HIDDEN LIVES

SPANNING 65,000 KILOMETRES THROUGH DENSELY POPULATED INDIA, THE RAILWAYS ARE A BACKDROP TO COUNTLESS STORIES. 'THE UNRESERVED' BY FILMMAKER SAMARTH MAHAJAN CAPTURES A FEW

- KARTIKEYA SHANKAR

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 middleincome 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.