Mumbai: The Western Railway (WR) earned over ₹1.64 crore in 2022-23 by offering its various premises and rail coaches for film shootings. This is the highest ever revenue earned by WR through this avenue.
Officials said that their heritage headquarters at Churchgate and clean, scenic stations offer potential shoot locations that are not just convenient but also best suibest-suited.
An official said more than 20 shootings for movies, web series, TV commercial advertisements, documentary films and TV serials were held in the last fiscal.
The increasing numbers
In 2021-22, WR earned ₹67 lakh and ₹1 crore in 2019-20. In 2018-19, the revenue was ₹1.31 crore. While there was an understandable dip in 2020-21 due to the Covid pandemic, the surge in the 2022-23 revenue indicates that trains and railway stations will never lose their charm.
Some of the locations that are now etched in the minds of cinema lovers are the Mumbai Central Terminus, Churchgate headquarters and station building, Sabarmati Sports Ground, Goregaon station, Jogeshwari AT (Yard), Lower Parel workshop, Kandivali and Virar car sheds, Kelve Road, Pardi, Kalakund and Patalpaani railway stations, the track between Mumbai Central and Valsad, and the EMU train shoot at Goregaon.
The well-lit vast expanse of railway platforms that cater to both mail and express trains provide advantage of shooting both during daytime and at night. At the Jogeshwari yard, filmmakers can shoot with goods trains, too. The Churchgate station, where films like Airlift, Gabbar is Back, Phantom, Lunchbox and D-Day were shot, also offers a ready-made set of a government office.
