JOURNEYS WITHIN AND WITHOUT

FOR IMTIAZ ALI, TRAIN JOURNEYS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE, OFFERING GLIMPSES OF INDIA'S DIVERSE SOCIETY AND ITS MANY CULTURES AND RELIGIONS

- KARTIKEYA SHANKAR

ON HIS WAY TO DELHI FOR COLLEGE from Jamshedpur, a young Imtiaz Ali had a peculiar experience on a train. Seated next to a newlywed bride in a darkened train compartment full of the groom's entourage, a wave of youthful fancy washed over the 17-year-old. He began picturing himself as the groom, envisioning the entire scene as his wedding procession.

"It was pitch black because of a power outage, which was quite common back then," Ali, now a 53-year-old filmmaker, told Outlook Traveller over a phone call.

"And I suddenly imagined that I was with my bride, and this was my baraat. When the lights came back on, I saw everyone's faces, and reality dawned before we were plunged into darkness again. Growing up in a small town, trains were sometimes portals to unexpected experiences. You were anonymous, free to be whoever you wanted to be."

Perhaps this is what ignited Ali's lifelong fascination with trains, which might seem like an obsession to others. Trains are woven into the fabric of his films.

In "Jab We Met," (2007) Shahid Kapoor's character, Aditya, meets Kareena Kapoor Khan's Geet on a train, sparking their love story. The same is true for Ranbir Kapoor's Ved in "Tamasha," (2015) whose path to self-discovery starts on a train ride away from home.

Even "Love Aaj Kal" (2020) couldn't escape the train's charm. The film, starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan, showcased two love stories-one set in Udaipur in the 90s and the other in modern-day Delhi. The train, of course, played a pivotal role in the former.

His production company, Window Seat Films, also features a logo of a young boy gazing out of a train window. "The constant movement of the landscape, the wind whipping through my hair-it's a connection to nature. The window seat is the perfect way to experience it all," he said.

"My earliest memory of train journeys is being on the platform with my family.