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Hindi films with numeral tag lines have always brought some sort of mystery and curiosity attached to them for viewers. Be it 'Victoria No. 203', 'Bombay 405 Miles', 'Satte Pe Satta', 'Hum Paanch' or others. One thing has been common that both the masses as well as the classes have appreciated these films because of their storylines that had been just different from the prevailing trend.

Director Milan Lutharia attempts to bring back this approach once again to Hindi cinema viewers. And , to the most extent, it has been a successful attempt. Milan Lutharia who dared to choose a path away from the shadow of the Bhatt camp (Yes, Milan is nephew of famous filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt) and has debuted in a strong film like 'Kachche Dhaage'. Though the film was a class apart in its making, the box office results were not something to boast of. The next to follow was 'Deewar-Let's Bring Our Heroes Home'. If the later had stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna, the first one had support of Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan and Manisha Koirala. But, none of these two movies could break the ice in terms of trade.

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Now, Milan Lutharia seems to be lucky. With his new attempt, Milan tries to showcase two solid stars of the time -- Nana Patekar and John Abraham. The combination of one rustic and another sophisticated actor is deadly and with the treatment of the film being so near to real, this one is going to make a difference for him. Though, the film is set in Mumbai and has an overtone of its milieu, the theme and characters of the film are bound to get acceptation from everywhere.

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'Taxi No. 9211' starts with a baritone statement by macho man Sanjay Dutt, who sets the just right mood for the story to unfold. The story of the film is basically a clash of two personalities that are poles apart from each other. There is no protagonist and no antagonist. There are just two real life characters -- Raghav Shashtri (Nana Patekar) and Jai Mittal (John Abraham). Raghav is a taxi driver who has told his family that he is an insurance agent. He is in desperate need to get thirty thousands rupees so that he can pay his bills of next-door grocery man and others.

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On an eventful day, the other dude Jai Mittal (John Abraham) bangs on Raghav. They meet by chance and while Jai wants the help of Raghav's speeding taxi, Raghav's mind is working on something else. Jai is neck deep in crisis because of a will that his father (Akash Khurana) has left locked in the hands of his father's close aide (Shivaji Satam). So, the key of the situation is in the hands of Raghav . Even if Jai wants to separate his fate from this yunkie cabbie, he cannot do it. The stage is set and characters are outlined, what happens after that is a pot boiler that unfolds on the screen with such a finesse with the help of loads of incidents taking place one after other that there is not much scope left for viewers to think or judge the situation on their own.

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Taking inspirations from some old Hindi films and some foreign flicks, Milan Lutharia has found a story idea in his latest outing 'Taxi No. 9211', that is sure to click with those who always look for a pure entertainer. 'Taxi No. 9211' is also a deviation from the current trend of Hindi Cinema; not only in the story line but also its treatment. Besides, the narration is very novice for regular Hindi film watchers too. Milan Lutharia also scores inasmuch as he has stayed away from the routine shot taking. He has instead relied more on steady cam and other equipments for canning moving shots.

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The film has a pace and it matches with the wits and agony of its main characters. Shot taking of Kartik Vijay is in line with any of Hollywood film of current phase and so does its editor Aarif Sheikh who adds value to canned shots with the help of effects and transition points. Music of the film is an added value. Veteran music director lending his voice for Vishal Shekhar composed 'Mumbai Nagariya' is a treat to listen. Vishal Shekhar also scores in terms of background music, a must to gel for these kind of films. But, the technical team would have fallen behind in the race if Abbas Ali Moghul was not there. Abbas has created some chase sequence that has not been seen on Indian screen so far.

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Among actors, Nana is no doubt the leader of the cast. He brings in typical Mumbaia nuances in his character and it can be said, if this character was not given to Nana, no other actor could have done justice to it. His sequences with John as well as Sonali Kulkarni ( playing his wife) are perfect. One more sequence where Nana shows his caliber is where he meets kids. But, not far behind from Nana is cool hunk John Abraham. He never lets Nana to overshadow him. His timing is perfect and after 'Dhoom' it is for the first time that he has given right expressions for the right frame.

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Among females, Sonali scores over Sameera. Sameera doesn't get much to do in this film and is used just as a prop for the plot. Priyanka Chopra appears as a surprise item in the last. Having moved on as a filmmaking house producer Ramesh Sippy and his son Rohan Sippy have found a perfect team in 'Taxi No. 9211'. So, the movie is sure to rake in enough moolah to make it successful.