The lives of three individuals intersect in surprising ways on one rather hot and hectic day in Calcutta. Adi Chaterji (Sunnie D’Souza), a Canadian art student studying abroad, finds his seemingly average day go up in smoke when a Calcutta taxi, driven by Rasul Ahmad (Anand Rajaram), takes off with his backpack. Desperate to get his possessions back, Adi enlists the help of another cab driver, Bakul Bihari (Vipin Sharma), to track down the rogue cab. With political tensions high, and the streets filled with striking protestors, the sight of a lone backpack in the back seat can only mean one thing for Rasul…a bomb.

Writer/director Vikram Dasgupta uses this premise to take a frenzied, and rather surprising, look at human interactions. Though the opening moments lead us to believe that it will be a high-octane politically charged film, Calcutta Taxi is actually about things that are lost and found. In each of the three stories that Dasgupta weaves together, the men must all come to terms with items, both physical and philosophical that they have lost. For individuals like Bakul, it is the harsh reality of coming to terms with the contrast that exists between philosophy and the deep greed within his heart. Bakul frequently preaches about being selfless, yet his motivations for helping Adi is less about charity and more about the money he believes the backpack holds.

The notion of coming to terms with one’s true self is best exemplified in the final segment where Dasgupta explores the character of Rasul. Unlike Adi, whose loss is exemplified through possessions, Rasul’s loss is physical. He struggles with keeping a secret from his new bride, and the tension it causes. His ultimate confession scene is both fitting and somewhat somber considering the rest of the events that occur in the film.

For a directorial debut, Vikram Dasgupta conveys a lot of solid ideas in the film’s twenty minute running time. Opting to go for a more comedic fast-paced approach works surprisingly well given how the film unfolds. The main flaw with the film is that none of the other characters’ storylines are as compelling as Rasul’s arc. Bakul manages to display some good moments, but Adi’s lack of depth is very apparent. He merely serves as the fish out of water link that ties all the stories together. Of course, given more time, these issues could have been explored in much greater detail. However, this is a minor quibble for a film that ultimately achieves what it sets out to do.