The Railway Men: Shedding Light on the Heroes of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy

A new Netflix web series is set to highlight the untold stories of the railway workers who helped save thousands of lives following the catastrophic gas leak in Bhopal, India in 1984.

Is The Railway Men a True Story?

Based on real events, The Railway Men follows the fateful night of December 2nd and early morning of December 3rd 1984, when poisonous methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited in Bhopal. Considered one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, the gas leak killed over 3,000 people instantly and has caused at least 15,000 deaths to date.

In the ensuing chaos, as toxic fumes enveloped the city, station master Anupam Kher displayed remarkable courage and quick thinking, marshalling a team of railway employees to organize makeshift ambulances that transported over 30,000 people to medical care. Their heroic actions averted even greater loss of life.

For book lovers, the true story behind The Railway Men also brings to mind the literary classics on Bhopal such as Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro’s Five Past Midnight in Bhopal.

The Railway Men Trailer

The Railway Men Cast

Lead actors R. Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, and Divyendu Sharma play three railway officials while Babil Khan, son of the late Irrfan Khan, stars as a junior officer trainee. The roles demanded emotional depth and nuance to honour the real figures portrayed. As Menon shares, “It’s a performance-oriented role and I am looking forward to bringing out the emotional angle.”

The Railway Men Director

Director Shiv Rawail spent four years researching the project and getting to know the real people firsthand. Their experiences helped shape authentic characters and storylines. “I tried to understand their mindset – why did they do what they did that night?” explains Rawail.

The crew even filmed on location in Bhopal and worked closely with local advisers. The result is a dramatized account that captures the indiscriminate devastation of the disaster as well as heartwarming acts of bravery, empathy, and grit in the aftermath.

While the series dramatizes events, it sticks close to known facts and chronology. Audiences can appreciate the memorial and its educational value.

The Railway Men OTT Release Date

As the release date approaches on 18th November 2023 (S01:E01), The Railway Men promises to offer insight into a painful chapter of India’s history. The selfless conduct of Kher, Menon, Madhavan and Khan’s characters will likely inspire viewers and shed light on an important human story.

The Railway Men IMDb Ratings

The Railway Men (TV Mini-Series 2023) has an IMDb rating of 8.7 out of 10, based on over 3,000 ratings.

The Railway Men Rotten Tomatoes

The Railway Men (TV Mini-Series 2023) has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 7.1 out of 10 (71%), based on over 3,000 ratings.