Calcutta, India has much in common with New York City. It is a vibrant, bustling metropolis, it is busy, fast-paced and congested, and if you're not careful, it will eat you alive. For Hasari Pal (Om Puri) and Max Lowe (Patrick Swayze) however, Calcutta will mean the start of a very special friendship, one that will guide both men through some very hard times and show each the joy of living in the process.
Hasari, a poor farmer, moves his family to Calcutta in search of opportunity. Swindled out of his rent money, Hasari soon finds himself a rickshaw driver, hauling whatever he can to raise his family out of the city's dirty, steaming slums.
Max, a Texas doctor, travels to Calcutta in search of nirvana. Playing into the hands of a young prostitute, Max is beaten to a pulp, as his assailants make off with the loot. Without any documents or valuables Max too is forced into the slums. There, Hasari helps him navigate all the hazards of one of India's most squalid, sorry regions. Together, the two must live by the sweat of their brow as each struggles for survival, and what's more, a newfound will to survive.
