"BHOPAL : A Prayer for Rain" is a heart-rending revisit to the most horrific industrial catastrophe in our country that claimed over 10000 lives in December 1984.It forms a precursor to the massive tragedy in the form of connected events that transpired around the infamous Union Carbide plant which spew the lethal MIC gas wiping off almost an entire civilization. Such was the impact that even today, people are born with deformities.
Unfolding like a docu-drama providing glimpses of the social milieu,the narrative breathes life with the insertion of certain fictitious and dramatic elements, in the form of a rickshaw puller , Deepak ( Rajpal Yadav)who forms the lifeline of the film.An illiterate who can hardly afford a square meal to his family with an unmarried sister, he finds the new ray of hope in the Carbide plant when he substitutes his friend, a worker out there , after he falls prey into an accidental factory mishap. The plant is a dormant volcano waiting to erupt, a hibernating monster because of the highly risky pesticide production under loose and overlooked safety conditions.Yet many of the workers fail to raise their voice as they have to feed their families at the end of the day.There is a wave of crusade through vigilant journalism by a hard-nosed news reporter, Motwani(Kal Penn) who even seeks the help of another American journo(Mischa Barton) to expose the diplomatic CEO of Carbide,Warren Anderson(Martin Sheen) but all in vain.
Ravi Kumar tries to portray the corporate chicanery adopted by Anderson who looked at India as a cheaper proposition, with utmost sincerity.The unflinching look at the bureaucracy and the callousness of our political leaders also flashes at the level of corruption that was rotting our society three decades back.There is a deafening silence towards the finale in the screams of the dying people and the haplessness in the eyes of the local doctor(Manoj Joshi).There are moments of poignancy that leave you numb, but had there been a more solid and polished execution , it would have lingered in our psyche.The film falters with a hurried approach in the ending reels by juxtaposing the tragedy with a wedding proceeding and also for some over- dramatic treatment like the one between Barton and Anderson inside his car.
All said and done, Bhopal is a praise-worthy attempt by director Ravi Kumar,also credited fir the film's story, for bringing this tragic incident onto celluloid after almost 5 years of research.The narrative forges a strong emotional connect with its rooted characters,specially Rajpal Yadav and Tannistha Chatterjee who render genuinely moving performances.Yadav blends his innocence, warmth and talent uniformly to bring out the predicament of the impoverished Deepak.Kal Penn, with his outlandish attire,is a character with an arc but doesn't do complete justice to his mixed accent.It is Marteen Sheen who fits into the role of Anderson perfectly,and bringing out the humanistic nuances effectively.
Films like Bhopal are a rarity in today's age of massy entertainers.They are highly insightful but do not hold a strong commercial proposition.It is as ironical as the fact that Carbide is not proved fully guilty of the causing this disaster.This one is highly recommended for those with inclination to real-life, meaningful cinema.
Rating 3/5
