While the busier railway stations like Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Churchgate, and Mumbai Central have been the setting for movies, it is actually a small, non-descript station on the outskirts which has fetched the Central Railway (CR) the highest revenue through film shoots in the last financial year.
Officials said on Wednesday that around Rs 32 lakh was earned in 2015-16 from film shoots at the Apta railway station on the central line. The Central Railway was host to a total of 18 productions, which included films, advertisements and documentaries shot on various stations across the state.
“The Apta station has been popular for several reasons. Chief among them is that it is outside the suburban system, and is close to Mumbai. It is more affordable compared to other larger and busier stations; less crowded; and there are fewer issues with regard to security,” said Narendra Patil, chief public relations officer, Central Railway.
The Railways do not permit shooting in peak hours at suburban railway stations. All stations on the Mumbai suburban network are classified as A1. “A1 stations are the premium ones and one needs to pay Rs 1.25 lakh per day. A day’s shoot at Apta costs between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 60,000,” said Mr. Patil. The Tiger Shroff-starrer Baaghi had a four-day shoot at Apta, fetching Rs 24.97 lakh, the highest for any movie production in 2015-16.
The second most popular location is the railway yard at Wadi Bundar. Outside the city, Lonavala has proved lucrative for the Railways.
The earnings, however, have seen a dip from what the Central Railway earned in 2014–2015, which was Rs 1.22 crore.
“We don’t have a target to achieve. The earnings depend on the kind of films that are being made,” said Mr. Patil. “Last year, the BBC made a documentary from which we earned around Rs 66 lakh.”
“At the Indian Film Festival of India in Goa, we held a symposium along with the National Film Division Corporation, Home Ministry, Archaeological Survey of India, and the Ministry of External Affairs to discuss measures to attract filmmakers: Indian and foreign,” said Mr. Patil. “We have a single window clearance for all permissions that filmmakers need to shoot at railway stations and on trains.”
The writer is an intern with The Hindu
