The Burning Train
| The Burning Train | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ravi Chopra |
| Written by | Kamleshwar (dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | Kamleshwar |
| Story by | Ravi Chopra |
| Produced by | B. R. Chopra |
| Starring | Dharmendra Jeetendra Vinod Khanna Vinod Mehra Hema Malini Parveen Babi Neetu Singh Danny Denzongpa Navin Nischol Simi Garewal |
| Cinematography | Dharam Chopra |
| Edited by | R. P. Bapat S. B. Mane Pran Mehra |
| Music by | R. D. Burman |
Production companies | R. K. Studios Film City Natraj Studios |
| Distributed by | B. R. Films United Producers |
Release date |
|
Running time | 185 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹25-32.5 million[1] |
| Box office | ₹65 million[1] |
The Burning Train is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film produced by B.R Chopra and directed by Ravi Chopra. The film features an ensemble cast of Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Vinod Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh, Danny Denzongpa, Navin Nischol and Simi Garewal.[2]
The plot revolves around a train named the Super Express, that catches fire on its inaugural run from New Delhi to Mumbai.
The film was released worldwide on 28th March 1980 and received mainly positive reviews from critics for the performances of the cast, the action sequences and the music. Negative criticism was mainly directed towards its length. At the box office, the film earned ₹65 million[1] worldwide and was declared Average despite being the 7th highest grossing film of 1980 due to its expensive budget. The film is widely regarded as a cult classic today.[3]
Plot[edit]
The film begins with three besties, Ashok, Vinod, & Randhir. Ashok is passionate about the fastest cars, whereas Vinod & Randhir are railway engineers with Rakesh, and their dream is to build the fastest-moving train in the country. Randhir is tetchy & wild and envies Vinod. Ongoing, Ashok & Vinod fall for Seema & Sheetal. Randhir also woos Sheetal, but she knits Vinod and is blessed with a boy, Raju. Suddenly, destiny plays with Ashok; his father, Seth Dharmdas, is bankrupt following his death. Seema deceives him, and forlorn Ashok turns wanderer.
After a while, the Indian Railway Board approved the fastest moving train, the Super Express, in which Vinod prevailed, whereby the malice of Randhir summited. After six years, Vinod triumphs in building it, which ruins his marital life. So, Sheetal shoves Raju to her mother on the train and banishes Vinod. The parade begins from Delhi to Bombay in 14 hours, signing on many passengers: Raja Ram Mohan and his wife, Padmini. Chander, a smuggler, with his fiancée Razia, absconds. Inspector Ranveer chases them in disguise. Major P.K. Bhandari, a Pandit Shambhunath, a Muslim Abdul Rahim, ticketless passengers, a schoolteacher with students, and Rakesh's pregnant wife. Besides Seema with her Doctor Cousin, Ashok joins in his friend's success and is confounded to see Seema. Above all, Ravi, a prowler tailing a girl, Madhu, is running from a forcible splice with the jewelry, and they crush.
Randhir escorts the train on, meaning no harm, so he removes the vacuum brakes, plants a bomb in the engine, and quits the train. Ashok also departs in the presence of Seema and accompanies Randhir when he divulges his gruesome. Forthwith, Ashok rushes and catches the train, but it is too late. Halfway through, the bomb explodes, killing the drivers, and the caravan moves on without breaks. Panic-stricken Vinod & the railway board are desperately trying to save the passengers. Vinod successfully conversed with the passengers via All India Radio and outlined how to apply emergency brakes. Hence, Ashok, Ravi, & the guard Usman Ali moved to the engine with the plucky endeavor.
Meanwhile, Rakesh's wife is in labor, so the doctor calls for hot water. Tragically, the petrified cook failed to switch off the gas, which exploded. Whereat, Usman Ali & and several passengers die. However, Ashok & Ravi barely make it back by erecting gaps between the compartments. Consequently, Ashok identifies Seema's betrayal as her disability led to amputation in a mishap, and they reconcile. Vinod makes plan B by sending a helicopter to land one on the engine, which Randhir voluntarily leads to sabotage. Anyway, he succeeds but forges his death as the helicopter blasts.
