Rail romance in reel life
Trains have served Indian filmmakers and lyricists well down the decades, returning to our screens and soundtracks every now and then as either a narrative leitmotif or a lyrical flight of fancy. Nirupama Dutt captures the high points of the abiding journey
Of all the things that fascinate India’s filmmakers, nothing can ever match the abiding appeal of trains. This is one mode of transport that has scored above the handier bus or the faster plane in its depiction in cinema the world over. Come to India and the story of rail on reel seems to have been tried out in every possible way and neither filmmakers nor cine-goers have tired of it.Way back in the 1930s, Fearless Nadia gave a hard fight to the villains atop the roof of a fast moving train in Miss Frontier Mail (1936). A few years later, Kanan Devi, with her mesmeric voice, had the whole nation swaying to the rhythms of the train as she sang: ‘Yeh duniya, yeh duniya Toofan Mail...’ for the film Jawab (1941).The wheels haven’t stopped rolling since then. Take the classic example of Devdas. The hero journeys aimlessly across the length and breadth of the country, dying of drinking until he comes somewhere close to the village of his lost love and gives up his life at her doorstep. The train continued to be the symbol for the drift of the lovelorn hero through Bimal Roy’s version in 1955 with a one-reel sequence that is still considered to be one of the greatest. It was also the starting point for the narration of the journey. Of course, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had the train all made over to resemble a Palace on Wheels in keeping with the opulent fantasia of his 2002 version.Guru Dutt, who was fascinated by the tragic tale of Devdas, gave it yet another extension in Pyaasa (1957), an epic replete with symbols in which a train accident with a beggar wearing the hero’s coat gives a twist to the poetic tale with the world happier with the poet dead rather than alive.Suspense, action and drama in trains has been a part of many Bollywood masala films but when Ravi Chopra tried out a Hollywood inspired, high-action thriller The Burning Train (1979), it was a disaster at the box office. However, a song picturised on Asha Sachdev in the coach is remembered till date: Pal do pal ka saath hamara, Pal do pal ke yaarane hain. This song, like the earlier Kanan number, equated the journey of the train with life’s journey. Talking of songs on wheels, there was a memorable number picturised on comedian Johnny Walker in a rather obscure film called Door ki Awaaz (1964): Ik musafir ko duniya mein kya chahiye, Sirf thodi si dil mein jagah chahiye… Surprisingly, the good little girl of the old days of Hindi cinema, Nanda, was chosen to play the con woman in The Train (1970). It is back to the same title with The Train (2007) which winds its way through a thriller of sorts laced with love, lust, murder and deceit.
The best action-packed train scene was to be seen in Sholay (1975) in which the Amitabh-Dharmendra duo fought the dacoits in true heroic way to save a train. However, Sunny Deol taking on the Pakistan Army single-handed in Gadar (2001) was a bit hard to take. Coming to the Partition of India in 1947, trains became the slaughter houses of humanity.Forgetting the grim and the gory, we come to the depiction of the train at its happiest when it is playing the benign cupid arranging the boy meets girl rendezvous. Chance meetings have led to many a romance blossoming in trains and there are many songs filmed in, around and even on top of trains. One of the early favourites was Hemant Kumar’s ‘Hai apna dil to awara…’ and it was picturised on debonair Dev Anand flirting with the runaway teenager Waheeda Rehman in Solvan Saal (1958). Later, of course we had Rishi Kapoor atop a train singing to Padmini Kohlapure in Zamane ko Dikhana Hai (1981): ‘Jag mein tumse pyara kaun…’ Shahrukh khan danced a whole ‘Chhaiya Chhaiya’ the same way in Dil Se. The recent Jab We Met was a train special with the Mumbai to Bathinda train becoming the meeting ground for Shahid Kapoor and Kareena. The train came to the rescue of the small town dreamers in Bunty aur Babli (2005). So tired of the long boring afternoons and slow life they pack their bags singing ‘Dhadak dhadak dhuyan udhaye re, Dhadak dhadak siti bajaye re…’ and catch the first train that can reach them to the big, bad world. Recall the dialogue of several decades ago when Raj Kumar wrote a note and tucked it in Meena Kumari’s toes in Pakeezah (1972) with the line 'Aapke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai inhe zameen par mat utariyega – maile ho jayenge'. The compliment is remembered some 35 years later and so is the song that was picturised in the film in a glittering mujra on Meena Kumari.The Mumbai local train too has had its share of glory in Bollywood. This was where Tony Braganza and Nancy (Amol Palekar and Tina Munim) met in the ride from Bandra to Churchgate in a delightful light romance Basu Chatterji style in Baton Baton Mein (1979). Dev Anand playing a desi Henry Higgins discovers Tina Munim in a local and decides to make a star of her in Man Pasand (1980). The railway platform was the place for the Vijay Anand and Jaya Bhaduri coming together in Kora Kagaz (1974) and much later Naseeruddin Shah and Rekha meet at a platform only to part in Gulzar’s Ijaazat (1987). Sunil Dutt’s debut film was Railway Platform (1955) and Amitabh Bachchan played the porter in Manmohan Desai’s Coolie (1983). The moving train with one of a couple offering a hand to the other just like Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayeinge (1995) has been repeated on different actors down the decades and has clicked each time. Rail romance definitely seems to be evergreen.
TSI
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