‘The Railway Men’ , a limited series on Netflix, recalls one wintry night in 1984 when the fatal MIC gas wafted from Bhopal’s now defunct Union Carbide pesticide plant, snuffing out countless lives in the process. The series primarily sheds light on the beacon of hope that emerged during this nightmarish and tragic ordeal, in the form of the Indian railways-The literal lifeline of a country and in this particular instance, of almost an entire population.
Maybe it’s because we’re nearing the anniversary of this absolutely avoidable tragedy next month (also, next year marks 4 decades), or the combination of stellar writing and fine performances that bring to the fore real-life overlooked heroes and heroines, as well as documented records of grit & humanity, backed by footage and other documentation pulled straight from the archives, but it feels depressingly cathartic to watch the events in this show unfold. The taut writing by Aayush Gupta doesn’t shy from cutting straight to the chase, calling out negligence by the plant’s managers who hide behind red tape and denial, as well as government officials who fumble and leave the choking residents of Bhopal in the lurch. In fact, the pilot episode is so direct that it even opens with a depiction of the Union Carbide CEO, Warren Anderson leaving the country scot-free as a peeved populace of survivors looks on, and its final episode features a haunting imagery of a widow living in a ramshackle colony with her son who grew up disabled as a result of the toxic effects of the gas during his infancy, further left lamenting the hypocrisy of the government and the appalling lack of accountability and the rights that were snatched from her kin and neighbours alike post the tragedy too, thus acting as a parallel to the happy go lucky nature of Anderson evading, or rather, escaping punishment.
Other equally haunting and graphic imagery that’ll surely sting one’s heart include a marriage ceremony taking place in an open courtyard that instantly transforms into a graveyard for men and beast alike, with the guests lying choking on fumes/vomiting and horses galloping fearfully, while crows drop dead from the sky around the bride as she cowers at the cruel sight that unfolds, and a thick layer of MIC gas continues to linger over her. Even the arch that once welcomed visitors into Old Bhopal is transformed into a doorway to doom/death, as a cart emerges from it, pulled by bulls fleeing fearfully in the opposite direction while the owner of the cart is sprawled lifelessly in it.
The series also manages to strike a fine balance between imagery that induces trauma in the viewer, and multiple flickers of hope too- As even when nobody picks up general manager Rati Pandey’s phone calls, or even when relief appears a tad late since casualties have already increased by the crack of dawn, and even when the young loco pilot Imad confides to Kumawat, an honest photojournalist about feeling helpless in protecting his fellow Bhopalites even if he wants to after this hazardous gas claims one of his friends (a worker at the plant), simultaneously none of these aforementioned individuals can afford to lose again even if it ultimately means they’ll have to will themselves into a state of alertness and resilience to save themselves but also their fellow humans.
‘The Railway Men’ would also feel incomplete without its stacked ensemble cast, all of whom impress with a sheer ability to emote with their eyes alone (this facet stands out most, considering that the actors are limited/constricted by the face masks and scarves they don for a majority of the show’s running time). Kay Kay Menon leads the pack as Iftekaar Siddiqui, the station master who is determined to put Bhopal junction back on the map with what remains of his trusty staff after the failure of the railway comms, and remains loyal to his duty as he puts his life on the line, blowing his whistle till his last breath (quite literally). Setting aside a slightly stilted dialogue delivery which hopefully improves with time, Babil Khan’s strength is that he’s certainly inherited his father, the late Irrfan’s Golden Retriever energy and the spirited newcomer is endearing as the hard working novice Imad. Babil even manages to keep up with Menon, his father’s peer in the industry and a veteran of the craft, and this duo is equally a treat to watch in scenes where they play off each other quite naturally. Despite a character whose arc lacks a bit of consistency, Divyenndu is equal parts confident and conniving as the ‘Express Bandit’. R. Madhavan is yet another powerhouse performer in the role of the defiant Rati, and Juhi Chawla too leaves a lasting impression with her cameo as the level-headed Rajeshwari Janglay, one of the few effluent authority figures who isn’t cold hearted, even compromising her high position as she presses fellow higher ups, pleading and even battling for a few precious minutes to ensure that the rescue mission isn’t thwarted at the last minute. Sunny Hinduja packs a punch as the headstrong Kumawat who fearlessly rides into the toxic environment on his moped, armed with a camera to detail a night that would otherwise only have remained as a footnote. Mandira Bedi rounds off the cast with a formidable performance as a Sikh mother aboard the inbound Gorakhpur express who’s frightful about her own fate and that of her son in a subplot centred around the anti-Sikh riots of ’84, an incident of communal violence instigated by egotistical politicos who knowingly fuelled a hateful mob mentality, which in itself feels like a direct parallel to the kindness of the railway men and aid workers at Bhopal junction.
Lastly, the passion of YRF studios (in their OTT debut) in sparing no expense at executing good stories also shines through tremendously, via this show’s set design, color grading and cinematography. The visuals that make use of a sparse but effective use of Dutch angles and rotating shots to create an aura of discomfort, as Iftekaar’s physical and mental health spirals due to the ongoing chaos and from PTSD inflicted by a prior accident, particularly stand out. After the current strikes that took place in the film industry this year, it’s quite heartening, albeit rare, when a major big budget production house takes up the initiative to allot space for creativity, minus studio interference, instead of reducing or relegating the grim subject matter/the quality of this show to a melodramatic and sugar-coated mainstream Bollywood formula.
Above all, ‘The Railway Men’ is a triggering watch that leaves one in shambles and in a mood to rage against the machine, with feelings of anger and frustration at the injustice and inaptitude of the ‘men in power’, while serving as a cruel reminder of the cowardice of the corporate monsters behind Union Carbide who had nothing to lose on that fateful night, and of the endless grief that still plagues the people of Bhopal who lost everything- The brave railway men who lost their sleep, sanity, even their own families, the underpaid factory workers who lost their lives on the job, mothers who lost their babies, children who lost their parents and siblings, as well as the countless displaced Bhopalites who continue reeling under the aftershock of this disaster till this day.
Jinx Coolness' Cinephile Blog 
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