The trailer starts off with a car parked in the middle of a deserted road with Deverakonda in the driver's seat. A chilling, bloodied fingerprint suddenly appears in front of the mirror, which scares the living daylights out of the protagonist, played by Deverakonda. The beginning few shots in the trailer reveal that Deverakonda is haunted by the vintage car, which is possessed by a ghost. Nayanthara's 2017 horror thriller Dora directed by Doss Ramasamy also featured a similar core plot. The trailer goes on to show the film's entertaining part where Deverakonda is on the lookout for a suitable job and learns it the hard way. He earns a security job at a textile shop but soon realises how physically demanding it is and bows out. After finally landing the job of a cabbie to a vintage car, his life seems to have taken a good turn and we are also shown his love-interest Priyanka Jawalkar, who shares some good romantic moments with Deverakonda.
A motley assortment of shots that reiterate the film's genre as supernatural thriller follow the light-hearted frames of Vijay and Priyanka. The trailer ends with a bevy of comical punches with Vijay Deverakonda's trademark wit and timing. Overall, Taxiwaala trailer promises an entertaining, thrilling ride and is expected to set the cash registers ringing since horror is a proven money-spinning genre in Tollywood.
Responding to criticisms on NOTA with a matured statement, Deverakonda had said: "To everyone who goes to the cinema for me and to all who hope others fail and celebrate it, I will not make excuses. I take responsibility; I am proud of NOTA. It’s a story I wanted to tell, a character explored and a performance delivered. Tamil Nadu, the national media and all the audience who loved it here, your love has been received. All the disappointment and criticism is taken seriously, it will be studied, the miscalculation on my side corrected, decisions evaluated and work put in but the attitude will not change. A success or failure isn’t what makes or breaks a Rowdy. The day you stop, give in, give up, that’s when you stop being one. And being Rowdy isn’t about just winning, it’s fighting for that win, it’s an attitude that burns inside us, so be proud rowdies, keep fighting."
Produced by SKN, Taxiwaala also stars Malavika Nair, Ravi Prakash, Uttej and Madhunandan in important roles. The film is being jointly presented by UV Creations and Geetha Arts. Jakes Bejoy, Sujith Sarang and Sreejith Sarang, who shot to fame through Tamil blockbuster Dhuruvangal 16, form the film's core technical crew.
Made on a shoestring budget of Rs 15 Cr, Vijay Deverakonda's romance drama Geetha Govindam pulled in a theatrical share of Rs 70 Cr with a worldwide gross of around Rs 130 Cr. The film went on to become one of the all-time biggest blockbusters in the history of Tollywood this year before NOTA spoiled the momentum for the Arjun Reddy actor at the ticket window. Now, he is all set to revive his mojo at the box-office back with Taxiwaala.