9 Bollywood Train Songs

For more than a century and a half, Indian Railways have been at the task of transporting a major chunk of life in a country of 1.4 Billion. Traversing not just distances but bridging the boundaries of several cultures as well as transgressing diverse social milieus.

Moreover, the railways provide instant opportunities for bonhomie with strangers - and by extension, the railway station, a shelter for migrants as well as transients, sometimes bearing the brunt of uncompromising socio-political unrest or ferocious weather conditions.

Above all, the Indian Railways have witnessed the infinite human expression that has come to define, with or without our knowing, various aspects of Indian culture.

The media of moving images have given us quintessential narratives while projecting some of the most indelible images encompassing railways while shaping modern popular culture.

These are more than just a relic of colonial oppression, beneath the relentless churn of metal, the Indian Railways invoke unforgettable stories and songs some of which are highlighted here.

Songs:

Hai Apna Dil to Awara -Solva Saal(1958)

One of the earliest images of a footloose gentleman trying to gain the attention of her crush on a moving train.

Rail gaadi, rail gaadi - Aashirwad(1968)

Albeit not on a train but about the train, probably one of the first examples of a rap song which is still capable of putting a contemporary rapper to shame.

Mere Sapno Ki Rani - Aradhana(1969)

The exuberance in the song is so palpable that it had played a big role in immortalising the toy train even before it was deemed a UNESCO world heritage site.

Hum Dono Do Premi - Ajnabee(1974)

The trains play a great role in dissolving or integrating class and social identities, as the two lovers projected here eloping in the dawn of passion while appropriating the railways.

Teri Hai Zameen Tera Aasman - The Burning Train(1980)

A disaster film of epic levels that had a huge A-lister cast of that time travelling on a Super Express Train which catches fire on its maiden journey, only a heartfelt prayer can save them from their final destination.

Chaiyya chaiyya - Dil Se(1998)

The sultry dance moves and enigmatic beats radiate on a moving train piercing through the meandering path, the journey enchanted by the beauty of nature. It effectively besets the consciousness of a certain generation.

Paper Planes - Slumdog Millionaire(2008)

Although a controversial representation of the truth yet it doesn’t nullify the excitement with which the characters scout the mammoth organisation that is the Indian Railways.

I am a Hunter - (Gangs of Wasseypur)2012

Faizal Khan is looking to take revenge and the train on which he is travelling proves to be an ally of an obliging character in turn aiding the ultimate intention.

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