Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain (2014)

Interwoven stories of people in India and US as they face dilemmas of life time in the months leading to the biggest Industrial disaster in human history that claimed 10,000 innocent lives within a few hours. Inspired by real events.

Director:

Ravi Kumar

Writers:

Ravi Kumar, David Brooks

Stars:

Mischa Barton, Martin Sheen, Kal Penn

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mischa Barton	...	Eva Gascon
Martin Sheen	...	Warren Anderson
Kal Penn	...	Motwani
Tannishtha Chatterjee	...	Leela
Rajpal Yadav	...	Dilip
Satish Kaushik	...	Chief Minister
Manoj Joshi	...	Dr. Chandra
Lisa Dwan	...	Marika
Martin Brambach	...	Ted
Fagun Thakrar	...	Rekha
Joy Sengupta	...	Roy
Kailash Kher	...	Kailash Kher
Akhil Mishra	...	Napolean
David Brooks	...	Shane
Vineet Kumar	...	Choudhury (as Vinit Kumar)

Storyline

The story follows a young rickshaw-puller in Bhopal who gets a menial job at a chemical plant, but in December of 1984 a chemical spill in India takes the lives of almost 15,000 people and injuring more than 100,000. The film follows how the industrial disaster in the city changes his life and those of others.

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Plot Keywords:

bhopal | india | disaster | gas | industrial disaster | 

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Taglines:

The world's deadliest industrial disaster

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK India

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

7 November 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Prayer for Rain

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,948, 7 November 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,948, 7 November 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rising Star Entertainment, Wardour Media Group, Sahara One Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In June 2010, seven ex-employees, including the former UCIL chairman, were convicted in Bhopal of causing death by negligence and sentenced to two years imprisonment and a fine of about $2,000 each, the maximum punishment allowed by Indian law. Within 2 days all got bail.

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Goofs

Throughout the movie, the role of sodium hypochlorite has been emphasised as an antidote to the poisonous effects of MIC (methyl isocyanate) gas. However, there is no known antidote for MIC poisoning, and the treatment is largely based on supportive care. There does exist an antidote for cyanide poisoning, which can occur as part of impurities present in MIC itself. The antidote for cyanide poisoning is a combination of amyl nitrite and sodium thiosulphate.

User Reviews

A heart-wrenching tragedy.

This documentary drama is about something everyone should know about and make sure the human race should not repeat. What happened 30 years ago should have never happened and it is truly sad this film is based on this true story. Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain is not only a reminder of what happened, but a story we must remember, so we do not repeat it.

This film is a documentary, but is also a story and a drama. There is no comedic relief. There is strong messages and lessons to be learned.

The story begins when a multinational company, Union Carbide India opens a chemical factory which contains the number one most dangerous chemical to humans in the world. The company responsible for the factory is sadly not making much money and, as a result, they cut their safety regulations. This does not end up as a good idea for, in 1984, the factory had a major leak and the deadly chemical called MIC quickly shot into the air, and into the surrounding air which covered a major town called Bhopal. Thousands die while hundreds of thousands are injured and even today, 30 years later, are still ill.

This film truly shows this event well and shows how many people were effected by it and what the company who caused it did to help the victims. Nothing. Warren Anderson (Martin Sheen) not only doesn't help them, but the India court accuses him of mass murder and the "corporate shield" protects him so he is not affected whatsoever. Martin Sheen plays this role with true conviction.

This film is an incredibly sad story, I cannot choose a favorite scene. My least favorite is when the accident comes to the attention to Warren for the first time. Anyone would expect that he would be in shock or cry or just try to help them. What he does is blame the workers because he gave them an opportunity and they "ruined it." Then, he flees the country when he sees all the dead bodies and is accused of mass murder. I do not like this scene for I believe he should have at the least go to jail for the rest of his life.

This film is very mature so I recommend it for ages 13 to 18. I also give it 5 out of 5 stars for they did a wonderful job retelling this horrid event. This film is playing in select theaters now and is available for digital downloads and streaming.

Reviewed by Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, go to kidsfirst dot org.