second part becomes a bit dull because of the serious scenes.
Also, the science fiction element showcased might not impress everyone. The way the professor’s track featuring Ravi Varma is handled does not look that convincing and is a key loophole in the film.
Technical Aspects:
Production values by SKN are neat as the film has very good night visuals and the science fiction element has been showcased in a good color tone by the camera department. Production design is top notch as the garage set up looks very impressive. Music and background score by Jake’s Bejoy is top notch and gives a good feel to the film.
Coming to he director Rahul, he has done an impressive job with the film. Even though the backdrop of the film is the age old horror comedy, he cleverly adds a science fiction element and narrates it convincingly keeping the viewers engaged.
Verdict:
On the whole, Taxiwaala is an engaging horror comedy which has a good premise. Interesting concept, good comedy, and decent thrills are basic assets of this film. However, things get a bit slow in the second half as the proceedings become quite serious. As there are no major releases till this month end and keeping Vijay’s popularity in mind, this film has a good chance to work at the box office. All you need to do is to watch it with low expectations as the film will not disappoint you and ends as a breezy watch this weekend.
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team