Bhopal A Prayer For Rain (Movie Review)

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Bhopal A Prayer For Rain is perhaps the most bone chilling movie ever.

Since the early years of independence till present, India’s growth more or less depended on the rains. Why so? It’s simple. No rains mean no crops mean no food means no productivity.

India is known as an agricultural nation and the farmers play a far more important role to make sure there is food for everyone.

So when there is abundance in terms of rain, there will be a good and fruitful season. If not, then it gets tough… really tough.

Plot of the Movie:

The movie “Bhopal A Prayer for Rain” begins with the narrator mentioning how the shortage of rainfall had affected India and its growth.

Many industries and sectors were hit by this shortage. Due to not meeting the sales requirements, many lost jobs. Our country had reached on the brink of recession and unemployment was at its peak.

The Entry of UCC in Bhopal:

People in the city of Bhopal too were affected by this shortcoming. Then arrived at Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). This was an institution developed in the early ’20s which dealt with chemicals.

When it arrived in Bhopal, the people saw it as a ray of hope, a bane which will help them claw out from the jaws of unemployment, poverty, etc.

UCC in the movie too came here due to multiple reasons which involved cheap labor, subsidies, less cost in operations, etc. An awful lot of people got jobs and were paid decent wages.

Residents of Bhopal thought times would change. They set up their camp right in the middle of slums and other dwellers.

The story then progresses with the lives of 2 villagers who work for Union Carbide i.e. “Dilip” portrayed by Mr.Rajpal Yadav and “Rakesh” by Mr.Om Prakash.

Both want to make it big in life and provide their family with a secure future. They are hard-working, willing to learn, and are not fussy at all.

The Twist in “Bhopal A Prayer for Rain” plot:

Rakesh complains of chest pain to his superior who rejects his plea about the chemicals being harmful by asking Rakesh to stop his smoking habits.

The story then brings in the most inspiring and interesting character i.e. “Motwani” portrayed by Mr.Kal Penn.

He has his own newspaper press. He has often heard the residents nearby the carbide plant complaining of stench in the air almost every night resulting in them waking up and sometimes even choking.

Thus he hunts for proof and news about carbide being harmful to the nearby residents and their life. So it’s natural that he is hated amongst his own crowd. They think he wants to kill their only source of livelihood.

The chemical MIC is something which if not handled carefully can wreak havoc at a large scale. The safety adviser “Mr. Roy” portrayed by Mr. Joy Sengupta time and time again keeps telling the workers about the safety they have to ensure for everyone’s life.

He often complains about a lot of things like not having on board, another supervisor as one person cannot run around the entire facility alone.

The Entry of the Villain:

Then comes “Warren Anderson” portrayed by Mr.Martin Sheen who is the chairman of Union Carbide Corporation. He wants to build a better corporation and also help the laborers succeed.

These characters have honored their role and have portrayed the exact nature of this tragic event.

The movie has exposed a lot of negligence on the part of both the parties i.e. the UCC and even to some point… the laborers.

A chain of events is responsible for what happened that fateful night. I won’t tell you what or who was responsible. I would want you guys to check this movie and then come out with your understanding.

There are many questions unanswered yet like,

Why was there no extra safety standards? And why such negligence? Does cost-cutting come at the price of many laborers? Were there faulty/cheap machines in the factory? Is this just one person’s mistake or a collective effort?

But there is just one answer to all of these questions.

People died.

Some worked at the factory. A part of them was celebrating an event. A few of the rest were watching TV. These innocent people did not deserve death as such.

They had no fault but paid the price eventually. No one can imagine what those people living nearby went through.

Even today there are people still affected by the chemical and are either diagnosed with diseases or are paralyzed or have respiratory issues.

No compensation can make it right for them.

I am highly satisfied with the work of the Director “Mr.Ravi Kumar”. He has done his due diligence well. I also thank Indiblogger for giving me this opportunity to watch and relive this event.

This movie is an experience that signifies the importance of safety and life. It is indeed a must-watch movie. Here’s the trailer.

The entire cast and synopsis on IMDB: Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain Cast

You can also read: Reasons to watch Boss Baby Season 1,2, & 3 on Netflix

23 thoughts on “Bhopal A Prayer For Rain (Movie Review)”

    1. Lancelot Quadras

      Hey Afreen, surely. A movie as such shook the nation and people still are paying the price today.

      Reply
  2. vijvihaar

    Definately going to watch it… the trailer itself is so breath taking…this kind of movie surely make people aware of situation people faced in bhopal during that time.

    Reply
    1. Lancelot Quadras

      Hey there. I totally agree with you. It’s quite heart breaking to see what happened with those poor people.

      Reply
    1. Lancelot Quadras

      This is almost 7 years ago. And yes it is available but unfortunately on Amazon prime usa. Not anywhere else….

      Reply
  9. Sanjay Thampy

    An absolute bone chiller. I was in Madhya Pradesh during this incident and had lost a close friend of mine in this.

    Reply

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