Review: 'The Railway Men' is a hauntingly real tale of heroes who didn't want to be heroes but showed heroism

The Railway Men: The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984

There is no possible way one can fathom the magnitude of the impact of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT) 1984 unless you were a part of it in one way or another. You obviously wouldn't want to be a part of it, though. The biggest industrial disaster in the world, the aftermath of the event still sends shockwaves around the factory area where it happened. You, me, and so many others know little of it except for probably reading about it somewhere or listening about it from someone. And to think that we would have any idea of what role a few daredevil railwaymen played in order to save lives when everything was looking bleak - not a chance. Netflix's latest series. The Railway Men focuses on that oblivious nature of ours and so many others, who will first be introduced to the trials and tribulations few railway men went through in order to save lives in times of extreme peril. Having had the chance to see the entire four episodes beforehand, here is what I thought about it-

The Backstories, The Occurrence & The Aftermath

Unlike so many streaming shows that adopt long-term storytelling quite literally and span their execution to seven, eight or even ten episodes, the makers of The Railway Men chose to prepare a charted story that doesn't exceed four episodes, averaging about an hour each. For a story that is so incredibly sensitive, one might question this approach, but director Shiv Rawail and his team are portraying an angle of the BGT 1984 that has not been explored before and, hence, while essential, it doesn't need fillers or gaps to convey the story. We jump right into action, and even then, the build-up is crafted in smart bits and pieces, especially with the four primary characters and several supporting cast members as well. 

Babil Khan as Imad Riaz and Kay Kay Menon as Station Master Iftekar Siddiqui spend the most amount of time with us in the first two episodes, and there is a deliberate attempt to establish their backstory just about enough to be invested in them and hence, rooting for them. There isn't any attempt to confuse the viewer with technical jargons related to the said gas leak, and that helps you to be worrying about the scale of it and not technicalities. Even the core reason as to how the Methyl isocyanate (MIC) leak happened is just brushed upon, there is a sense of smartness to it - incompetence? Yes. But not just limited to the workers due to which it happened but in the larger picture, the corporate sharks involved. 

The Direction, The Choices & The Impact

That is another facet that is dealt with rather quickly yet effectively where a select few authorities and their decision not to pay heed to the loss of human lives and save their own ass isn't deliberately villainised for multiple scenes and instead just given flickers time and again. There are some incredibly long takes after the gas leak where directing and instructing such a large section of juniors, extras, and the main cast can be chaotic. There is chaos, but only in the representation of the tragedy, just like you would have imagined it to be. Another very interesting approach taken here is to insert pauses and breathers amid the frantic madness going on. 

Usually, in a situation like this, several filmmakers focus on conveying the mayhem with shooting techniques in an attempt to showcase the urgency and havoc for you to feel it Instead, here, the makers are asking you to pause in between sequences and allowing you to fathom what these characters are dealing with here. The choreographed scenes never look choreographed, not a single actor in the main frame or a part of the huge flock looks like an 'actor', the setting and authenticity never look compromised, and most importantly, the railway men don't look like glorified heroes but just human beings, who didn't do it for heroism but for the sake of humanity.

The Performances & The Slight Disconnect

We are introduced to R. Madhavan's Rati rather late, but boy, does he get a fabulous entry. Divyendu's character of Constable Balwant Pandey is probably the most complex one as in the primary cast, he is the only one with mixed emotions, and in fact, leaning towards the negative side purely because of the intentions behind it. The director expertly uses both these actors at his perusal in the most effective manner possible. Giving Madhavan a leader-like, stoic and yet wisecracking persona who is trying to take care of proceedings from the outset and not on-ground is such a brilliant way of using an actor like him, where his charm is a tool in itself. On the other hand, with Divyendu, there seems to be a clause of sorts where his natural comic timing is always used well, and he gets some great one-liners while being funny and never crossing the line. 

The heart here, though, lies with Khan and Menon, who are in it right from the get-go and doing the most physically strenuous work. One a legend and one a budding actor - they are fantastic as we are most invested in them as they get an arc that starts with them having their own personal demons, being righteous and then being heroic without being heroic. Four fine talents do their job supremely well, as you would expect. The surprise factor in the form of Sunny Hinduja, the extended cameo appearance of Juhi Chawla Mehta, the cameo appearance of Mandira Bedi and how the aftermath of Sikh riots also played a role in the BGT, the short nuggets with Raghubir Yadav and other things lend just the right amount of assistance needed for the show to be stuffed but not overstuffed.

There is a sense of disconnect, though, at a few intervals and here is why the four-episode runtime slightly bothered me. The last two episodes come with urgency but also a misguided sense of rush, and hence, the little scene that explores Madhavan and Chawla Mehta's big reveal of their past, Menon's backstory personal demon reveal are just touched upon and done so hurriedly. But The Railway Men still manages to engulf you and invest you enough in the bravura of a section of people who are overlooked rather easily.

The Verdict

The Railway Men: The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 is YRF's entry into the streaming world, and their attempt seems to be clear. They aren't trying to bring the huge scale and over-the-top opulence that they are known for on the big screen, but they are adapting to how and what the streaming viewers expect and even demand. You might bring in big names for your projects, but the core will always be about exploring a story that needs to be told in an intricate, detailed and fruitful manner. The Railway Men showcases the untold story in the said way, never glorifying their actions even though they deserve it but finding the soul and heart in what and why are they doing - which connects.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)