Bhopal Express

Back in 1984, the Union Carbide chemical factory in Bhopal, India had a serious leak--killing thousands in one night and countless others due to the lingering effects of the toxic gas. This film by Mahesh Mathai is about this disaster. While it could have focused on many people, the movie focuses on one man in particular, a worker at the plant. You see the death, suffering, cover-up and indifference through his eyes and his realization that his beloved employer is at fault---and amazingly indifferent.

The most amazing thing about the film is that the director, Mathai, has only directed one other film. I tried to get more information on him on IMDb and other sites but couldn't really find much. And, considering how good "Bhopal Express" is, it's just amazingly strange that you don't see more Mathai films. Additionally, the acting was very good--with a wonderful emotional range--such that you really do care about him, his friends and his bride.

I noticed that some found the film to be a disappointment. This isn't very surprising, as the event has touched so many lives that you know many will feel that "Bhopal Express" doesn't adequately convey the misery and magnitude of the tragedy. Still, especially for westerners who know far less about the Bhopal disaster, it's a good introduction and puts a human face on the people.

By the way, there is one minor complaint about the DVD and that is that the captions blend in with the background and are occasionally difficult to read. Hopefully your copy will have more readable captions.

I have never heard about this movie before , and by accident I donwloaded it. But now that I have seen it Iam glad that I did download it.

This movie is very well made, and all the characters play their parts very good. Especially Naseerudin Shah he is great, and makes you enjoy every single part that he is in.

The Actress in the movies is so beatiful, I have seen her in Thaksak where she had a invicible role, but in htis movie she showed all the Glamourful other Bollywood actresses that she is here for Good.When you see the movie you cant stop falling in love with her, she is so nice and innocent.

Well enough about the actress, but watch this power full movie and learn how corrupt the Companys can be cause of their own benefit.

Aside from the fact that no movie can ever do justice in portraying the plight of people who were and are still being affected by the horrible tragedy that struck Bhopal in 1984, this movie is decently made, but still leaves quite a bit to be desired. Naseeruddin Shah did his cameo well. The lead actor acted well and the actress didn't have much role to play, but her facial expressions were quite good for a newcomer. I personally feel that too much time was spent in shooting the 'bar' scene. Aside from showing the gas leak and minor aftermath, there was nothing in the movie that one hasn't already seen in tons of other documentaries. It is still commendable that the crew picked such an important topic. 7/10

The movie was worth watching for the simple fact that, the background of the movie was Bhopal gas tragedy, though focus of the film got stuck for a longer time on the Zohrabai song rather than shedding more light on the tragedy itself. Everything of the movie was interesting but wish more facts and focus was given to the actual event. Nevertheless the whole effort needs to be applauded for bringing the tragedy to limelight again. Such events need to be filmed and documented and in that respect the producer and director of the film have done a service to humanity. The acting and story behind the tragedy was captivating and all the actors did excellent job.

This film relates the real life chemical industrial accident of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India in 1984. Known as the "Hiroshima" of such industrial tragedies, the gas that leaked from this badly constructed building killed thousands and is still the cause of many deaths every month.

For a first time director, 'Bhopal Express' is handled extremely well. Very little of the actual factory is shown early in the film. Instead, Mahesh Mathai allows the film time and space to build in emotion and intensity displaying a cinematic wisdom that will be exciting to watch grow. The acting is strong and believable and the cinematography, done by Mathai himself, is reminiscent of the graceful, fluent movements of the great Satyajit Ray. Although the ending suffers from a touch of sentimentality, it is almost deserved and allows the narrative to end rising, though not on what you would call a high note.