Who gave permission to Union Carbide to set up a factory right on the edge of the settlement in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh? There have been long debates on this. How did the American official responsible for this gas accident manage to leave the country amid government security? The series starts from here. The series progresses from the perspective of Sunny Hinduja, playing a character inspired by journalist Keswani. A friend of Keswani was killed due to bhopal gas leakage in this factory. Sunny Hinduja’s character also becomes the target of police and administration while investigating the same accident.
On the other hand, there is the story of the station master. He is motivating his son to do a government job; the son finds the job of Union Carbide attractive. The son of a widow mother has come to work for the railways for the first day. And, to maintain the element of mystery and thrill in the story.
Series establishing Shiv Rawail
The web series ‘The Railway Man’ has a fixed story of four episodes. There is no scope for a next season and these four episodes are perfect to be watched one after the other like a movie. The title of this excellent series rests on the head of director Shiv Rawail. Shiv, who has been doing all kinds of work in Yash Raj Films for 10 years, was given the green signal by producer Aditya Chopra to work on this series when Shiv spent about two years working on its story, screenplay, dialogues and its history and geography.
This hard work is also visible in the series. Starting with a collage of footage, some real and some filmed, the series takes time to settle into its rhythm and once it gets going, the series doesn’t let up. Even as a director, Shiv Rawail has grabbed the audience’s attention in his very first venture.
The year 1984 is remembered in Indian history for two shocking events – the gruesome assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31 and the subsequent riots against Sikhs. The second incident is the gas tragedy that occurred in Bhopal on 3 December. Thousands of innocent lives were lost in both. The gap between the two incidents was about a month. The Railway Men is a series primarily based on the background of the Bhopal gas leak incident, which also has a sprinkle of events after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. This is the story of unsung heroes.
Part 1: Mobilizing for Rescue Operations
The loss-making American chemical company Union Carbide is continuously ignoring safety issues. Employees understand this, but the management silences them citing losses. On the night of December 2, 1984, methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaks. The gas starts spreading throughout the city and before people can understand anything, they start dying.
Iftekhar Siddiqui (KK Menon), the station master of Bhopal Junction, has the responsibility of saving the people, and also has to stop the trains coming from Itarsi towards Bhopal, so that the lives of the people coming in the train can be saved. The challenge increases due to poor communication system of the Railways.
Part 2: Challenges and Triumphs
GM Central Railways Rati Pandey (R Madhavan) arrives at Itarsi Junction for a surprise inspection. After knowing the situation in Bhopal, he takes command and tries to stop the trains going there, but fails.
The huge challenge of saving the lives of Bhopal Junction and the passengers of this train is now in the hands of the railway personnel. In this, he is helped by newly appointed loco pilot Imad Riaz (Babil Khan) and thief Balwant Singh Yadav (Divyendu) disguised as a police constable, who had come to steal the cash kept at Bhopal station. Bhopal gas tragedy is considered to be one of the world’s worst industrial accidents. This horrifying incident has been shown earlier also through some films and documentaries.
Part 3: Sacrifices and Personal Narratives
The series begins on December 2, 1984, 16 hours before the gas leak incident at Union Carbide. The stage of the story is set in the first half of the first episode. The beauty of the writing is that through dialogues, the negligence of Union Carbide and the outline of a possible accident have been explained. For example, when KK’s character questions his son’s decision to take a job in Union Carbide, it becomes clear what perception the common man has about the company.
The series also exposes the laxity of the government department and the negligence of the government machinery regarding this incident. The way the deadly gas leak incident was handled is disturbing. The common citizen was concerned about everything from exposing the shortcomings of Union Carbide to saving the city. The hands of those who wanted to work in government departments were tied. The use of original footage and clippings from the events adds credibility, but the writers need to be praised for not allowing the series to become a documentary.
