Calcutta Mail’s set in eponymous, chaotic Kolkatta where Avinash (Kapoor) is in search of his son (revealed mid-way through the film).

Mishra uses the city of joy’s backdrop mesmerisingly (for some reason, never attempted since the late ’70s) — traversing the subway train, tramlines, mayhem around Durga Puja and red-flag toting city marches, Howrah Bridge (new and old), a set-created Sona Gachhi (Cal’s red light area) — to intersperse with a background to this one-man hunt operation.

The film starts off with Anil Kapoor arriving in Kolkata in search of his son. He finds a chawl as a temporary residence and bumps into Rani Mukherji. Rani is a novelist in disguise staying with the chawl tenants to observe closely their mannerisms and behaviour. Anil has to share his room with Rani and she slowly gets attracted to him.

Anil's search leads him to Saurabh Shukla, who knows the whereabouts of Sayaji Shinde. Sayaji is a criminal from Patna who kills as and when he likes. He is believed to have fled with Anil's son and is hiding in Kolkata.

Days pass by, but Anil is unable to trace Sayaji. Then one day Saurabh betrays Anil and tells Sayaji everything about Anil and his purpose. Sayaji lays a trap. In the fight that ensues, Anil is stabbed [twice]. A recuperating Anil goes into flashback and narrates his past to Rani. The past brings along Manisha Koirala, who is on a run escaping from her father Satish Kaushik, a famous industrialist who wants her to marry Sayaji. Anil saves her from the clutches of Sayaji amidst gunshots and a train accident. And subsequently cupid strikes. They marry and are happily settled with their son Yeshu. But not for long, as Manisha's father traces her. Things move from bad to worse as Manisha is killed and Yeshu is missing.

TAnil recovers, but the whereabouts of his son still eludes him. The rest of the story revolves around Anil's search for his son and also trace his wife's murderer.

Calcutta Mail is apparently inspired by the Telugu film, Choodalani Vundi, starring Chiranjeevi and Anjala Zhaveri. There are also some shades of the Mel Gibson starrer Ransom in the second half.

Whatever its antecedents, this is just another cleverly packaged one-man show by Anil Kapoor. The entire story is designed to suit his energetic style of acting. He infuses the drama with tremendous anxiety, particularly in the first half, with his edgy body language.

Rani Mukerji too doesn't have a well-written part, but her bubbly personality sees her through.

All said, Calcutta Mail’s s a well crafted, taut thriller. Worth your entertainment bucks; if the genre is right up your street.