Laapata Ladies : My take as an Indian Railways fan I Blog By Siddharth, 15, Mumbai

Laapata Ladies : My take as an Indian Railways fan

Laapata ladies is India’s nomination to the Oscars this year. While I am not a movie buff at all I skimmed through this one only because the story has a deep connection with the Indian Railways which is a silent protagonist of the film. Those of you who have watched this movie know that it is a comedy of errors that begins on a train journey where two newly married veiled brides get swapped while alighting from the train. It goes on to show the aspiration of rural women all through the search for the two lost ladies.

For me this article is about the connection of the movie with Indian Railways and the various scenes around it. The story set in a rural landscape highlights the lifestyle of the village folk and the central role played by trains of Indian Railways in their lives.

There are a few interesting scenes which may seem unusual to city folk not used to travelling by trains but is actually quite common otherwise.

– The train halts at a makeshift railway station in the middle of vast green fields, which is not a scheduled stop. The lost bride mentions this saying that the train always stops in the middle of the field and it is not a proper railway station. Temporary stairs are provided for people to clamber on board and the train leaves quickly. This goes to show how much of a lifeline trains are in remote villages of India.

– This might seem like nit-picking, but the train at the beginning of the movie in which the characters are travelling, starts with a red WAP4 locomotive. The train is then shown crossing a bridge with a white WAP 7 loco, and subsequently enters the station with a red WAP 4 loco. While this may not be a very significant detail to the movie makers or the viewers in general, for a true rail fan this is an unacceptable mistake.

– The behaviour of people in the train, particularly in the unreserved coach is interesting and reflects the social norms – people squeezed in as sardines, requesting for seating for the ladies, friendly chatter between complete strangers who don’t think twice before sharing intimate details of their personal lives and loud complaints are all too familiar to those who have actually experienced such travel in their lives.

– One of the lost brides actually ends up finding refuge with people working at the railway station who seem gruff initially but are inherent kind folk hardened by the tough lives led by them. The railways indeed offers a livelihood to millions of people in so many different ways.

– One of the interesting characters in the movie for me was the beggar on the railway station who wheels himself around on a cart giving the impress he doesn’t have feet while actually being a physically fit man. This is actually a common sight at railway stations and bus stops in India – extreme poverty and lack of jobs force people to resort to this form of deceit for a few rupees in alms.

– The tea stall at the railway station where scores of travellers stop for a quick snack and a hot cup of tea is a common sight at most railway stations and a regular haunt for many passengers to grab a quick meal at an affordable price forging life long friendships and connections in the process.

On the whole while the movie does a good job of showing us a very realistic rural India, it also does a great job of showcasing the Indian Railways as a star cast in its narrative.

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Siddharth’s book – Namaste Yatri is the perfect introduction to Indian Railways.

Get the book here : https://bookosmia.com/shop/books/namaste-yatri-the-fascinating-world-of-indian-railways/

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