Chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
Posted on: October 9, 2025
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were some Hindi films which were labelled as ‘parallel cinema’, ‘new wave cinema’ or ‘art cinema’ when they were released. The films included ‘Bhuvan Shome’ (1969) by Mrinal Sen, ‘Uski Roti’ (1969) by Mani Kaul, ‘Saara Aakaash’ (1969) by Basu Chatterjee, ‘Maya Darpan’ (1972) by Kumar Sahni, ‘Garam Hawa’ (1974) by M S Sathyu and ‘Ankur’ (1974) by Shyam Benegal. Among these films, there was a film titled ’27 Down’ (1973) about which I had a faint memory. Few days back, the name of this film came back to my mind when I read an article with a curiosity-creating caption, ‘A class IV employee, his only film won two National Awards, died at 35……. Who was Awtar Kaul?’ in The Economic Times, September 22, 2025. He was none other than the director of ’27 Down’ (1973).
Subsequently, I read two more articles about Awtar Kaul – one in ‘Chinar Shade’ by Avtar Mota and another in ‘The Wire’ by his nephew, Vinod Kaul. Surprisingly all these articles appeared during 2024-25.
Incidentally, ’27 Down’ (1974) was screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2024 to commemorate 50 years of the film’s release. Perhaps these articles appeared around that time as tributes to Awtar Kaul on 50th year of his passing away on July 20, 1974.
Awtar Krishna Kaul (27/09/1939 – 20/07/1974) was born in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir in his maternal grandfather’s house and grew up along with his siblings there as his father was working in Delhi. However, after the retirement of his grandfather, he and his siblings had to shift to Delhi to stay with his father. Having been brought up in the loving care of his grandparents, the siblings faced a hard time adjusting to the aggressive temperament of their father. One day, his father, in a fit of rage, expelled him from his house due to some arguments. Alone with no financial support, Awtar Kaul worked in a tea stall in Delhi railway station. Later, he shifted to Ambala and worked in a hotel.
During his stay in Ambala, Awtar Kaul cleared his 10th examination through the open school system and got a job as a class IV employee in the Ministry of External Affairs in 1958. In 1960, he was transferred to New York. In 1963, he resigned from his job and enrolled in the Institute for Film Techniques in New York and completed his diploma course in filmmaking. Thereafter, he joined the City University of New York and completed his graduation taking filmmaking as his main subject. During his learning period, he did part time jobs in New York from taxi driver to copywriter and editing a magazine. During this period, he married an American, Anne.
After completion of his graduation, Awtar Kaul returned to India and worked as an assistant director for James Ivory film, ‘Bombay Talkies’ (1970). He was influenced by the new wave films of Mrinal Sen, Basu Chatterjee, M S Sathyu, Shyam Benegal etc. During his Delhi visit where his mother and other siblings stayed, he read a Hindi novel, ‘Athaarah Sooraj Ke Paudhe’ written by Ramesh Bakshi, The novel impressed him and he decided to make a film based on this novel. At that time, the newly set up Film Corporation of India (FFC, now NDFC) with its founder-chairman, B K Karanjia and one of its directors, Teji Bachchan were encouraging new filmmakers to produce new wave films for which the FFC was willing to finance.
Having got hands on experience during the making of ‘Bombay Talkies’ (1970), Awtar Kaul presented the screenplay of ’27 Down’ to FFC with film’s budget of Rs. 8 lakhs. FFC sanctioned him Rs 5 lakhs for the film while remaining 3 lakhs was funded by his own resources. B K Karanjia recommended the name of Raakhi for the film who was already a star actress. After reading the script, she agreed to work in the film without taking any fee using her own costumes. A K Bir, a 22 year fresh graduate in cinematography from FTII was roped in as a cinematographer. The film was shot in Black and White at a time when almost all mainstream Hindi films were shot in colour. Due to a very limited budget, the film was shot in the real running trains, and the railway stations with hand-held camera by A K Bir in discreet ways without artificial light. A room in the railway quarters (probably in Bhusaval) was used as a residence for the protagonist’s family. The film took about two years to complete.
While the news of ’27 down’ (1973) having won the National Award for Best Feature Film and A K Bir for the Best Cinematographer for the film were received, the crew members of the film assembled in a house in South Mumbai on July 19, 1974, waiting for Awtar Kaul to join them in celebration. However, at that time, Awtar Kaul was with his friend, sitting on the Parapet wall at Walkeshwar Road, unaware of his film having won two National Awards. He was drowned while saving his friend who fell in the rough Arabian Sea. The day of celebration turned into the night of sorrow. (Note: The profile of Awtar Krishna Kaul is based on the articles referred to above).
