Mumbai, Nov 8 (NationPress) Filmmaker Kiran Rao has revealed the challenges her team faced while filming with the movement of trains for her critically acclaimed film ‘Laapataa Ladies’.

In an interview with IANS in Mumbai following her film's triumph with 13 Filmfare awards, she explained that a significant portion of the film was shot on live railway tracks.

Kiran shared, “We were assigned a specific track and filmed at two railway stations in Maharashtra. One was Yeola, which appears as Patila in the film. This station is quite significant, as many north-south trains traverse it. The other location was the smaller Kanegaon station, where we depicted Moorthi station, representing Deepak's village station for the climactic reunion. While we had limited scenes to shoot in Moorthi, we utilized the entire platform of Patila for Phool and Manjumai’s characters. This major station provided the perfect visual backdrop we desired, capturing a slightly nostalgic feel without being too antiquated like Kanegaon.”

However, Kiran noted that the team faced challenges due to the station's single platform.

She elaborated, “This meant that whenever a big train arrived, our train had to leave the station. Thus, we were restricted to specific hours for filming our train sequences. Additionally, it also implied that we were filming beside a live track, where safety was paramount. Fortunately, during the Covid-19 period, there were strict limitations on the number of individuals allowed in a particular area.”

“Consequently, a significant number of people on set were security personnel. We had to cordon off areas due to the presence of live stations with actual passengers. Everyone was meticulously monitored with badges before entering the train. Sometimes, background actors would ride the train, which would then depart to let another train pass before returning. Managing these logistics was greatly aided by our production team being well-prepared for such scenarios, thanks to the Covid-19 situation,” she added.