Bollywood’s special romance with trains

It is hard to think of Bollywood films without trains or trains without Bollywood films.

Bollywood has given us some iconic scenes shot inside a train or on a railway platform. Action, thriller, dance, romance, tragedy every possible moments have been shot by filmmakers inside or outside a train, which has become the integral part of a movie.

For many years, trains have been an integral part of Bollywood. Trains not only add to the visual beauty of a film but also extend themselves as characters to the film’s narrative. Trains lend an old-world charm to films and transport the viewer to another era. From dancing on the roof of a train to romancing inside it and from making out in a dingy train compartment to picking up a fight inside it – Bollywood films have time and again, expressed their love for trains. Follow Spotlife Asia for the latest Entertainment and Lifestyle news.

Railway stations often play starring roles in Bollywood films, especially those involving young lovers.  Many a momentous twist of plot in cinema has taken place as a train winds its way past fields and forests of India. Lovers are thrown together by happy coincidence, or a leading man grows from a young boy to dashing hero in a time jump while travelling through India’s ever-changing and vast countryside. The celluloid train journey is the perfect setting for intrigue, drama, mystery, and even a side of murder. Its corridors and roof provide ample opportunity for edge-of-the-seat action. And the train song is almost a genre unto itself, with the locomotive serving as a veritable orchestra with its piercing toots and the chuk-chuk of its wheels. 

Bollywood movies have several songs and dance sequences surrounding trains. Be it Shah Rukh Khan dancing on a moving train in Chaiyya Chaiyya or Rajesh Khanna’s playfulness while chasing Sharmila Tagore on board a toy train in Mere Sapnon ki Rani, Bollywood and trains make for quite a romance. Interestingly, for filmmakers, train can symbolize several things including journey or life.

Whether, the unforgettable scene from DDLJ or Salman’s Kick scene, such scenes have made a mark in Hindi cinema’s history. How can we forget the multi starer film The Burning Train, which was entirely based on a train accident.

Train journeys in India are romantic. Even if cupid doesn’t strike you, you are bound to be mesmerized by the constantly changing scenery outside. Trains are also integral to many popular Bollywood movies and by default becomes the setting for the hero and heroine to meet each other or fall in love.