Mumbai's Lifeline

The local train - the lifeline of Mumbai that was attacked on 11th July - has been used by filmmakers to symbolise many aspects of Mumbai city. Local train has been used as an anchor by many filmmakers. I am highlighting some of the movies that featured Local train.



In Half Ticket, Kishore Kumar steals a ride in the train by posing as a child.

The local train played a significant role in Basu Chatterjee's Manpasand where Dev Anand spots the talented daatun-peddling Tina Munim.

In Zanjeer, Pran escorts a potential witness, to the city, by local train. Unfortunately, the witness is thrown out of the train.

In Ramesh Sippy's Shakti, the local train forms the backdrop of a fight between Amitabh Bachchan and a few lumpen elements who harass Smita Patil and try to outrage her modesty.


In Page 3, the local train served as a meeting place between a journalist and an aspiring actress.

J. P. Dutta's Hathyar which showed Sanjay Dutt seeing his dead father lying in between railway tracks, amidst the whizzing locals.

In Ram Gopal Verma's Company, Vivek Oberoi convinces his friends that how they will work under Malik (Ajay Devgan) in local train compartment.

In Anant Mahadevan's Dil Vil Pyaar Vyar, also has Jimmy Shergill in a car pursuing Hrishita Bhatt who insists on travelling only in a local train, rejecting his offer to be dropped by car.


Mehul Kumar's Jaago is based on the true incident of the rape of a minor in a Mumbai local train in which no spectator came to her assistance.

In Milan Luthria's Taxi No. 9211, John Abraham gets Nana patekar stuck in his taxi on a railway track and a local train smashes it.


In Shaad Ali's Saathiya, the hero searches for the heroine by repeatedly travelling in local trains eventually wooing her. Later, in a heart-breaking scene, he is shown walking up and down the station searching for his wife who never arrives.

If anybody has any addition to the above list, please comment.