Mumbai’s local trains are aptly known as the lifeline of the city. They cover the length and breadth of the city, packing in millions of passengers daily, pausing only for a few hours at night and back on track by early morning. Mumbai’s electric trains complete a century this February (the first electric-powered train in India operated between CSMT and Kurla on February 3). The local trains have also been used as a backdrop for several Bollywood films. We spoke to those working behind the camera about how they pulled off shooting elaborate scenes and songs amidst the unstoppable chaos of daily commuters.

Action director Parvez Shaikh, along with international stunt directors, worked on the massive action sequence on a Mumbai local in Anubhav Sinha’s Ra.One featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.

Parvez recalled, “We had to acquire various permissions to take the Mumbai local train to Khandala for the shoot. The main action sequences were shot there and then we also shot all the way from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Churchgate and Borivali Station. It would have been inconvenient for commuters if we had shot the stunts involving SRK in Mumbai. Also, we wanted to avoid electrical wires in some shots. Kareena’s portions were shot by a duplicate on the real train and later filmed with her on a set in Mumbai. We used around 100 cameras all over the train for the sequence.”

The idea behind the romantic song Ishq Bulaava from Hasee Toh Phasee, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra, was to show the subculture of Mumbai that unfolds after office hours.

Director Vinil Mathew explains, “Ishq Bulaava came at a time where the lead characters begin to spend time together. We shot the sequence at Goregaon Station. The challenge was to create special moments in the train sequence despite the separate ladies and gents’ compartments. Hasee Toh Phasee was shot on a limited budget, so we didn’t have the luxury of blocking trains. We had 40 minutes to shoot, and it was a functional train, so we just blocked one bogie and completed our shoot.”

Choreographer Longinus Fernandes recalls they visited various studios to find a set for Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, but none matched director Danny Boyle’s expectations. Finally, they decided on CSMT for its architecture, ample space and lavishness and Jai Ho was shot over four days.

He said, “We received a lot of support from the railway authorities who ensured there was less crowd from 12 am to 5 am and they got the first train of the day ready for our shoot. We started with rehearsals five-six days prior to the shoot. Dev Patel and Freida Pinto were newcomers and dealing with such a crowd was something new for them as well, but Danny Boyle maintained that rawness that was evident on their faces.”

Aamir Khan pulled off one of the most dangerous stunts in film history, which had him running towards a speeding train in Ghulam. Director Vikram Bhatt recalls that the scene was filmed at Sanpada Station. 

He shared, “It was one of the last scenes of the film and we shot in January, so it was really cold, and we shot over 9-10 nights. At Sanpada station we had the railway yard, garage and tin sheds on one side and the railway track on the other side. We shot the scene in such a way that Aamir and the train were running on the same side because we could not show the yard. Aamir missed getting hit by the train by one second and that was scary. After that I put my foot down that all the other stunts in the film would be done using VFX.”

The young romance between Rani Mukerji’s Suhani and Vivek Oberoi’s Aditya in Saathiya (2002) that blooms on a Mumbai’s local train remains an audience favourite. Director Shaad Ali told us that in Saathiya one of the most important parts of the story was to show how their love story sparks while they are in two trains heading in opposite directions.

He said, “The scenes had to look dramatic and cinematic, with a touch of middle-class romance. Being a debut director I didn’t have a grand budget and had to wrap up the shoot in two days, so we worked on a 28-hour shift and shot at Marine Lines and Andheri Station. Crowd management was another task, as we had about 10,000 passengers at the station when we were shooting.”

Delight and disappointment—these two polarising emotions dominated the online discourse after the Film Federation of India (FFI), on Monday afternoon, announced India’s official entry to the Academy Awards 2025. Director Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies was selected to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category. There is little to fault in Rao’s widely acclaimed comedy about women’s empowerment, but a section of the population was shocked that it outshone Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning film, All We Imagine As Light, and Anand Ekarshi’s National Award-winning thriller Aattam.

Longinus Fernandes, who was part of the 13-member jury headed by filmmaker Jahnu Barua, tells mid-day that Laapataa Ladies got a resounding response. Recalling the eight-day process over which they watched 29 movies, Fernandes says, “We would watch four to five movies [a day] and have discussions every day after the screenings, where we listed the movies that could be considered. Laapataa Ladies was screened on the seventh day. The next day, it was almost a unanimous call to send it as India’s entry to the Oscars. Eighty per cent of the jury, including me, voted for it.”

The films in the running included Hindi fare like Animal (2023), Srikanth and Chandu Champion, Tamil movies Vaazhai and Thangalaan, as well as Malayalam offerings Ullozhukku and Aadujeevitham. 

“There was stiff competition from Aattam, Vaazhai, Ullozhukku, Maharaja, Maidaan and All We Imagine As Light. Everybody had to choose their five [preferences], and on the last day, Laapataa Ladies made the cut. It came as a surprise because we thought Vaazhai may top the list until then.”

While netizens strongly felt that Kapadia’s gem would have a better shot at winning India its maiden Oscar for Best International Feature Film, Fernandes is confident that Rao’s heartfelt comedy—revolving around two brides who get mistakenly swapped and find their sense of self in a new environment—has the potential.

“It’s a feel-good film with an impactful message. Besides the story and screenplay, the director needs to be applauded for eliciting [wonderful] performances from all the artistes, especially the newcomers. Laapataa Ladies will definitely make a mark.”

Sparsh Shrivastava, who plays a mild-mannered husband desperately searching for his lost bride, says the theme of women finding their identity has resonated across cultures.

“I am fortunate to have been a part of a film that sends such a strong message to the world. Playing a character like Deepak, who respects women and is devoted to his wife, [is gratifying]. That is also me. I have grown up under my mother’s guidance. From Kiran directing the film to being around so many women was a beautiful feeling. When you are around women, you learn a lot,” he says. 

With Laapataa Ladies being Oscar-bound, lead actor Pratibha Ranta hopes it encourages Indian filmmakers to back more of such stories. “[When reading scripts], I am always asking, ‘What is the social message that the film is putting across?’ Where I come from, cinema is consumed [from the viewpoint of] inspiration and information.”