This is a movie that will leave you in shock…
“A Prayer for Rain” is a film that is based upon the true story about the Union Carbide incident that happened in Bhopal, India in 1984. Directed by Ravi Kumar, this film can be described as one of the most shocking and eye opening films to be screened this year. The film is shown through the eyes of the workers at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal as well as some of the people living in the slums at the time. From the very beginning, this film brings in the audience by showing the hardships that the poor had to endure such as lack of food and clothing, and how the only way to get money during that time for them was to work at this hazardous factory. Riddled with safety violations and an extremely deplorable environment, workers had to endure all these factors in order to survive daily life and provide for their families. What this film did extremely well was showing both sides of the fence in regards to the poor people living in the slums in Bhopal as well as the corporate figureheads of the Union Carbide company. It is no secret that this disaster left nearly 10,000 people dead in Bhopal, and that the Union Carbide company walked away nearly unscathed and without any guilt. With a wicked twist at the end, this film left the audience in awe, shock, and in tears.
What is great about this film is that it is bringing attention to a social injustice that has been swept under the rug. This film is able to educate the youth who never learned about this and also shines a light on the people who weren’t given a voice to speak out about this terrible action. What was also great about this film, and something the director should be commended about, is the fact that it talks about the terrible actions that happened in India such as corruption, negligence, intolerance, and basic disregard for human life. It not only put blame on the Union Carbide company but also put blame on the Indian government for not standing up against this heinous act. What this does is focus on the victims of the incident. The overall message is treating every single human being with the same amount of respect and care as the next.
Notable mentions of this film go to Kal Penn who played a reporter who investigated the company. Although it wasn’t the biggest part, the actions of this reporter played an integral role in the overall plot of the film. Kal has played so many different characters throughout his career, but this is his best work to date. Another honorable mention goes to Martin Sheen who played the chairman of the Union Carbide company, Warren Anderson. From the start of the film, it was unclear what his character’s intentions were, and it seemed as though he genuinely cared about the wellbeing of the poor people, but what this film did very well was show the type of politics and fake personas that these executives played because by the end of the film, after the entire tragedy occurred, his character was only concerned about the wellbeing of himself and the company. Sheen was able to play such a sick and twisted character so well that people were initially confused whether to like him or not.
And lastly, Rajpal Yadev, who played the main role of Dilip, a poor man who lives in the slums and started working for the Union Carbide company, was absolutely phenomenal. He was able to depict what life is like for a man in the slums of India, as well as accurately portraying someone who worked for the Union Carbide company at the time. He filled the role perfectly and it was extremely believable. What he did well was play off the other actors’ actions and emotions, and really became the character he was playing, which was a struggling, desperate man who had his entire family to take care of. In the film, his character realizes that something is wrong with the factory, but at the same time is afraid of losing his job because he has a family to provide for, and the way he displayed his emotions really helped the audience understand and relate to his character. After the entire film was over, credits and everything; the movie left the audience with the same impact that director Ravi Kumar was hoping people would leave with, a feeling of sympathy towards the victims of the disaster as well as an incentive to never let something so terrible happen in the future.
To sum up, this film is extremely courageous. It is a must watch film. The advancement of society is measured in the way we are able to respond to disasters such as this but also our ability to prevent disasters, and this holds very true for this film and the tragedy that happened in 1984.
The film hits the screen November 7.
-Vinesh Vora