‘27 Down’ (1973) was jointly produced by the Film Finance Corporation (now NDFC) and Awtar Krishna Kaul who directed the film. He also wrote the screenplay based on a Hindi novel, ‘Athaarah Sooraj Ke Paudhe’ (1965) written by Ramesh Bakshi. The cast included Raakhi, M K Raina (debutant), Rekha Sabnis, Om Shivpuri, Madhavi Manjula, Nilesh Vellani, Sudhir Dalvi, Sadhu Meher, Chaman Puri, Jayant Patel, Vivek Ghogte, Shrikant Malushte, Ganpatrao Chonkar, Mangesh Wagle etc.
The protagonist of the film is traveling in 27 Down Varanasi Express from Mumbai after leaving his family for good and to stay in Varanasi. His inner monologues indicate that he is emotionally shattered by the events in his life. He has sacrificed his aspiration of becoming an artist to join railways as Traveling Ticket Examiner as per the wishes of his crippled father. He has sacrificed his love interest to marry a girl selected by his father. He has been trapped under societal pressure, traditions and his obligations towards his crippled father. Added to his problems is that he is of soft and calm nature with indecisiveness. In the end, he concludes that his life is like that of a Traveling Ticket Examiner in the train – lonely in the midst of unknown passengers. It is better for him to accept the reality and he should ‘walk’ along with cyclical sufferings rather than running away from them.
The story of the film in detail is as under:
The film starts with Sanjay (M K Raina) travelling in 27 Down Varanasi Express (now, 22177 Mahanagari SF Express) in a 3-tier sleeper with his eyes closed. A monologue is going on in his mind comparing his life journey like that of a train journey which passes through many bridges and tunnels. Passengers travel from one place to another palace by spending a day or a night. But his life has been travelling without any destination as to where and why he has been travelling. He does not know with whom he is fighting.
Sanjay’s thoughts go in his childhood with a flashback of traveling with his mother (Madhavi Manjula) and father (Om Shivpuri) in III class compartment of the train. From his childhood, his authoritarian father stood as a tall mountain in front of him whose shadow scared him to such an extent that in his later life, he started getting afraid of his own shadow. They get down at Bhusaval Junction and their routine life in a railway quarter starts. Sanjay leaves for the school in the morning. After some time, his father leaves for his duties as a steam locomotive driver. As a child, Sanjay (Nilesh Vellani) is very much interested in becoming a steam locomotive driver. One day, his father meets with an accident in a head-on collision making his one leg paralysed . After seeing his father’s plight, Sanjay decides never to become a steam locomotive driver.
Fast-forward by seven years, Sanjay (M K Raina) having developed an interest in becoming an artist, shifts to Mumbai after he gets admission in Sir J J School of Art and Architecture. He is now in his final year. In between, his mother has passed away leaving his crippled father alone. He takes a short leave from his studies to see his ailing father. Having returned home, Sanjay reluctantly decides to give up his passion of becoming an artist under pressure from his father and joins Central Railway as the Travelling Ticket Examiner in Mumbai Division. His duties demand frequent travels in the long-distance trains and away from his temporary house in Kalyan. He spends most of his off-duty time in the long-distance trains for lunch/dinner and nights. He returns to his temporary house occasionally to check if he has received any letter from his father.
During travelling in a suburban train, Sanjay meets Shalini (Raakhi) who works in LIC as Typist and stays in Kurla as a paying guest, her permanent residence being in Pune. Her mother has passed away and father has left the house without any trace of his whereabouts. Sanjay and Shalini occasionally cross each other either in the train or at Mumbai VT (now, CSMT) station. Gradually, after getting to know each other, they start meetings on their respective holidays. Both develop liking for each other. They plan to get married. So, Shalini visits Pune along with Sanjay to get her grandfather’s (Chaman Puri) approval for the marriage. However, his cold reception to Sanjay puts Shalini off and she returns to Mumbai with Sanjay without discussing the marriage. Later, she reveals to Sanjay that her grandfather had told her that his living along with her brother and sister depends upon her earnings. So, she should consider her marriage when her brother/sister starts earning. She explains that she was aware of this problem but she did not have control over her aspiration of getting married to the right person at the right time. So, their marriage is kept in abeyance.
