Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain

Filmmaker Ravi Kumar has captured everything that this drama needed. The feel of Bhopal in the 80s, the slum life, the joy of a man who lands a job at the plant and the disaster, everything if managed well. However the quality of production could have been better. Bhopal - A Prayer for Rain is a story that needed to be told.

The incident itself was of course unfortunate, and Bhopal - A Prayer for Rain brings about the events that led up to the eventual disaster in an engaging format.

Do not assume that it is a documentary that will bore you with an informative story. This film is a must watch if you wish to know the plight of Bhopal residents, who are still fighting for justice. It is a dose of reality for both Indians and Americans, to learn how they brought on India's worst chemical disaster.

This isn't an easy event to storify, because it is even harder to watch. While much of it merely lends grainy well-cut images to pages we've been hesitant to read about, this is a film that shouldn't be escaped.

Despite the cast and solid performances, the film doesn't quite get it together. As is often the case, there is a yawning gap between the good intentions of a film, and the way it actually pans out!

This one, directed by a relative newcomer Ravi Kumar, benefits hugely from Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in its style of presentation—quick camera movements, pacey editing, the screen made vibrant by colourful gunk around unwashed little children… Some of these shots are Third World clichés. But more importantly the film for the most part ends up effectively dramatizing a part fictional, part factual account (reportedly based on Sanjoy Hazarika's book). It keeps you informed and entertained.

...the film lacks gloss but it still works as an eye-opener. It also depicts how even back then India had morally corrupt politicians who barely spared a thought for the plight of the common man! Somethings don't change. In spite of depicting a film based on true incidents, the film is not a documentary and manages to connect emotionally.

...an average film but surely a onetime watch.

...an extraordinary testament of human tragedy. It probes deep into the lives of the victims of the 1984 industrial disaster. Ravi Kumar deftly sheds light on the corruption and negligence of the higher authorities, which led to one of the world's worst industrial disasters. Watch the film for its dramatic essence and the Rajpal Yadav's acting prowess.

Watch the film for some good performances by the actors, and for a decent interpretation of what might have happened on the night of disaster.

Bhopal A Prayer For Rain is a must-watch, for the sheer gravity of the criminal incident that remains unresolved three decades after it occurred. Also, it blames both the American and Indian sides. Sadly, this film does not offer any new insights into the tragedy. It could have been far more touching with a better research. Nonetheless, the performances and a decent screenplay make it worth a watch.

The second half is far more gripping and keeps you involved as you witness thousands of our helpless countrymen battling for survival during that dreadful night. We have all heard of the tragedy but watching it unspooling in front of your eyes is bound to disturb you — and also highlights the apathy of the government towards the safety of its citizens.

Inspired by real events and characters, Kumar has said that he hopes to inform the newer generation about the tragedy. Unfortunately, this is not the film that does justice to it.

Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain tells the story of the worst of times with some needless "cinematic liberties" that make it a lesser movie, but, perhaps, a more palatable one. It begs a sequel a film about how our legal luminaries, led by Fali S. Nariman and Nani Palkiwala, argued in courts for several billable hours paid for by the Union Carbide Corporation, and ensured that Union Carbide had to cough up just $1,000 for every death it caused. It could be titled, Bhopal: A Courtroom Tragedy.