STORY
Four people from different walks of life are tested by time to protect countless lives from a deadly gas that is leaked from an old factory in Bhopal. The consequences are unforgettable, historically black, and immensely poisonous.
INTRODUCTION
The Railway Men is a tale of extraordinary heroism in the line of saving as many people as possible in what is considered to be the worst nightmare and the biggest industrial disaster ever. In December 1984, a chemical accident occurred in an old factory of Union Carbide when a highly toxic gas called ‘Methyl isocyanate‘ leaked and exposed to more than 500,000 people and took lives of more than 15000.
The Railway Men is a 4-episode limited series by Netflix starring Kay Kay Menon, R. Madhavan, Divyenndu, and Babil Khan in the lead.
REVIEW
The dark aesthetics of the series is built around the citywide havoc that was unbearable enough to make me feel if my lungs were compromised. A marvelous direction of a haunting sketch of people getting killed by the smell of gas in their coughs and vomits. The application of realism was so accurate that even I on my bed began to cough. Later I realized that I was coughing because of this extremely bad situation of smog in Lahore.
The seriousness of execution lies in the director handling the shots where the realism of the performances generally matters. You must dive in the wave of the story proceeding to sense the chill of something unwelcoming in the air. The show’s intensity starts haunting the moment the gas leaks. Observe when the characters after the gas leak feel discomfort in communicating and make minor rounds of cough. Or when the animals began to cry particularly when Mushtaq Khan‘s character goes for a wee. The horse running away from the wedding and a couple of bullocks driving their cart. In a single waiting room of the railway station of dozens of passengers, every extra was acting his own sense of panic that visibly set a natural tone of responding to the devastation.
And then the smallest of detailing that essentially matters in such historical dramas to give a more drastic look at the magnitude of tragedy. A desperate mother of a bride, young cobbling brothers, a team of swimming girls. How heartbreaking it was to watch at a newly born sucking the breast of a dead mother. And then the young boy had to leave his dead brother behind. You get a taste of all stories of common people about to get affected by the stench.
There were some eye-catching scenes of heroism like the scared swimmer mustering up her courage to run towards the train but stopping at another cry from the back. And then the gunshot of a race in the back making her run. It was so well shot. And Imad switching the rail track, Jagmohan taking quick pictures in the hospital, Kamruddin getting a hold on the gas leak that takes his life. These scenes collectively represent some extraordinary heroics of that tragic night that came out of mutual respect and solidarity in the wake of the hour.
PERFORMANCES
Madhavan and Divyenndu did their part fair as they have been experienced by the viewers but the two whose acting separates the train boxes of all performances are Kay Kay Menon and Babil Khan. Known for his method acting, Kay Kay hardly disappoints but this was a thorough mental and physical effort tested in the heaviest of all primes. I hope his lungs are not affected after this performance as he is the one who coughed more than anyone. And it is not comfortable exhausting your respiratory system in God knows how many takes each and every shot. It is very interesting that Kay Kay has now worked in two films based on Bhopal Disaster. The other was 1999 film ‘Bhopal Express‘.
I wasn’t impressed with Babil in Qala as there was not much he gave in the character. But here, this boy has really learnt the application of body language. The sentimental collapse and the lump in his throat that repeatedly was breaking over disaster after disaster was fabulous. This star kid is up to something big if he choose his projects that wisely in the future but surely most of us can see some glimpse of his father’s acting in him.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY
A very important contribution of the investigative journalist cannot be ignored. Sunny Hinduja’s character is actually based on Rajkumar Keswani who was raising the health safety concern about that plant for two years and warned of something terrible might occur.
One of the stories that ran parallel throughout the series was of a Sikh mother and son tries to escape from the fanatics by moving into a train. Although, the anti-Sikh riots occurred before the Bhopal disaster and maybe there is inaccuracy in order to fold the Sikh chapter into this. But I have no knowledge if the Sikhs faced cruelty nearly two months after the riots.
The character of Express Dacoit is truly fictional and perhaps created for the general audience to be more attentive of fan-favorite Divyenndu seen in a change-of-heart savior figure. One of the few minuses of the series is how did the dacoit refilled such an enormous amount of money back in the vault?
Kay Kay Menon’s character of the stationmaster who saved many lives that night is based on the actual event where a stationmaster Ghulam Dastagir immediately alerted nearby stations and asked to suspend railway traffic to Bhopal. I am not sure if all these railway junction scenes are accurate but with the heroism of Ghulam Dastagir, there is a certainty that some of those scenes may actually have happened.
The American CEO of the Union Carbide mentions C. S. Tyson report and gets angry. What was that report? Two years before the disaster, C. S. Tyson a Union Carbide inspector forwarded his disapproval about the safety issues of the plant.
CLOSING REMARKS
The Railway Men, due to similar plotline, gives me genuine Chernobyl vibes. Also, the series reminds me of ‘The Burning Train’. The show has done a fabulous job in direction, cinematography, editing, production design, and collective effort of performances. A special praise for such detailed and thoughtful cinematography. That scene of final rites of Muslims and Hindus was such a terrific shot. The series was slipping in the second half by the slightest of margin when the ending phase began to look predictable.
The Railway Men successfully showed the environmental and social impact of the disaster. The storyline is supported by real footage and pictures. With most of the ticks on the report of excellence, I am convinced The Railway Men is one of the best Indian limited series ever produced.
RATING 8.8/10
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Sami Naik | Film Critic 