'TN O7 AL 4777' a perfect remake of 'Taxi Number 9211'

By Ayyappa Prasad, Film: 'TN 07 AL 4777'; Director: Laxmikanthan; Cast: Pasupathi, Ajmal, Meenakshi; Music: Vijay Anthony; Direction: Laxmikanthan; Rating: ***

But for the oddity of yellow-topped taxis being rarities in Chennai, "TN 07 AL 4777" is a frame-to-frame perfect remake of the Hindi offbeat thriller "Taxi Number 9211".

The cast, majority of the performances, subtle filming, apt music and background scores - all accentuate its entertainment quotient.

The story is about a day in the lives of a rich guy caught in an extraordinary legal tussle of inheritance and a desperate cabbie handicapped by family problems.

The movie takes the audience through the pulsating tribulations of the duo and eventual reconciliation.

Pasupathi essays the role of the taxi driver, played by Nana Patekar in the original. And he matches the Bollywood veteran's histrionics.

Though debutant Ajmal is good in the lead role, he is no patch on John Abraham whose performance in the original was much better.

The surprise package is Meenakshi who shines as the fiancee of the moneybag despite this being just her second film. As is her wont, Simran playing the cab driver's estranged wife underplays the role to wonderful perfection.

Music by Vijay Anthony and Gurudev's cinematography etch the pleasure derived from the movie further.

Laxmikanthan has wielded the megaphone deftly, extracting the correct mix of performances and the backdrop of Chennai's streets.

Though Tamil Nadu movie buffs have almost forgotten the fact, the filmdom obviously remembers that 4777 is the car number of late thespian chief minister M.G. Ramachandran, who was popularly known as MGR.

--IANS