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Bodies press in from every direction, overflowing the limited space. Five men are crammed in the toilet, the only "available" spot. Passengers sprawl on the floor, their exhaustion a tangible presence, yearning for a sliver of sleep amidst the relentless crush. This is the general compartment of the Indian railways, where chaos reigns supreme.
But beneath the surface, these compartments simmer with rich stories waiting to be told. Mumbai filmmaker Samarth Mahajan tapped into this hidden world with his 2017 documentary "The Unreserved," produced by Camera And Shorts. The film follows a cathartic journey across India, weaving together narratives that unfold within the general compartments of 10 trains. Premiering at Film SouthAsia in 2017, the film won the National Film Award for Best Audiography in 2018.
"Rail travel and storytelling have been a part of my life. Growing up in a middle-income family, trains were our primary mode of long-distance travel when flights were beyond our reach. This experience introduced me to a version of India rarely represented in mainstream media. It allowed me to witness and participate in the transient connections between co-passengers, profoundly influencing my filmmaking approach," Mahajan, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, told OT.
While the idea for the film emerged organically over 4-5 months, a significant inspiration behind it was the Jagriti Yatra, an 8,000 km journey across India in sleeper class to promote social entrepreneurship, that Mahajan undertook in 2012 .
"This journey deepened my attachment to trains and introduced me to numerous inspiring individuals. During this trip, I realised my passion lay in unravelling people's stories, not suffocating in an office cubicle," he said. Later, after working on projects involving travel by foot and sea, Mahajan became fixated on doing something related to trains.
In his initial research, Mahajan found inspiration in Mahatma Gandhi's 1917 essay "Third Class in Indian Railways," which described the conditions of general compartments. "Reading it in 2016, I realised that not much had changed in the 99 years since he had written it. When I searched for accounts of travelling in unreserved compartments online, I only found foreigners vlogging from the sleeper class. Clearly, the unreserved had untold stories that were waiting to be told."
While filming "The Unreserved," Mahajan and his team, including cinematographer Omkar and assistant Rajat, also captured footage on the Vivek Express, India's longest train route, travelling from Kanniyakumari to Dibrugarh in roughly three days.
"The trip started out peacefully, with plenty of empty seats between Dibrugarh and Malda. But at Malda, things got animated. A large group of daily labourers, mostly masons heading south to Kerala boarded the train. The first day crackled with energy as they excitedly shared their life stories. However, by day three, the mood dipped. Clogged toilets, exhaustion, and overflowing urine bottles painted a different story," he explained.
Talking to women, was challenging on some routes, as their husbands would often answer for them
Long train journeys, like the one Mahajan took on the Vivek Express, often creates a feeling of camaraderie among travellers. "On the Okha-Delhi route, a Punjabi, a Marathi, a Rajasthani, a Haryanvi, and a Bihari struck up a conversation about water levels, dowry amounts, and corruption. In Kerala, I discussed with two Muslims—one liberal and another more conservative—whether Majid Majidi should have made 'The Messenger of God' (2015), a film on Prophet Muhammad," he said.
The Indian Railway carries a broad cross-section of Indian society as it traverses the country. "The majority of commuters travel in search of livelihood. Even the prospect of a small increase in salary can lead people to make great movements across the country, even if it means staying away from their families."
Before shooting the film, Mahajan had often travelled unreserved on short two to three-hour-long journeys. However, travelling for 17 days in 10 different train compartments was a completely different experience. He often encountered over 300 passengers in coaches meant for 90 people.
"The emotional involvement also increased significantly. Due to the strenuous nature of the journey, I became pretty unwell by day 12 and even blacked out twice while talking to someone. The emotions I felt were intense as well. After the journey, I was forced to take a 10-day break; my mind was so saturated with thoughts and feelings. However, Mahajan accepted the physical and emotional challenges as part of the process. On some stretches, his team and he would book themselves into 3A compartments to recover physically and emotionally.
Talking to women, especially those in their 30s and 40s, was challenging on some routes, as their husbands would often answer for them. Language remained a problem while travelling through South India," he said.
"When talking to women, I persisted until I found single women comfortable enough to share their stories or couples where the husband did not interrupt. I tackled the language problem similarly, continually seeking out people who could speak English. Fortunately, I managed to find three such people together who shared insightful thoughts about Rajinikanth and Tamil politics," he explained.
While he had read about India's diversity in books and experienced it through films, living it firsthand was an entirely different experience for Mahajan. "For instance, while travelling north, we were told to avoid interacting with the youth in Kashmir. However, we decided to ignore the advice and befriended three Kashmiri students on the Banihal-Baramulla DEMU passenger train. It was a good decision because they were great guys who altered their plans to show us around their hometowns."
Elaborating on how the diverse cultures and landscapes in India are reflected in his films, he said, "Although local languages changed throughout our journey, we could still have candid conversations in Hindi while travelling from Mumbai to Assam via Delhi and Kashmir. The film captures a range of accents, from Odia and Assamese to Haryanvi, allowing viewers to identify the characters' locations. The music we encountered on board also varied with geography. You'll hear Sufi and Baul songs at different points in the film."
Mahajan had several encounters that perfectly encapsulate the essence of railway travel in India. However, one of them stands out. While travelling through Tamil Nadu, communication was challenging. Looking for a topic that could spark a conversation, Mahajan brought up actor Rajinikanth.
"As soon as I mentioned him to the first Hindi-speaking Tamilian I met, a transwoman named Pinky, she came over and started talking about all her favourite Rajinikanth films. Once she finished gushing over Thalaiva, Pinky revealed they were a final-year Computer Science student. The randomness, liveliness, and warmth of that conversation is what Indian railway travel is all about. Fortunately, we captured some of it on camera, and that's the story the film ends with."
