Unfortunately for its director and screenwriter, this internationally praised film did very poorly at the box-office. In the story, the poor Bengali Bimal has an unusually intimate relationship with his broken-down old taxi and goes so far as to give it the name Jagoddal. The other residents of town hate to ride in it because it is so old, but are amazed that it is still running. For the viewer, as well as Bimal, the taxi is alive, returning Bimal's affection by running on almost no gasoline (among other things). For his part, Bimal will tolerate no disparaging remarks about Jagoddal and routinely ejects passengers who essay them. This tender relationship is upset when Bimal meets a young woman whom he falls for and the jealous taxi tries to come between him and the girl.