At the beginning of "Siddharth," from director Richie Mehta, main character Mehendra  (played with raw emotion by Rajesh Tailang) is told that he is living in the stone ages because he doesn't have a phone. It's our first indication of some dire circumstances to come. The film centers on chain wallah Mehendra, who makes a living fixing zippers on the streets of New Delhi. He sends his son Siddharth - much to his wife Suman's (Tannishtha Chatterjee) chagrin - to work in a factory because they are hard on money. When Siddharth doesn't return home one day, Mehendra comes to the grave realization that his son has been most likely kidnapped into child trafficking. From there, he begins a journey to look for Siddharth, even traveling to the distant Mumbai; a task with no easy outcome.

Mehta was inspired to make the film after a chance encounter he had on the streets of Delhi one day, in which a man told him he had been looking for his lost son for over a year, never having taken a photograph and not being literate enough to spell his name. The family dynamic is what drives the story. Rather than a standard "kidnapped child" action-revenge tale, "Siddharth"'s strengths are in its ability to create tension out of pure conversation, not to mention also its beautiful score from composer Andrew Lockington. The film's drama comes from its sense of hopelessness, captured brilliantly by Tailang and Chatterjee. It also comes from the dynamic between their characters. Mehendra and Suman both want to do the right thing, but often have different outlooks on the situation. They both show moments of strength and courage. They also both show moments of helplessness and loss. These characters share the same heartache, and it's gripping to see how they react.

While searching for his son, some of the scenes involving Mehendra can become repetitive as he asks dozens of people similar questions. Despite this, Mehta paces the film very well and even these scenes, in hindsight, would feel missed if not included somehow. It's a journey that is fully alive, thanks in large part to not only the performances as mentioned, but Mehta's direction as well. Like Mehendra and Suman, he stays on task. The film has a sense of knowing exactly what it wants to be. It has true purpose, taking into account it's real-world backstory.

Still, while "Siddharth" captures loss and sorrow more than anything, there's a sense of hope by the film's conclusion. Mehta does a wonderful job of making a flickering light in the darkness seem like the sun is shining brighter than ever.