WMT 9615

Story: Rahul Chatterjee, a fifth-year engineering student, starts driving a cab to provide financial aid to his widowed mother. During his stint as a driver, Rahul witnesses the breaking and making of various human relationships that turns him into the successful man he is today.

Review: WMT 9615 is a ‘blah’ film. Despite having a host of characters and an ensemble cast, the director (Tamal Dasgupta) can’t get you to connect with them. It is as if the cab is here, the engine is revving and you’re ready to go. But halfway through the journey, the tyre develops a puncture.
In the film, a college student, Rahul Chatterjee (Samadarshi Dutta), takes up driving a cab in order to supplement his family’s income. As he ferries passengers across the city, three incidents leave their mark on him and help him transform his life for the better.
This makes for an interesting premise. But alas, the opportunity is squandered. What could have been a slice-of-life film about a taxi driver and the myriad characters he meets, turns into a dreary drama about the frailty of human relationships. We meet a grieving elderly couple, a mother abandoned by her son and a woman who has just been dumped by her boyfriend.
But the problem lies with the fact that the director just can’t get you to care for them in any meaningful way and the stories just aren’t interesting enough.
There is also a gaping plot hole. We see Rahul narrating his tale as he travels in a plush SUV. But how did he manage to break the shackles of poverty and become successful? How did he go from a lowly cab driver to what he is today? We expect his story to explain this and see how the three people helped change his fortunes. But there is none of that and the film suffers for it.
The actors gamely play their parts. Of special mention is Soumitra Chatterjee and Kharaj Mukherjee, who put in stellar performances. Samadarshi looks barely interested and Debleena has nothing to do but cry. The one song, Cholo Jai, is used multiple times and is rendered well by Rupankar. The camerawork is average at best and quite shaky at its worst. Overall, WMT 9615 is a half-hearted attempt that has engine troubles from the start.

— Srijoy Mukherjee