“Bhopal gas leak” and “feel-good inspirational drama” don’t quite go together. One of the worst industrial disasters in the world has inspired several sobering documentaries, including Shaan Khattau’s brilliant, unorthodox The Dark I Must Not Name (2022). The feature films include Mahesh Mathai’s Bhopal Express (1999), starring Kay Kay Menon in his first prominent role.
Menon is one of the leads of The Railway Men. Shiv Rawail’s limited series is a compelling tale of the heroism of Indian Railway employees on the night of December 2, 1984, when a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal began spewing poisonous gas into the air.
Rather than dwelling on the lingering tragedies associated with the catastrophe – the resultant physical and mental disabilities, the lengthy legal battles to prosecute the guilty, the continuing struggle for fair compensation – the show sets out to mine diamonds from the ashes.
Heavily influenced by the acclaimed American series Chernobyl, The Railway Men traces the build-up to an entirely avoidable accident – the result of callous bosses, poor safety standards and faulty equipment – as well as its immediate fallout. One of the most vivid images in The Railway Men, which has been lensed by Rubais, is of the noxious gas floating over a factory employee’s corpse in the direction of the rest…
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