Shoojit Sircar becomes first director to use Vande Bharat train for shooting, watch video

Shoojit Sircar shooting at a railway station in Mumbai (Pic credit/ Rajendra Aklekar)

For the first time ever, the Western Railway granted permission for the use of the Vande Bharat express train for commercial purpose. The Railways allowed filmmaker Shoojit Sircar to use the train for the shoot of his upcoming project. Mid-day got an exclusive footage of Sircar shooting a scene where an actor can be seen boarding the train with a bag.

It is not yet know what Shoojit Sircar was filming. In the video, Shoojit can be seen directing a small scene where an actor can be seen walking towards the automatic Vande Bharat train doors and boarding in. He is seen wearing a white blazer and holding a suitcase. Two other people are also seen walking on the train station in the frame.

Take a look at the video:

The filmmaker known for films like 'Piku', 'Gulaabo Sitabo', 'October', 'Vicky Donor' is yet to announce his upcoming film. His last directorial was Abhishek Bachchan-starrer 'I Want To Talk' that focused on the relationship between a father and daughter as the former navigated a life threatening disease. The film was released in theatres in November.

About Vande Bharat express

Vande Bharat Express is a medium to long-distance superfast express service operated by Indian Railways. It is a reserved, air-conditioned chair car service connecting cities that are less than 800 km (500 mi) apart or take less than ten hours to travel with existing services and a planned reserved, air-conditioned sleeper service connecting cities that are 800 km (500 mi) to 1,200 km (750 mi) apart. The train was a part of the 'Make in India' initiative by the government and entered commercial service on 15 February 2019.On 15 February 2019, the first Vande Bharat Express between New Delhi and Varanasi was flagged off at the New Delhi railway station by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The train covered a distance of 759 km (472 mi) in 8 hours at an average speed of 95 km/h (59 mph) and reduced the existing travel time along the route by 15%. In December 2023, the Government announced a target to have 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047.As of January 2025, 66 Vande Bharat trains are in service, which includes 17 sixteen-car services, 4 twenty-car services and 45 eight-car services.