Taking a cue from serial train blasts, Western Railway ropes in actor Anupam Kher to act in a two-minute documentary on awareness.
Did you know that Anupam Kher spent a whole night in the Railway lock-up after being caught crossing tracks?
No, this isn’t a scene from his movie; in fact, Kher narrated his first-hand experience of the prison night on Friday during the launch of ‘Rail Gadi’, a short documentary film by Western Railway (WR), to combat terrorism.
“I came to Mumbai on June 3, 1981 by the Frontier Mail and was staying at Bandra (East) from where I would daily take a train to my acting school at Charni Road.
Today, I can truly say that my period of struggle was the best time of my life, as I would meet various kinds of people on Mumbai’s locals who later helped me shape the various characters for my films,” said a nostalgic Kher, who after 23 years travelled by train from Bandra to Churchgate in the guard’s cabin on Friday.
Kher, who has acted in the two-minute documentary directed by Devendra Khandelwal and scripted by WR divisional railway manager Satya Prakash, also spoke about his night spent in the prison.
“During my struggler phase, I remember having to rush to Mumbai Central to meet an associate of my senior. I was already late, so instead of using the foot-over bridge, I crossed the tracks. A gentleman standing on the opposite platform extended his hand and pulled me up."
" Although I felt so glad about the help, the gentleman did not leave my hand. Instead he took me to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus where there were 12 other people with their hands tied together with one rope. I felt humiliated as we were made to move around with a common rope instead of handcuffs and had to spend the entire night in jail. This experience was only possible because of the Railways,” he added.
Initiated by the WR to create public awareness, the documentary project at a cost of Rs3 lakh will initially be telecast in cinema halls in Mumbai and Gujarat, followed by the rest of the country.
“We are also planning to make versions that can be shown on various slots on television. Wherever possible the film would also be shown on railway platforms and complimentary CDs sent to schools for children,” said Khandelwal.
Talking about the necessity to make such a documentary, WR general manager A K Jhingron said, “The July 11, 2006, bombings raised questions about the passengers safety on trains. We are working towards increasing dog squads, introducing random checks of baggage both at Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus, increasing closed circuit television cameras and installing explosive detection devices in the near future.”
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