# The Burning Train
**The Burning Train** (दी बर्निंग ट्रेन) is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language disaster action thriller directed by [Ravi Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravi-chopra) and produced by B.R. Chopra, in which a saboteur causes India's fastest new passenger train, the Super Express, to catch fire on its inaugural run from New Delhi to Bombay[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-burning-train). It was [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema)'s large-scale entry into the disaster-film genre that Hollywood had popularized in the 1970s, and it assembled a large multi-star cast led by [Dharmendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharmendra), Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, and Jeetendra[3](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/coming-a-thrill-pill-prnt/cid/2147415) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / language | दी बर्निंग ट्रेन; Hindi[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/the-burning-train) |
| Director / producer | Ravi Chopra (director and story writer); B.R. Chopra, producer[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/) |
| Release date | 28 March 1980 per Bollywood Hungama; 20 March 1980 per BollywoodMDB and other listings[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/the-burning-train/cast/) • [7](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/the-burning-train-3403) |
| Music | R.D. Burman, composer; lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/) |
| Principal cast | Dharmendra (Ashok), Vinod Khanna (Vinod Verma), Hema Malini (Seema), Parveen Babi (Sheetal), Jeetendra (Ravi), Vinod Mehra (Rakesh), Danny Denzongpa (Randhir)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/) |
| Premise | A bomb planted by a jealous rival leaves the Super Express, carrying about 500 passengers, burning and out of control on its maiden Delhi–Bombay journey[8](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-burning-train/2030072077/) |
| IMDb rating | 7.0/10 from about 2,000 user votes[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story centers on Vinod Verma ([Vinod Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-khanna)), a railway engineer who spends six years building his dream project, the Super Express, intended as India's fastest passenger train[8](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-burning-train/2030072077/). His childhood friends include Ashok (Dharmendra), who is passionate about cars, and Randhir ([Danny Denzongpa](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-denzongpa)), the son of the chairman of the railway board, who grows jealous of Vinod's success and vows revenge[10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/). Vinod and Ashok also meet the women they love, Seema ([Hema Malini](https://www.edgepedia.org/hema-malini)) and Sheetal (Parveen Babi), in an extended opening stretch of romance and melodrama[10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/).
Six years later the completed train departs New Delhi for Bombay packed with passengers, including Vinod's young son Raju and a cross-section of travelers: a Hindu priest, a king and his wife, a jewel smuggler, an undercover police officer, and a schoolteacher ([Simi Garewal](https://www.edgepedia.org/simi-garewal)) with a group of children[10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/). Randhir has a bomb planted aboard, and the explosion leaves the speeding train on fire and out of control, threatening the roughly 500 people aboard and the city it is heading toward[8](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-burning-train/2030072077/). Vinod races to catch up with the runaway train to save his son and stop it before it reaches Bombay[10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/).
The film's structure divides its running time between a long first act of character introduction and a second half of nearly continuous disaster action, with the passengers' varied reactions to imminent death, including a scene in which the teacher and children sing the prayer-song "Teri Hai Zameen Tera Aasman" as the fire spreads[11](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-burning-train/details/) • [10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/). The train is presented as a microcosm of India, with passengers of different religions, and the script has a pandit and a Muslim character each declare that death has no religion[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/the-burning-train-1980-a-disaster-film-of-its-time-documenting-film-history-and-trivia-for-nostalgia-101687610534404.html).
## Production and inspiration
**Hollywood origins.** According to the [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times), Ravi Chopra saw *The Towering Inferno* (1974), the Hollywood film about a fire engulfing the world's tallest skyscraper on its opening night, while traveling abroad, and was taken with the story; *The Burning Train* was BR Films' attempt to bring that disaster formula to Hindi cinema[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/the-burning-train-1980-a-disaster-film-of-its-time-documenting-film-history-and-trivia-for-nostalgia-101687610534404.html). BR Films was the banner of B.R. Chopra, known for earlier films such as *Naya Daur* (1957) and *Kanoon* (1960)[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/the-burning-train-1980-a-disaster-film-of-its-time-documenting-film-history-and-trivia-for-nostalgia-101687610534404.html). Reviewers have also noted the film's resemblance to the 1975 Japanese train-disaster film *The Bullet Train*, though the villain's motive in the Hindi film is personal revenge rather than ransom[13](https://culturalgutter.com/2026/04/16/the-burning-train/).
The screenplay and dialogue were by the writer Kamleshwar, with the story by Ravi Chopra; Dharam Chopra was the director of photography[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/). IMDb trivia notes that when the film was launched, [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan) was part of the project[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/). A Hindi entertainment report states that filming caused damage for which [Indian Railways](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-railways) bore the cost, and that the producers refused to compensate the railway[14](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/when-dharmendra-vinod-khanna-starrer-movie-the-burning-train-filmmakers-refused-to-pay-railway-for-their-damage-696537.html).
## Music
Rahul Dev Burman composed the songs and score, with lyrics by [Sahir Ludhianvi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sahir-ludhianvi) and playback singing by [Kishore Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kishore-kumar), Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi, Padmini Kolhapure, Usha Mangeshkar, and Annette Pinto[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/). The songs are woven into the disaster narrative: "Meri Nazar Hai Tujh Pe" introduces the two heroines, "Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Humara" is a qawwali-style celebration aboard the train led by [Asha Sachdev](https://www.edgepedia.org/asha-sachdev), Neetu Singh, and Jeetendra, and "Teri Hai Zameen Tera Aasman" is the devotional number sung by the schoolteacher and children as the crisis unfolds[10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/). Commentators have described Burman's music, particularly the title song, as bold and stylish[13](https://culturalgutter.com/2026/04/16/the-burning-train/).
