Madras Day 2025: When Tamil cinema and railways cross tracks in Chennai

There’s a track where Tamil cinema and the railways intersect in Madras. Several hit films and iconic scenes, which are etched in the memory of filmgoers, were shot on railway premises. These places provide perfect backdrop to several films, so much so, that they are remembered more for being set in these locations than their actors.

A film song dedicated to the train itself featured in Gentleman, where Prabhudeva danced to the hit number Chikku Bukku Chikku Bukku Raile. The way the song, which also introduced music director G.V. Prakash as a child singer, sways in sync with the train’s movement endeared both the song and the railway station to audiences.

 Many film directors, including Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Myskin, and Fazil, feature trains along with railway stations either as a key setting or backdrops.
| Photo Credit:
S. Shivaraj

M. Senthamil Selvan, Chief Public Relations Officer of Southern Railway, said revenue from film shooting permission was a good source of non-fare income for the railways. The Public Relations Department is in charge of giving permissions for film shooting, which necessitates several formalities as passengers or train operations should not be affected. Southern Railway earned around ₹60 lakh from the fee collected for film shooting licences during 2024-25, he added.

D. Om Prakash, Senior Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, said some of the favourite films that were shot on railway premises were Alaipayuthey at the Tambaram railway station, Gentleman at the Egmore railway station, and Agni Natchathiram and Singaravelan at the Southern Railway Headquarters, located next to the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station.

Many film directors, including Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Myskin, and Fazil, feature trains along with railway stations either as a key setting or backdrop during memorable scenes. A notable example was Thodari, a film entirely set on a running train, not to mention Bharathiraja’s classic Kizhekke Pogum Rail, which includes a song sequence on a moving train.

Additionally, movies such as Chennai Express and Anbu Karangal have train-related sequences, though they may not be entirely train-based flicks. The Tondiarpet railway yard was featured in Kamal’s 2022 hit film ‘Vikram’. The Royapuram railway station, from where the first train in south India was operated, is a heritage station and is popular shooting spot in the Tamil film industry.

‘Rail’ Ravi, a retired officer from the railways, reminisces about the films that were shot on railway premises. Actor Sivaji in Pachai Vilakku stars as a train driver, with the film having been shot at the Basin Bridge railway station. Also, actor Kamal’s hit films Anbe Sivam, Kurudhipunal, Vasool Raja MBBS, and actor Rajinikanth’s Sivaji had scenes that were shot at the railway headquarters, he said.

Interestingly, for the film Madrasapattinam, the producers, instead of renting the Chennai Central railway station, built an entirely new set of the station to bring the feel of the pre-independence era.