Showing posts with label Western Railway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western Railway. Show all posts
Western Railway earns record Rs 1.72 crore from film shoots
4:16 PM
Rajendra B Aklekar (MID-DAY; February 21, 2026)
Western Railway (WR) has earned a record Rs 1.72 crore from film and advertisement shoots on its premises from April 1, 2025, to February 15, 2026. According to officials, the process of granting shooting permissions has been simplified and streamlined, enabling production houses and filmmakers to obtain necessary approvals in a time-bound manner.
An official said this is one of several innovative initiatives to boost non-fare revenue, while consistently striving to increase revenue from passengers and freight business.
“Through a single-window system, production houses have to submit an application for shooting, and every other railway clearance is managed by the PR department, and permission is issued. At the same time, utmost priority is given to safety, operational requirements and passenger convenience while conducting such shooting activities,” a WR official said.
How much money?
The Rs 1.72 crore raked in by WR is almost 25 per cent more than the previous financial year’s earnings. The previous best performance was in 2022-23, when WR earned approximately Rs 1.64 crore from film shooting, reflecting steady growth in this segment and placing WR among the leading railway zones in the country in generating such revenue
Films shot on locations
O'Romeo - 2026
Fateh - 2025
Sikandar - 2025
Vande Bharat for film shoots
For the first time, film shooting inside India’s modern and premium train, Vande Bharat, has been permitted by WR. This achievement provided the film industry with an opportunity to utilise world-class railway infrastructure, highlighting the progressive and innovative approach of WR
How Bollywood revenue adds to the coffers of Mumbai's local train network
8:29 AM
Anagha Sawant (BOMBAY TIMES; January 13, 2024)
What is common to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Haseen Dilruba (2021)? It’s a small station named Apta, located two hours from the city, with hills and greenery all around. These four are among a host of Bollywood films that have used the picturesque location of Apta to shoot scenes from the film.
And it’s not just Apta. A host of railway stations in and around Mumbai – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) being the chief among them – has provided a colourful, evocative backdrop for Hindi cinema over the years.
“Most production houses, celebrities, support staff and equipment are in Mumbai. If it is a regular railway track or train scene, shooting around Mumbai is budget-friendly and time-saving,” says Isha Inamdar, who works for an agency that handles such permissions that production houses require.
A Western Railway (WR) official tells us that the trains used in the movies are spare, but working trains, which are usually used as a replacement for routine trains, in case of emergency or maintenance work.
HOW BOLLYWOOD REVENUE ADDS TO THE COFFERS OF MUMBAI’S TRAIN NETWORK
The railways charge Rs. 2 lakh for a one-day shoot. Since 2016, Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) earned over Rs. 7 crore and Rs. 4 crore respectively from film shoots. During its release, Gully Boy was among the highest spenders with Western Railway, paying over Rs. 15 lakh for the shoot. For Central Railway, the Rajinikanth film Darbaar was a huge revenue generator, running up bills to the tune of Rs. 22 lakh plus. Even in the pandemic, WR earned Rs. 67 lakh from shoots in 2021-22. This number went up to Rs. 1.64 crore in the FY 2022-23.
RAILWAY YARDS AND OFFICES ARE SHOOT LOCATIONS TOO
Apart from stations, film crews want to incorporate other locations within railway premises in their shoots. For example, movies such as The Lunchbox, Airlift, Phantom and Gabbar Is Back were filmed inside the Churchgate administrative office of WR to show a typical government office with files and papers stacked on desks. “Offices are usually closed on Sundays and public holidays, so permission to shoot inside the office is only given on holidays,” says a WR official, adding that the rise in OTT content has meant that they are getting more applications for shooting shows and docus on railway premises.
Railway car sheds and yards are the chosen locations for shooting fight scenes, with scenes from movies like Force, Judwaa 2, Commando 3 and others being shot in the yards. “These locations are popular as they have the feel of old godowns and British-era structures,” adds a Central Railway official.
"We scrutinize the script to ensure there are no scenes that show smoking, anti-railway or anti-government scenes, consumption of alcohol or drugs. Depending on the requirements of the shoot, permission for a location is granted within two days," says Sumit Thakur, CPRO, Western Railway.
Western Railway sends notice to Anil Kapoor for this picture
8:04 AM
Kamal Mishra (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 16, 2016)
Anil Kapoor may have invoked many a wolf-whistle as he jostled for space with commoners while hanging out from the footboard of a packed local (Mirror, July 14). But the act, for a promotional shoot of his upcoming TV show 24, has landed the 59-year-old actor in a bit of a pickle.
Kapoor who boarded a Borivali-bound slow local from Churchgate's platform number one at 12.24 pm on Thursday is seen hanging out of the train with fellow commuters in pictures and videos that soon started making the rounds on the social media. Taking note of the incident, Western Railway Publicity Department has sent a notice to Market Men Consumer and Events PVT LTD, the company behind the promo shoot, seeking explanation for the incident as it flouts the safety terms and conditions during shoots.
"The agency failed to ensure that Anil Kapoor observed safety measures while performing stunts. They have accordingly been issued a warning notice," Anand Vijay Jha, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Western Railway, Mumbai Central Division, informed Mirror, while Shailesh Goel, former member of Indian Railway Users Consultative Council contented, "A star performing stunts in a local train will send a wrong message to the young generation. It should not be allowed; commuters are already facing problems because of youngsters attempting stunts."
Thirteen people have died and 89 injured after dashing into poles while travelling on footboards while 17 died and 18 injured while travelling on rooftop of locals in 2015.
Meanwhile, youngsters performing daredevil stunts have ended up killed or permanently maimed, following which railway authorities have regularly campaigned for safety and security during train commutes. According to Anand Vijay Jha, Western Railway officials also appealed to Kapoor to become their brand ambassador and discourage commuters from travelling on footboards and performing stunts.
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