## Reception and legacy
The film did not succeed commercially. The Telegraph India records that it "derailed so quickly" that it was derisively nicknamed "The Turning Brain"[3](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/coming-a-thrill-pill-prnt/cid/2147415), and the Hindustan Times notes that it did not set the box office on fire, while judging that parts of it look dated or amateurish today[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/the-burning-train-1980-a-disaster-film-of-its-time-documenting-film-history-and-trivia-for-nostalgia-101687610534404.html). On IMDb the film holds a 7.0/10 rating from about 2,000 votes[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/ratings/), and Rotten Tomatoes lists a 46% audience score with no critic reviews tallied[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-burning-train).
**Lasting standing.** Retrospective commentary praises the film's practical stunts and special effects on and around the train, which one reviewer found more convincing than the train stunts of *The Cassandra Crossing*, with miniatures used mainly for the final crash[15](https://letterboxd.com/thoughtdeleted/film/the-burning-train/). In academic writing, Marian Aguiar's book *Tracking Modernity: India's Railway and the Culture of Mobility* treats *The Burning Train*, together with *Sholay* and *Coolie*, as Hindi action films whose imagery of railway mobility builds a masculinity of rebellion and produces an alternate idea of national subjecthood during a time of crisis in the state[16](https://academic.oup.com/minnesota-scholarship-online/book/16225/chapter-abstract/171296405). A survey of trains in Hindi cinema places it among the films, from *Bade Dil Wala* (1983) to *Hum* (1991), in which the train became a plot device for drama and violence rather than only courtship[17](https://scroll.in/article/745281/love-separation-murder-and-freedom-trains-have-always-played-a-big-role-in-hindi-films%20). A Hindi film-history column describes it as the one film of 1980 centered on a train disaster, and notes that no producer made another train-disaster film in the four decades that followed[18](https://mediawala.in/silver-screen-kabhi-kare-juda-kare-kabhi-kare-mail-karte-ki-chhuk-chhuk-rail/).
## Versions and running time
Listings disagree on the film's length. IMDb, BollywoodMDB, TV Guide, and Rotten Tomatoes give 2 hours 22 minutes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/) • [7](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/the-burning-train-3403) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-burning-train); the Static Mass review gives 177 minutes[10](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/); and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch), PlayPilot, and the filmfriend streaming catalog give 2 hours 32 minutes or 153 minutes[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/the-burning-train) • [19](https://www.playpilot.com/in/movie/the-burning-train-pptiJR5/) • [20](https://zhdk.filmfriend.ch/en/movies/the-burning-train). The release date is likewise reported as 20 March 1980 by BollywoodMDB, Static Mass, and PlayPilot, and as 28 March 1980 by Bollywood Hungama, Filmibeat Hindi, and [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow)[7](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/the-burning-train-3403) • [6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/the-burning-train/cast/) • [21](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/the-burning-train/IEMV005560).
## References
1. [The Burning Train (1980), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/)
2. [The Burning Train, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-burning-train)
3. [Coming: A Thrill Pill, Telegraph India](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/coming-a-thrill-pill-prnt/cid/2147415)
4. [The Burning Train (1980) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/fullcredits/)
5. [The Burning Train streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/the-burning-train)
6. [The Burning Train cast and release date, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/the-burning-train/cast/)
7. [The Burning Train (1980), BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/the-burning-train-3403)
8. [The Burning Train, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-burning-train/2030072077/)
9. [The Burning Train (1980) ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158534/ratings/)
10. [The Burning Train review, Static Mass Emporium](https://www.staticmass.net/world/the-burning-train-dvd-1980-review/)
11. [The Burning Train (1980) details and reviews, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-burning-train/details/)
12. [Flooded cities, burning trains, by Poonam Saxena, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/the-burning-train-1980-a-disaster-film-of-its-time-documenting-film-history-and-trivia-for-nostalgia-101687610534404.html)
13. [The Burning Train, The Cultural Gutter](https://culturalgutter.com/2026/04/16/the-burning-train/)
14. [द बर्निंग ट्रेन और रेलवे का नुकसान, TV9 Hindi](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/when-dharmendra-vinod-khanna-starrer-movie-the-burning-train-filmmakers-refused-to-pay-railway-for-their-damage-696537.html)
15. [The Burning Train review by Sarah, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/thoughtdeleted/film/the-burning-train/)
16. [Bollywood on the Train, in Marian Aguiar, Tracking Modernity, Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/minnesota-scholarship-online/book/16225/chapter-abstract/171296405)
17. [Trains have always played a big role in Hindi films, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/article/745281/love-separation-murder-and-freedom-trains-have-always-played-a-big-role-in-hindi-films%20)
18. [Silver Screen: फिल्मों की छुक-छुक रेल, Mediawala](https://mediawala.in/silver-screen-kabhi-kare-juda-kare-kabhi-kare-mail-karte-ki-chhuk-chhuk-rail/)
19. [The Burning Train, PlayPilot](https://www.playpilot.com/in/movie/the-burning-train-pptiJR5/)
20. [The Burning Train, filmfriend ZHdK](https://zhdk.filmfriend.ch/en/movies/the-burning-train)
21. [The Burning Train, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/the-burning-train/IEMV005560)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 1970s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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