Indian Railways forms the heart of the country’s transport system, and movies have often paid tribute to it through plots involving train journeys. While Jab We Met and Chennai Express are the most recent examples, trains have made for exciting storylines in Hindi cinema since the ’50s.
One of Rajesh Khanna’s early movies, The Train (1970), starts off with a train robbery and turns into a suspense thriller.
The film, directed by Ravikant Nagaich, is the remake of the 1967 Malayalam movie Cochin Express starring Prem Nazir. It starts off with a gang of master criminals successfully robbing jewellers aboard the Calcutta Express and murdering them. CID inspector Shyam (Rajesh Khanna) is assigned to the case and takes the help of a witness, Pyarelal (Rajendranath).
Shyam pretends to be in love with his college friend Lily (Helen), now an exotic dancer, whom he also suspects of being associated with the gang. Things start to get complicated when he suspects his girlfriend Neeta (Nanda) might also be in cahoots with the gang. Shyam spends the movie trying to get to the heart of the mystery and nab the criminals.
More than romance
Nagaich’s screenplay occasionally goes off into tangents that do not add to the larger narrative. One such sub-plot is that of Neeta’s father being falsely implicated in a murder case, which has no actual bearing on the plot of the film.
The novel factor in the thriller is how the robberies are linked to the hotel in which both Neeta and Lily work, which makes Shyam suspicious about their involvement. Despite limited technology, the writers weave in how telephone networks of the time were misused by the criminal masterminds to carry out their robberies, anticipating the travel plans of jewellers.
The Train released after Aradhana (1969) and Do Raaste (1969), by which time Khanna had become an established name in the industry, with more than seven hits to his name. By the time The Train came out, everyone was waiting to see what the star would do next, and with the thriller, Khanna showed that he was more than just a romantic hero. His character hangs off the side of the train in his attempt to nab the criminals and faces off with the mastermind in a physical fight.
The film also features realistic face masks, the kind Tom Cruise made popular in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Nanda and Helen don’t have much to do, beyond the demarcated roles of the demure ‘good’ girl and the flamboyant dancer—which, of course, can be discerned from their costumes. Neeta is seen in saris throughout the film, while Lily wears bright, colourful costumes and salwar kameez.
And although the heroines got the limelight in the film’s immortal numbers, it is a Rajesh Khanna show all the way.
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Burman magic
Producers Rajendra Kumar and Ramesh Behl wanted Laxmikant-Pyarelal for their film. But the music composer duo had their hands full with multiple projects and could not get on board. Even SD Burman turned down the film. That is when Kumar finally approached RD Burman, who made the best out of the opportunity—not just himself but the entire team of The Train.
Kis Liye Maine Pyar Kiya, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and the peppy number Gulabi Aankhen, sung by Mohammed Rafi, are the two most popular songs of the film. The latter continues to be popular to date. Anand Bakshi penned the immortal lyrics.
Helen’s performance to Asha Bhonsle’s Maine Dil Abhi Aiya Nahin also made it a popular number.
The album brought out the full potential of the signature Pancham, including his calibre as a singer. He sang O Meri Jaan with Asha Bhosle, the first of the many duets the couple performed together in their career.
In certain dramatic moments, such as the initial train robbery scene, the film uses Burman’s signature vocal sound effects. Such was the impact of Burman’s work in the film that he would go on to work with Behl for all 12 films he produced in the next 21 years.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)