LUCKNOW Bollywood and OTT productions have found another set of platforms in Lucknow, its railway stations. The North Eastern Railway (NER) Lucknow Division has earned ₹10.36 crore from 18 film, short-film and documentary shoots since 2018, by opening up its stations, coaches and coaching depots as commercially hired film locations.
According to railway documents accessed by HT, Lucknow City railway station has been the biggest draw, accounting for nine of the 18 productions filmed on railway premises in the division. The list includes Bareilly Ki Barfi’, ‘Jabariya Jodi’, ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’, ‘Mission Majnu’, ‘Bhaiyya Ji’ and ‘Control’, among others.
In 2023, the shoot of Manoj Bajpayee-starrer ‘Bhaiyya Ji’ at Aishbagh Coaching Depot fetched the division ₹14.17 lakh, the highest collection from an individual shoot during the period.
The railway has a formal tariff and permission system for filmmakers. A feature film shoot at an X category station costs ₹2 lakh a day, while ₹1 lakh and ₹50,000, respectively, are charged for Y and Z category stations. Documentary shoots are charged at ₹1.5 lakh, ₹75,000 and ₹37,500 in the three categories.
The station categories are based on the government’s house rent allowance (HRA) classification of cities, which broadly reflects the size and urban status of a location. X category covers major metropolitan cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Y category includes cities such as Lucknow, including locations such as Gomti Nagar and Lucknow City station. Z category comprises smaller cities and towns, such as Sidhauli and parts of Sitapur district. The applicable filming fee depends on which category the railway location falls under.
{{/usCountry}}The station categories are based on the government’s house rent allowance (HRA) classification of cities, which broadly reflects the size and urban status of a location. X category covers major metropolitan cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Y category includes cities such as Lucknow, including locations such as Gomti Nagar and Lucknow City station. Z category comprises smaller cities and towns, such as Sidhauli and parts of Sitapur district. The applicable filming fee depends on which category the railway location falls under.
{{/usCountry}}Production houses can also hire a moving train for filming. A configuration comprising an engine, four coaches and an SLR costs ₹4.74 lakh a day for non-AC coaches, with additional charges for AC coaches. Each additional coach attracts a further charge.
NER PRO Mahesh Gupta said: “Railway premises offer diverse locations, from heritage stations to modern infrastructure and production houses can book them by following the prescribed permission and safety norms.”
The costs, however, do not end with the booking fee. Filmmakers shooting at a station must provide ₹5 crore group insurance cover and a refundable security deposit of ₹5 lakh. Where a train is involved, the insurance requirement rises to ₹20 crore and the refundable security deposit starts at ₹2.5 lakh.
Permission for feature films and documentaries is granted through the NER headquarters in Gorakhpur. Production houses have to submit the script and cast details and sign an agreement with the railways before filming.
There are also clear limits on what can be filmed. Shooting on railway tracks, coach footboards and around moving engines and coaches is prohibited, if it compromises railway safety or operations. Filming cannot disrupt passengers, railway staff or train movement.