Bhopal A Prayer For Rain Review

On the 30th anniversary of the tragedy that shook India and introduced a corporate demon Union Carbide. NRI filmmaker Ravi Kumar’s ‘social thriller’ ‘Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain’ does remembers the dark dreadful night that killed thousands and left many suffering till date.

‘Bhopal : A Prayer For Rain’ is earnest in its belief but fails to offer any insights nor does it provides much interest and excitement for the audience in this cinematic recount of the corporate holocaust.

This ala bollywood melodramatic approach to the tragedy ends up as a tepid telepic sort of take.

Ravi Kumar and David Brooks pen this deadliest industrial holocaust occurred in 1984 with a melodramatic televised approach. Martin Sheen plays Warren Anderson The CEO of Union Carbide Corp the fugitive who managed to dodge Indian law for three decades and ending his life in September this year.

Anderson for the sake of profits and cheap labor is not clear whether to shut down the Indian plant or to give it a proper or tighter the plant’s security knowing very well that it’s sitting on time bomb.  The deadly MIC gas (methyl isocyanate) is in increasing danger of getting exposed to the city of Bhopal every passing day.

Kal Penn plays the local real life journalist Rajkumar Keswani who is already warning about the danger in his articles.

Apart from the sitting time bomb Union Carbide is also serving as hope of ‘Roti’ Kapada’ and ‘Makan’ for the adjoining poor basti which was the worst affected.

Rajpal Yadav is Dilip a failed Rikshaw puller who gets into the corporate on daily wages and finds himself operating one of the security pipes leading to the MIC gas in the factory. The job is his source of arrangements for his sister’s marriage, dowry and his daily bread and butter.

Tannishtha Chatterjee plays his wife and has nothing much to do. Also there is a corrupt minister played by Satish Kaushik who emerges for one scene and disappears.

The writers concentrate on the melodrama, danger and Indian poverty rather than focusing on the double standards and greed of the guilty Americans and Indians who let this disaster to happen..

It lacks insights and chooses to miss the aftermath and try to wind up the thirty year tragic story in a hurry..

It ignores to miss the vital point on the delay on justice and how Anderson managed to escape Indian law while the victims still suffer .. even today.

The makers idea seems to cash in on the sensationalism and escape from realism otherwise the movie could have given the account of people like ‘Gas Devi’ and ‘Zeher Lal’ - these are the name of the babies born on that dreadful night.

But the makers do a lip service in tracking the thirty year old disaster with no emphasis on the victims struggle for justice.

There are some valuable points like the actors give their heart in the performance though some get strange get ups like that given to Kal Penn’s character who looks more like a Sindhi businessman then a journalist.

What was Mischa Barton doing is not explained. The technicalities however are fine.

Further the movie chooses to speak English for almost its entire duration that’s off putting.

However the movie manages to capture the nightmare successfully on screen. It’s disturbing but nicely done, the last 20 minutes of the movie shakes you from your seat but the same cannot be said for the remaining rest.

Conclusion: As the question who is the bigger demon in the thirty year old Bhopal Gas Tragedy still remains and the Company’s CEO already dead.. The movie sadly just reminds us about the holocaust without highlighting the cause in this ugly onslaught of greed over need where thousands died within hours leaving many affected till date while the today’s generation including the one lead by ‘Gas Devi’’s and ‘Zeher Lal’’s still remaining unaware on what exactly ruined their faith.

Rating **