Meanwhile, after coming to know about Sanjay’s relationship with Shalini, Sanjay’s father fixes his marriage with a girl (Rekha Sabnis) from Jalgaon without his knowledge. When he visits Bhusaval to see his father, His father does not listen to his aspiration of completing his final year in J J School of Arts. He meekly goes with the marriage ceremony and shifts with his wife to Kalyan in a rental room. After some days, his wife comes to know that her husband had a love affair with a girl and pesters him whether it was true. He says that now it is a matter of the past. However, whenever Sanjay is on his long-distance train journey, she always suspects that he has stayed with Shalini. So, she leaves his house to stay with her father in Jalgaon. Frustrated with constant harassment by his wife and his father’s authoritarian attitude, one day Sanjay leaves for Varanasi by 27 Down Varanasi Express by renouncing his family without telling them his destination.
After spending a few days in Varanasi, Sanjay is disillusioned by his experience of stays. He returns to Kalyan. Once again, his wife casts aspersions on him accusing him that he has spent time with Shalini. Annoyed by his wife’s behaviour, he meets Shalini in her house and proposes to unite with her. She suggests that both of them should meet at Kurla station on the next day in the evening to decide. Next day, Sanjay takes a train from Kalyan to reach Kurla to meet Shalini in the evening as agreed. He keeps himself ready to get down at Kurla station but changes his mind and he continues his train journey.
The film ends with Sanjay’s inner monologue that he had wrongly said that they have to meet. Now, he has no wish to run away or return. He does not want to reach any destination but wishes to walk. (implying that his sufferings will be his constant companion).
The director has used train as a metaphor in the film from start to finish. Hence, there are too many scenes with the trains and the associated paraphernalia. The different noises produced by a running train while passing over the bridge, through the tunnels and through narrow stripes are compared with the sufferings faced by a human being during his life’s journey. The crossing tracks are shown when Sanjay is on the crossroad of his life to take a decision about his aspirations. Every stoppage of a train journey at a station is indicative of one’s life put on a temporary standstill mode. Even a whistle of a locomotive and the green signal on a railway station is indicative of separation. This metaphor was used by Shalini when Sanjay meets her in her house after his forced marriage with another girl. Instead of asking him to leave her house after a small courtesy talk, she hears the whistle of a locomotive and indicates to him the train has got the green signal to leave.
Although train travels have been used in many Hindi films, they are no match for the way cinematographer A K Bir has captured the natural rhythms created during the real train journeys in the film in which actors travel with real passengers.
All the main actors have given excellent performances. Raakhi, without make-up, looks more beautiful in this black and white film than with make-up in her colour films. Incidentally Raakhi and cinematographer A K Bir were present during the special screening of the film during Goa International Film Festival held during November 20-28, 2024.
The credit titles of the film have listed two songs with the name of singers – a rail song which can be regarded as a picturised full song. The other is a two-line thumri which is used more as a part of background music than the song. It appears that the album of the songs was not released. I am presenting the only full song of the film, ‘chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail’ written by Nand Kishore Mittal. The song is rendered by Pandit Ravi Kichlu who also composed the music for the song. Pandit Ravi Kichlu was a Hindustani classical and semi-classical vocalist and the music director belonging to Agra Gharana.
The background of the song is that Sanjay (Nilesh Vellani) in his childhood, is having a round of walk in a goods train yard and steam engine workshop after which he sees children singing a chorus rail song led by Sudhir Dalvi. He also joins the chorus singing during which he imagines himself driving a steam locomotive like his father (Om Shivpuri).
Song-Chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail (27 Down)(1973) Singer-Pandit Ravi Kichlu, Lyrics-Nand Kishore Mittal, MD-Bhuban Hari/Pandit Ravi Kichlu
Lyrics:
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
aao bachchon khelen khel
aao bachchon khelen khel
aao bachchon khelen khel
aao bachchon khelen khel
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
dikhtaa hamko dhartee chaltee
lekin bhaagee jaatee rail
dikhtaa hamko dhartee chaltee
lekin bhaagee jaatee rail
station station gaadee rukhtee
utare bheed bheed hai chadtee
bheed bhadakkam relam pel
aao bachchon khelen khel
bheed bhadakkam relam pel
aao bachchon khelen khel
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
koi aataa
koi jaataa
iss jag kaa ye hai khel
har station par ghantee bajtee
signal hotaa jhandee udtee
tab jaa kar ke chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
aao bachchon khelen khel
aao bachchon khelen khel
aao bachchon khelen khel
aao bachchon khelen khel
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk chaltee rail
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk
chhuk chhuk chhuk chhuk
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
October 9, 2025 at 7:38 pm
Dear Sir,
Sorry, first of all, please remove all the tags as mentioned below;
Thanks and regards,
Avinash
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