Bhopal : A Prayer for Rain - Movie Review

I read about Bhopal Gas Tragedy or Bhopal Disaster when I was a child but I never understood the feelings and emotions of the people who suffered the incident until tomorrow, when I saw it being portrayed on Big screen. I'm talking about the new historical-drama film 'Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain' which is actually based on the disaster which occurred in India on December 2, 1984 in the city of Bhopal. The disaster killed thousands of people overnight and is often termed as the biggest man-made industrial disaster in history.

The first look of the movie was released in September 2014, after watching the trailer, I was very excited for the movie. Finally I got the opportunity of experiencing the film on big screen before it's release in India. Being a blogger, I was invited to attend the pre-release special screening of the movie 'Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain' and a chance to meet the makers and the cast of the film for a Question & Answer session. The special screening was held at a private preview theater in Mumbai, followed by the Q&A session with the Director Ravi Kumar, Producer Ravi Walia and cast Rajpal Yadav and Tannishtha Chatterjee. 

Brief Synopsis of the Film

The film is based on the Bhopal disaster, in which methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant and killed thousands of people living in the surroundings. Tens of thousands of people still suffer from the injuries and illness caused by the exposure of the gas. The film is a narration from Dilip's perspective (Rajpal Yadav). Dilip is a rickshaw driver in Bhopal, struggling hard for earning a livelihood for family. During the struggle, he lands himself a job at the Union Carbide plant on daily wages. To keep his pay check secured, Dilip keeps quiet when he notices managers at plant ignoring safety standards. Motwani (Kel Penn) is a local journalist who's on a mission to expose Union Carbide, as he thinks that because of the plant, there are traces of lethal gas in air which is making the Bhopal residents sick. With the help of Eva Gascon (Mischa Barton) a magazine reporter, Motwani persuades her to confront the Carbide chairmen Warren Anderson and dig deeper into Carbide Activities. 

Dilip is working hard and is using every possible resource for his sisters wedding. On the night of wedding, the poisonous gas leaks from the Carbide plant and spews into the air. One by one the people start to feel unwell, they collapse and die. Within a short span of time, thousands of innocent residents die and many get permanently disabled. 

Who's at fault? How did this happen and what caused this disaster? to know the answers of these questions, watch the film in your nearest cinema on December 5, 2014. 

Cast of the Film

I was very impressed with the cast, as it contained some of my favorite actors and actresses. Below are the names of the Actors and their characters in the film.

Martin Sheen as Warren Anderson, Chairmen of Union Carbide
Mischa Barton as Eva Gascon, Magazine Reporter
Kal Penn as Motwani, Local Journalist of a tabloid
Rajpal Yadav as Dilip, factory worker
Tannishtha Chatterjee as Leela, Dilip's Wife
David Brooks as Shane Miller
Manoj Joshi as Dr.Chandra
Fagun Thakrar as Rekha
Joy Sengupta as Roy, factory's safety officer

The names listed above were of main characters of the film.

Some Stills from the Movie Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain

My Review of 'Bhopal : A Prayer for Rain'

After watching the movie, I was speechless. The way this movie was shot and the way the actors portrayed their characters, I can just say 'Hats-Off' 

The story line was catchy and immediately connected with the people watching the film, the actors performed well, the emotions portrayed were very realistic and made the people watching the film think that they too are a part of the film. I personally loved the character of Rajpal Yadav in the film. Rajpal Yadav was superb with the character of Dilip, I can't even imagine anybody else doing that character. Tannishtha did full justice to her character and it was joy to watch her scenes. Kal Penn was out there in a new avatar, I've never seen him this way before, he rocked the Motwani character. Mischa Barton was gorgeous as ever, her part was short but her character was very powerful (I felt that) and last but not the least, Martin Sheen's performance as Warren Anderson was legendary. Whilst playing the character of Warren Anderson, he never made him look evil or careless. Yes, he was a bit selfish and money-minded but I think not evil.

I really loved the way this movie was narrated and while watching the film, I was so connected with the characters that when I saw them choke because of the poisonous gas, I could feel the pain inside me. I've read about the Bhopal disaster before but never felt the pain of the people who lost their lives in that tragedy. Hats off to Ravi Kumar, he is the guy behind such a wonderful portrayal of one of the biggest man-made industrial disaster. I loved this movie and will recommend everyone to see it at least once.

Q&A with the Makers and Cast

Once the film ended, the whole theater echoed with the applause, everyone was having a tear in their eyes after watching the climax of the film. As the credits rolled up, the makers and the cast of the film took the stage for the Q&A session with bloggers.

On stage were, Director Ravi Kumar, Producer Ravi Walia, Actor Rajpal Yadav and Tannishtha Chatterjee. During this session, Ravi Kumar shared some stories and reactions he got when this movie played in other parts of the world. He sportingly answered our questions and also talked about the negligence which caused this disaster. Rajpal Yadav turned emotional during the film, I could sense the emotions when he talked with us. After the session, the cast and makers greeted each one of us with a hand shake and thanked us for joining them for the screening. At last we had a group photo with the cast and makers of the film.

Group Photo with the Cast & Makers

Conclusion

I really loved the movie and will request you to watch it at least once. Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain describes the disaster with perfection and re-creates the painful sights of the disaster. The movie is set to release of December 5, 2014 in the cinemas near you.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Image source: www.bhopalmovie.com

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About Jimmie Luthra

Jimmie Luthra is a Mariner, Tech enthusiast, Blogger and Gadget reviewer. He is fond of technology and is usually found playing with some piece of tech. He is also a Guitarist, Music lover & fitness freak.