.The first railway on the Indian sub-continent ran over a stretch of 21 miles from Bombay to Thane. The formal inauguration ceremony was performed on 16th April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.30 pm Since then 163 years have passed. Today Indian Railway is one of the largest railway networks in the world.
This Gigantic engineering marvel has also been a fascination for the Indian Film Industry. since the 1930s. Bollywood has always imbibed and used Railways as a character themselves in the movies. Way back in 1934, ``Toofan Mail" started off a romance between films and trains which is still going strong.
In1936 Achut Kanya, Ashok Kumar, and Kanan Devi film has Kanan Devi playing the role of a level crossing gatekeeper's daughter who averts an accident towards the end of the film. Miss Frontier Mail was another film released in 1936 starring Nadia.She played Savita whose father is the station master framed for a murder committed by a masked man.The highlights are Nadia's stunts on top of a speeding train fighting a gang of rail-road bandits.
The train and its associated emblems (the station, the railway tracks and even the sound made by it) have actually been a steady presence in Indian cinema across decades.
There was a 1942 film Station Master The film was about a girl who is a daughter of a station master, who wants her to to marry a man who is also a railway employee but she wants to marry another person who is a train guard.
A 1953 film starring Shammi Kapoor and Madhubala called 'Rail Ka Dibba' was about a young man living in an abandoned Rail coach.,Railway Platform was a 1955 Indian film about Passengers from all backgrounds who get stranded on an isolated railway platform when a natural disaster delays their train for 24 hours. a love triangle between a princess, a poor man, and his lover at a train station The film marked the debut of Sunil Dutt,
Bollywood and trains have had a long and most affectionate relationship. In fact, Bollywood has a lot to thank the Indian Railways for giving us memorable scenes and songs. Today's youth remembers the fantastic scene from Dilwale Dulhunia Le Jayenge, My generation remember the train scene from Pakeezah when Salim, played by Raaj Kumar sees just Meena Kumari's feet peeping put from the train berth and is instantly smitten."Aapke paao dekhe. Bahut haseen hai.. Inhe zameen par mat utariiyega. Maile ho jaayenge," wrote Salim in a letter to the gorgeous Sahibjaan (Meena Kumari).
Many murder thrillers associated with train or love stories took shape in ans around trains were made in Bollywood A few of them like The Train(1970), Parwaana(1971), Do Anjane(1976),The Burning Tratn,(1980), Baaton Baaton Mein (1979), Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981) andJab We Met(2007)
Let us recall those moments when Bollywood movies gained an advantage from railways that started their journey in India on the day of 16th April 1853,
Song from Jawab 1942
In 1942 this Toofan Mail was used in a song in the film Jawab sung by Actress-singer Kanan Devi.The same year another song of Pankaj Mullick Aayi Bahar Aaj from the film Doctor is a beautiful Train song.
Song from Doctor 1942
Song from Dilruba 1950
The 1954 film Jagriti song Aao Bachcho Tumhe Dikhaye Jhankee Hindustan Kee was shot on a train and it chugs away while the teacher in the scene shows a group of children the various sights and sounds of India.
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Song from Jagriti (1954)
There was a film in 1955 Railway Platform the story of this film is entirely railway oriented and much of it has been shot on an actual Railway Platform, As the title song plays along with credits at the beginning of the film, the camera shows the view from the last coach as the train moves along.
Songs from Railway Platform 1955
In 1956 Bhowani Junction film released. This film was based on the masterpiece from John Masters, this film is about Anglo Indian community in pre-partition India. Set at an imaginary railway town called Bhowani Junction. A large part of the film is set around railways that played an all-important role during war years, before and after partition and were 100% powered by steam. The railway scenes in the film were shot in Lahore and other parts of North-west Pakistan
A scene from Bhowani Junction 1956
Dev Anand would have lost his most memorable songs if he hadn’t got a chance to romance on trains. From serenading Waheeda Rahman in the song Hai Apna Dil To Awara Na Jaane Kispe Aayega and Apni To Har Aah Ek Toofan to attempting a jig with Asha Parekh in the song Jiya o, Jiya o Jiya Kuch Bol Do.
Song from Solva Saal 1958
Song from Kala Bazar 1960
Song from Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai 1961
The Kishore Kumar song Cheel Cheel Chillake from 1962 film Half Ticket is a good example of a railway song. Many scenes of the film were on a Railway Platform or on a train.
Song from Half Ticket(1962)
A scene from Half Ticket(1962)
Song from Hum Sab Ustaad Hain (1965)
Song from Mere Huzoor (1968)
Song from Aashirwaad (1968)
In the 1969 film Aradhana Rajesh Khanna in a jeep, trying and succeeding in regaling Sharmila Tagore who was on a train in Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegi tu It was the repeat of Jiya Ho Jiya Kuchh Bol Do type picturization.
Song from Aradhana 1969
By this time Indian Railway modernized itself from Steam to Diesel and to Electric Engine,in this song from Honeymoon 1973, a group of students shown singing and dancing in an electric train
Song from Honeymoon (1973)
This beautiful song from Ajnabee was shot in a Good's Train which I think the first song picturized on a Goods Train
Song from Ajanabee (1974)
Like the Darjeeling train, this song was picturized on a Toy Train in a Heritage site Kalka Shimla Train Route
Song from Dost (1974)
In the 1975 film Julie an Anglo Indian family living at Shoranur. The father played by Om Prakash is a goods driver while Julie is the eldest daughter who falls in love with a Hindu boy who is visiting his family. There are several scenes depicting AWC, HPS WG & WP class at Sholapur.station, yard, roundhouse
A scene from Julie 1975
Sholay 1975 There are several railway sequences in the film. Two of these show the inspector and a jailor arriving at a rural station aboard a YP hauled train. The most famous one of course is of the dacoits trying to hijack a goods train hauled by H/4 class No. 026472. Jai and Veeru are prisoners of inspector Sanjeev Kumar and after he agrees to let them help him, Jai and the inspector take charge of the fighting from the guard's van while Veeru mans the engine and runs its through the barrier laid on the rails by dacoits.
Song from Rafoo Chakkar (1975)
This song was picturized inside a steam engine on Dilip Kumar and Shammi Kapoor
Song from Vidhaata (1982)
Railway Coolie is an important component of the Indian Railway, this song is picturized on Amitabh Bachchan
Song from Coolie (1983)
The last song in my list is from the film Dil Se
Song of Dil Se 1998