PALAKKAD: The Palakkad division of Southern Railway has been witnessing an increase in income from non-fare revenue sources of late. It is raking in the moolah by renting out small railway stations and trains for film shoots. While the revenue in the 2018-19 financial year was Rs 20 lakh, it has already crossed Rs 30 lakh with nearly four and a half months still remaining for the 2019-20 fiscal to come to an end.
Producers can take a train on rent for movie shoots from the Shoranur yard, which comes under Palakkad division, and the rent is Rs 5 lakh per day. If a train is sourced from big stations like Mangaluru, the rent could be as high as Rs 7 lakh per day. The rent for small railway stations has been fixed at Rs 25,000 per day.
Last week, the Telugu film ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’ starring Mahesh Babu, Rashmika Mandanna, Vijayashanthi, Prakash Raj and Sangeetha was shot at Muthalamada railway station for six days-three days without a train and three days with train - fetching the division an income of Rs 24 lakh.
Major demand is for small railway stations
“The shooting went on smoothly as the density of traffic was low on the Palakkad-Pollachi route. The station was renamed ‘Kurnool’ for shooting. In March 2018, the movie ‘Aadujeevitham’ was shot here,” said Muthalamada station master Unnimon. "The demand is for small stations and routes where the traffic is less, which also facilitates the arrangements of sets. Recently, the film ‘Unda’ was shot on the Shoranur-Nilambur route. The scenic beauty and rustic atmosphere provided the perfect ambience," said Jerin G Anand, senior divisional commercial manager of Palakkad railway division.
It is unviable to rent out larger stations like Palakkad and Shoranur as it would cause inconvenience to passengers. Many producers are also not aware of the formalities to be observed while renting out trains and stations. Recently, Girish, the director of ‘Luv Kush’ had also inquired about the formalities for his next project, he added.
However, director Lal Jose, who rented out a train for 10 days for the film 'Mulla', said, "During those days, the rents were reasonable. But now it is difficult for Malayalam film producers to afford the cost. Therefore, I have not opted for trains or stations in my recent films." "Currently, we have only one request for shooting under our division," said Rajesh Chandran, senior division commercial manager of Thiruvananthapuram division. In this division, Guruvayur station is rented out for films. The other preferred location is the Punalur-Shencottai section now under Madurai division, said a Railway official.