When Taxi No 9211, the Hindi original of Game, was released, the spontaneous wit and agreeable chutzpah of Nana Patekar and the suave charm and slick chic of John Abraham stood out in charming relief.
So let's get this straight, Mohan Babu and Vishnu are no Nana and John. But Game, which has been altered slightly to suit the local tastes, is certainly not run of the mill. Though, then again, the humanism and the underlying love between the two male protagonists that stood out in the Hindi original is missing here, Game passes muster for simply being different from the commercial clutter of the day.
It is not a bang, bang bullet-happy gangster movie. And that alone is a major relief.
Mohan Babu as the cabbie with an attitude drives the film through with Vishnu ambling along as a happy backseat driver. Director Ram Prasad has little to do, having just reworked the original.
Pandit Raghava (Mohan Babu) is a scowling, taxi driver with a short fuse, who roams the mean streets of Hyderabad. His wife (Shobana) and family think he is an insurance agent.
Vijay Raj (Vishnu), on the other hand, is a man of fun and modern-day pleasures. A rich youth, his life is full of swanky women and swankier lifestyle.
And the dice of fate rolls out agonizing numbers for both. One needs a few thousand to pay off his debts. The other hopes to inherit several crores of rupees from his dead dad.
But as it happens, the two contrasting individuals' lives crisscross.
It is an unlikely match up. The two have nothing in common. But life enjoins a common journey for them. Vijay takes a fateful ride in Pandit's cab. And it is a roller coaster that turns his life upside down. How and why?
Well, that forms the plot as the two volatile individuals understand life, its vicissitudes and themselves in a glorious albeit bumpy ride through the by-lanes of destiny.
It is a brilliant story of stellar creativity (alas, it is not an original).
Mohan Babu as the cussed cabbie is on firm ground. Though stretching extra for effect, Mohan Babu with his patented dialogue delivery pulls through. This is Vishnu's big test. His character and its success depend on playing the right and cool counterfoil to the braggadocio and bravura of the cabbie. Vishnu has certainly shown improvement from his performances. But the essential chemistry between him and cabbie is missing. And that robs the film of some vital momentum and energy.
Shobana as the harassed wife of Mohan Babu is understatedly ebullient and is very impressive. Paravti Melton as Vishnu's partner has nothing out of ordinary to do.
Joshua Sridhar's music, especially the rerecording, is okay.
Ramparasd should be credited for being understanding in making the right changes in remake. But somehow he has lost on giving the all-important background. In the original, the mean streets of Mumbai with all its life and its absurd impossibilities were a brilliant concomitant. But here he has not managed to make Hyderabad come alive. That is an important difference.
But Game is a worthy attempt (especially if you have not seen the original).
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