On the fillum express

Railroad journeys in India are a fantastic way to explore the countryrsquos geographical diversity The Indian Railways now 170 years old offer the best scenic routes in the world a journey imparts an instant connect with a vibrant passenger mix Which Indian doesnrsquot have a treasured railway memory of either talking to strangers for hours on a night trip or exchanging homecooked parathas in a shared coupe Indian trainsmdashthe royal carriers packed passenger cars goods trains toy trains bullet versionsmdashhave inspired creators of all hues The latest in the category of railway fans is filmmakerartist Sachin Susheel 40 whose 40minute documentary recently screened in Nasik dwells on the connect between the Indian Railways and Indian films Rail Cinema is researched and scripted by Susheel in collaboration with Nasikbased Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samajrsquos KTHM CollegeDr Saurabh Khawale and Susheel have codirected the venture Voiceover artist Adil Shaikhrsquos resonating Hindi commentary with English subtitles journeys through iconic and littleknown Hindi and regional movies which draw their energy from the Indian Railways Susheel and team see the railways and cinema as twin streams which shape each other and ultimately contribute to nation buildingThe railways provide a defining backdrop to numerous films says Sachin SusheelThe centrality of the railways in Bollywood is a subject of many academic studies as well as popular discourse But Susheelrsquos relationship with the Indian Railways is personal and finds a unique expression in many back stories He derives positivity from two popular numbers Ruk jana nahin tu kahin haar ke and Gadi bula rahi hai Susheelrsquos family holidays are essentially railway momentsmdasheither a long trip to Kashmir to a toy train ride in Matheran Interestingly Susheelrsquos love for photography and videography also facilitated his personal footage of moving and still trains which became his repository for Rail Cinema His first job as cameraman at IIT Bombay brought him in close contact with visual thinkers who further encouraged him to take on shooting for fullfledged documentariesSusheel is born in a family where both his grandfathers and every uncle and elder cousin served in the railways particularly Central Railway While he was born and raised in Mumbai the Pagare family transitioned from Chandori a village six km from Nasik to Ulhasnagar a little after Independence Susheelrsquos late father worked in the accounts office at CSMT until 2010 he was also a senior functionary in the railway trade union His home was a meeting point for many loco pilots booking clerks loco shed helpers ticket checkers and other moderatelypaid rail employees His paternal grandfather worked as a Keyman Gangmen category in the track section in Thane while the maternal patriarch was an A grade repeaterSusheel was impacted immensely by the story of his paternal grandfatherrsquos death on the rail tracks in 1960 ldquoI was born much later but ajobarsquos death on duty in the Parsik Tunnel a dualline railway tunnel east of Thane was a tragic moment for the family I grew up thinking and dreaming of a film that I will make as a homage to ajoba and similar soulsmdashskilled peoplemdashwho do hazardous work on railway tracks to keep the passenger rail lines saferdquoSusheelrsquos dream project first took the form of a short documentary titled Gangman inspired by a category of staff thatrsquos the backbone of the Indian Railwaysmdasha track maintainer who belongs to a specific group or gang It premiered at the Central Railway Auditorium CSMT Even as he is busy with Rail Cinema Susheel plans to showcase his research in an upcoming book ldquoOur cinema literally runs on the wheels of the Indian Railways Railways have offered directors great locales turning points in plot climactic scenes reunion possibilities and suspenseful thrill I think the subject deserves a deeper treatment in all forms of artrdquo says Susheel who has dabbled in multiple ventures ranging from the theatrical reading of Marathi poet Manik Sitaram Godghate or Gracersquos works to an interview series on the history of Indian animators to writing a rap song inspired by the railways For this film he devoted three years to research procuring rare photos from the State Central Library in Mumbai and the Film and Television Institute in Pune after following copyright rules His efforts took off well when the KTHM College video production and animation unit joined hands and the documentary was made part of curricular learning Rail Cinema is Susheelrsquos recall of all Indian films shot on railway locations including those that use the train journey as a metaphor for longterm bonding a rightful space for dialogue a platform for unending exchanges He begins at the beginningmdashin 1913 tracing the first Indian silent film Raja Harishchandra directedproduced by Dadasaheb Phalke the visionary who was mindful of the impact of technological advances including railway engines which transformed Indians forever Susheel quotes the Marathi commemorative feature Paresh Mokashirsquos Harishchandrachi Factory in which Phalke fondly mentions the feared advent of the railways in India Phalkersquos rail journeys evoke the mounting odds in his trialanderror filmmaking processSusheelrsquos documentary goes back and forth in chronology to bring home the cinema moments which hinge on railway settings Achhut Kanyarsquos comment on rigid caste hierarchies gains its edge from the heroinersquos death at the railway crossing Similarly all movies based on the Partition and resultant communal carnage Chhalia Train to Pakistan Gadar derive their vitality from recreated railway stationsyardscompartments loaded with refugees and migrants The lsquorailgaadirsquo moments come in quick succession varied and nostalgic From Harindranath Chattopadhyayrsquos Railgaadi chuk chuk chuk chuk to the trademark Mere sapno ki rani kab ayegi tu we are treated to a musical sojourn The viewer seems to board a moving train which stops at strategic railway junctionsmdashwe meet the bedecked dulhan of Neel Kamal departing with baabul ki duaein Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh chasing Gabbarrsquos men in a goods train Kitaabrsquos ticket checker who saves an absconding minor the Sadmafree heroine regaining her memoryThe Indian identity reflects in many popular symbolsmdashtea masala sarees yoga and the Indian Railways too At a time when Indiarsquos cultural make up plurality porousness and unityindiversity are being questioned Susheelrsquos film shows two extraordinary aspects that bind Indians the railways and moviesSumedha RaikarMhatre is a culture columnist in search of the subtext You can reach her at sumedharaikarmiddaycom