Parallelly, Ravi divulges his actuality to Madhu, but she still accepts him. Sheetal also returns to Vinod and boasts of his courage. At Bombay, Rakesh plans to build a steep incline to reduce the speed. Beyond, as an end-run, dauntless Vinod jeopardizes by arriving at the Super Express from one car to another with fireproof suits and dynamite. Soon, Vinod, Ashok, & Ravi cross the fire where Randhir awaits, but he is ceased. Here, Vinod detects that all systems fail when Ashok thinks to blast the couplings from the engine, which poses a threat of derailing, and then he picks up the incline. Currently, Ravi backs and instructs passengers to tie themselves to their seats. Vinod & Ashok blast while climbing the slope and jump off. Nevertheless, the engine blasts at Bombay Railway Station, but the compartments slow down and halt. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note, with the passengers conjoining with their relatives and giving tribute to the soul of India.
Cast[edit]
| Actor | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dharmendra[2] | Ashok Singh | A rich man who loves to drive cars at high speeds |
| Vinod Khanna | Vinod Verma | Railway Mechanical Engineer |
| Jeetendra[2] | Ravi | Thief |
| Hema Malini[2] | Seema | Ashok's love interest |
| Parveen Babi[2][1] | Sheetal Vinod Verma | Vinod's wife |
| Neetu Singh Kapoor[2] | Madhu | Ravi's love interest |
| Vinod Mehra[2][1] | Rakesh | |
| Danny Denzongpa[2] | Randhir | |
| Navin Nischol[1] | Doctor | |
| Simi Garewal[2] | School teacher | |
| Asha Sachdev[1] | Ramkali | Qawwali singer |
| Madan Puri | Seth Dharamdas Singh | Ashok's Father |
| Nazir Hussain | Verma | Vinod's Father |
| Nana Palshikar | Seema's uncle | |
| Urmila Bhatt | Randhir's mother | |
| Iftekhar | Railway Board Chairman | |
| Chandrashekhar | Railway divisional manager | |
| Jagdish Raj | Dango | Motorman of super Express |
| M. Rajan | Jeevanlal | |
| Dinesh Thakur | Usman Ali | Train Guard |
| Jankidas | Ticket Checker | |
| Mac Mohan | Mac | Assistant supervisor |
| Sujit Kumar | Ranveer | Police Inspector |
| Ranjeet | Chander | Smuggler |
| Komila Virk | Razia | Chander's Associate |
| Asrani | P.K.Bhandari | Army Major |
| Romesh Sharma | Udesh | |
| Pramila Kapila | Ritu | Udesh's wife |
| Om Shivpuri | Raja Rammohan | |
| Indrani Mukherjee | Rani Padmini | Raja Rammohan's Wife |
| Mukri | Kanhaiya | Marwadi Seth |
| Shammi | Marwadi Seth Wife | |
| Sudha Shivpuri | Rakesh Mother-in-Law | |
| Ravindra Kapoor | ||
| Renu Joshi | ||
| Yunus Parvez | Abdul Rehmann | Maulana |
| Rajendra Nath | Shambhunath | Pandit |
| T.P Jain | Pathan | |
| Anand Balraj | Guy with guitar | |
| Khushbu | Child artiste | School student |
| Paintal | Ticketless travellers | |
| Keshto Mukherjee |
Soundtrack[edit]
Music was composed by R. D. Burman and film song lyrics were by Sahir Ludhianvi.[2][1]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kisi Ke Vaade Pe" | Asha Bhosle | |
| 2. | "Meri Nazar Hai Tujh Pe, Teri Nazar Hai Mujh Pe" | Asha Bhosle | |
| 3. | "Pehli Nazar Mein Humne To Apna Dil De Diya Tha" | Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar | |
| 4. | "Waada, Haan Waada" | Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle | |
| 5. | "Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara" | Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle | |
| 6. | "Teri Hai Zameen Tera Aasman"" | Padmini Kolhapure, Sushma Shrestha | |
| 7. | "The Burning Train" (Reprise & Theme) |
See also[edit]
- Speed (1994 film) - Hollywood movie starring Keanu Reeves, have similar story.
- Unstoppable (2010 film) - Hollywood movie starring Denzel Washington in lead role.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Burning Train (1980) Hindi Movie Review, Budget and Box Office Collection". Bollywood Product. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Burning Train (1980 film)". Upperstall.com website. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "The Burning Train (1980 film)". BoxOfficeIndia.com website. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
