Today, April 16th, 2023, marks 170 years since the first train service began in India, between Thane & Mumbai. And it has grown into something much more than transport, becoming an inseparable part of our lives, memories, and even social fabric itself.
Trains have always been a part of the Indian movie landscape in many ways, from blending in as a backdrop to the scene or song, to becoming very much a part of the story. I thought what better time than today to share a few of the instances where trains have played a memorable part in Indian movies. Of course if you start writing about trains in Indian cinema, it needs a dissertation, not a blog post. But then here are a few off the top of my head.
If there was one song that showed the iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in a much better light than even Aradhana, it is ‘Kashto maza hai’ from the movie Parineeta. The song is an audio-visual delight, starting with the low whistles and chug chugging sound of the train, and the lush green mountain slopes and tea plantations, and Saif singing away from the beautiful vintage railway carriage. If a playful Rajesh Khanna asked when the queen of his dreams would arrive, a pining Saif sees her face everywhere - in the tea pickers, in the flowers and buds, in his dreams, and as she stands framed in the doorway, in his visions. All of it punctuated by the chorus of cherubic kids who are enjoying the fun of the train journey as it steams and snakes its way up.
For our next dreamy train journey i again dive south, leaving behind vintage Bengalis and switching back to Tamil guys of the 21st century. Particularly one that was struck by the thunderbolt, Godfather-style, right on a train. Surya, in a romantic scene from Varanam Ayiram that has remained iconic ever since, is hopelessly smitten and besotted with a Sameera Reddy who is clearly practical and pragmatic. He rambles on and jumps in the air and punches himself in the chest and strums his guitar, even as Sameera gives him a look which has everything ranging from pity to ‘eh what’ to an eye-rolling that literally says ‘suththam’ (roughly meaning like 'hopeless'). If the romance of the train wasn't enough, there is rain pouring down the window panes, and the scene drifting into the song aptly penned, ‘nenjukkul peidhidum maamazhai’ - A great rain drenches my heart. Thamarai’s lyrics take romance to a whole other level and will transport you to a whole different mood. The whole scene is indeed the idealistic vision of many a starry eyed teenager who grew up dreaming of meeting someone on a train and hitting it off, back in the days when going through the reservation chart outside your compartment to see who was next to you was still a thing.
Another notable tamil movie train romance in recent decades is the ‘omana penne’ song from Vinnai thandi varuvaya. A second AC compartment and side lower berth, which is the most ideal combination you can wish for if you wish to keep talking away completely oblivious to the world around you. And here again, a smitten Simbu is in the company of a ‘stand-offish, yet giving mixed signals’ Trisha, who continues to lead him on, yet is unsure of what she herself wants. I had problems though with him vandalising public property by scribbling on the train :)
Of course it’s not just long distance trains that set the mood for romance - the commuter trains of Chennai did it resoundingly well in Alaipayuthe, much before the two movies above. All the seeing, wooing, courting and parting - it all happens in the backdrop of the everyday commuter trains crisscrossing their way across chennai. The electric train becomes a recurring character throughout the movie - making their transition from strangers to lovers, being their rendezvous, their own little private space in public, carrying the lead pair’s feelings, fears, doubts and emotions as much as it carries themselves.
In case you think the use of trains in Indian cinema is superficial - nope, it hasn't just used trains for romance and song alone.
Anbe Sivam is what i’d consider one of the landmark movies of Tamil cinema. In the movie which weaves together complex emotions and existential questions and debates of good vs bad in the backdrop of an unexpected journey, the major part of the plot unravels on the platform of a non-descript railway station tucked away in a remote village. The communist Kamal narrates all his past to an arrogant young Madhavan who is seen as the face of capitalism, as they sit on a railway station bench. And the talk veers on, about communism, love, and capitalism, even as the train noisily trundles into the station, the loudness of the train an appropriate reflection of madhavan’s anger and indignation. A few scenes later unfolds yet another macabre situation of another train’s derailment and ensuing shock and chaos which completely jolts the self absorbed madhavan, with the entire journey turning out life changing for him.
Speaking of life changing movies based on trains and travel, one inevitably has to include the malayalam movie North 24 Kadham. A brilliant Fahad portrays a man struggling with OCD who starts a train journey and has to abandon it halfway due to unexpected circumstances. The struggle of a man whose fixed routines and schedules are now completely upended, and how he learns to come to terms with it and overcomes his issues, form the plot.
Another malayalam movie, which is not as serious, but again with a different plot, is Oru Vadakkan Selfie. A carefree Nivin tries to escape home and takes a train to chennai. An immature selfie taken on the train, and a lie spread by a friend lands him in trouble when he goes back home some days later, completely unaware of what has happened meanwhile. The train scene where he attempts to talk to the girl is itself a ‘tribute’ to the aforementioned Varanam Ayiram scene. An attempt to set things straight and an ensuing long search ends in an unexpected plot twist a little before the climax.
In life, as much as there is romance, travel, conversations and soul searching, there is also undeniably sadness and loss - and let’s wrap up this account of train nostalgia with that classic scene from Moondram Pirai - where the Nilgiri mountain train becomes a metaphor of loss and loneliness, as it moves on and moves away, carrying away Sridevi with her restored memory yet lost memories, leaving behind a broken Kamal as he helplessly watches on. C'est la Vie.
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