Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Series shows tragedy, corruption; celebrates humanity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
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The Railway Men
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Inspired by actual people and events, THE RAILWAY MEN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF BHOPAL 1984 focuses on a group of men who risked their lives to save thousands of people during the worst industrial disaster in global history. On December 2, 1984, water caused a storage tank at a Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant to leak, spreading deadly methylisocycanate gas from the factory grounds to the city of Bhopal and the surrounding areas. The station master of Bhopal Junction, Iftekaar Siddiqui (K.K. Menon), realizes that regardless of orders, he must stop scheduled trains from stopping at the station and help the people who were trapped on the platform. But communication has been cut, the Gorakhpur-Bombay Express was on its way, and people waiting on the platform were dying. Along with Rati Pandey (R. Madhavan), an Indian Railways general manager; Imad Riaz (Babil Khan), a new locomotive pilot and former UCIL employee; and Balwant Yadav (Divyendu Sharma), a dacoit (bandit) who makes his living committing robberies at train stations, he risks his life to prevent as much loss of life as possible, and to ensure that relief workers can make it in. Meanwhile, investigative journalist Jagmohan Kumawat (Sunny Hinduja) is doing what he can to call attention to Union Carbide's failure to prevent the disaster from happening.
Is It Any Good?
Mixing real-life stories and creative plotlines, this series sheds light on the horrors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and some of the ordinary citizens who risked their lives to help others. Both Iftekaar Siddiqui and Jagmohan Kumawat are based on real people, while Imad Riaz and Balwant Yadav are completely fictional, allowing for some emotional narratives while still paying homage to the real people responsible for helping thousands of people survive the industrial accident.
While the heroic actions of these men are central to the story, The Railway Men succeeds at reminding people of the Union Carbide actions (and inactions) that led to the catastrophe while honoring the 3800 people who immediately died, and the over 500,000 people who survived the exposure only to suffer long-term symptoms and premature deaths. It also uses the opportunity to parallel the acts committed by the U.S.-owned Union Carbide to the 1984 Sikh genocide, which resulted in the deaths of over 8000 Sikhs throughout India. Granted, it's not always easy to watch, but the overall series is a well-produced and a genuine celebration of human kindness.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the real people behind some of the characters in this series. How does the story of Ghulam Dastagir, the real rail station manager at Bophal Junction in 1984, compare to Iftekaar Siddiqui's?
Did you know that the 1984 Bhupal gas accident killed 70 times more people than Chernobyl nuclear disaster? Why do you think this, and other large-scale industrial accidents, received more western media attention than what happened in Bhopal over the years?
TV Details
- Premiere date : November 18, 2023
- Cast : K.K. Menon , R. Madhavan , Divyendu Sharma , Babil Khan
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Courage , Gratitude , Humility , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : January 18, 2024
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