EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

tuduashok "Bhopal: A prayer for rain" is a true event that happened in Bhopal, a CAPITAL city in MADHYA PRADESH state located in India.This is the second movie regarding this event, only but this one more focused over what this is all about. It may lead you to think, if your neighborhood is safe, if you are in a industrialized area. And if you know something sort of that then you are a educated fool, if the Government is corrupt and the facility is in gross negligence.What's use of that knowledge if you can't do anything when you already know it. In this movie, I think ignorance killed all the people.GENERAL AWARENESS....IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, YOU GET POISONED.

svprakash Special by Sudha Prakash Katherine "Kat" Kramer, Founder of Kat Kramer's Films That Change the World is presenting three socially significant films as part of her Seventh Annual Film Series. She founded Kat Kramer's Films That Change the World to showcase movies that raise awareness about important social issues. She started with Barbra Streisand's Yentl in 2009 and has presented six socially conscious movies and documentaries so far. On April 10th, the annual event kicked off with the film, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain at the Canon USA Inc., Screening Room, adjacent to the Stanley Kramer Screening Room located on the Sunset-Gower Studios. This year's screening was a moving and vivid depiction of the world's worst industrial disaster in history at Bhopal, India in December 1984 and the colossal destruction of life and the environment. Also this year she established the First Annual Kat Kramer's Films that Change the world, 'Hunt for Humanity Award' which will be presented annually. The first recipient of the award was none other than the legendary 97 Year old actress/ social activist from Hollywood's Golden age, Marsha Hunt. The award was presented by Ken Howard, President of SAG-AFTRA who called her a 'tough cookie' and said it is a privilege to present the award to the incomparable, incandescent, the strong, the brave and the bold Marsha Hunt. The event commenced with the Red Carpet arrival at 5:30 PM followed by the Introductions, Award Presentation and Keynote speeches. The event was attended by Film's Stars Martin Sheen & Mischa Barton, Director and Co-Writer Ravi Kumar, Executive Producers Terrance Sweeney and Leszek Burzynski and Director of Photography Charlie Wuppermann and various other Industry celebrities. Kal Penn who also stars in this film but could not attend, sent a special message which was read by Mischa Barton. The Keynote address was given by Tim Edwards; Executive Trustee of the Bhopal Medical Appeal who spoke about the way the survivors rose up in the face of the Government's apathy to help their community by establishing their own free clinics Chingari and Sambhavna where adults and children are treated with a combination of Western and Eastern medicine. Martin Sheen who plays Warren Anderson , Chairman of Union Carbide spoke about how he could not but say 'yes' to the role. He said that Warren Anderson who lived for thirty years after the tragedy did not want to speak to him or the film makers. So, he stayed truthful to the script and played him as a man who may have had good intentions initially but in the face of the tragedy did not live up to his responsibilities. Martin feels that the subject of the movie is timeless and is a reminder to the mankind and especially to the children that environmental issues are everybody's business and we should be always vigilant against the destruction of our air, water and soil in the name of progress. He said that shooting in India was a great experience and the spirit of India had a tremendous personal impact on him and rekindled his own faith in religion and his return to his catholic roots and spirituality. Bhopal: Praying for Rain is a drama highlighting the terrible events leading up to the poisonous gas leak at the Union Carbide pesticide factory at Bhopal, India. Ravi Kumar, the film director deftly weaves the apocalyptic real life events leading to the disaster through the eyes of Dilip an impoverished rickshaw puller turned untrained Union Carbide worker played brilliantly by Rajpal Yadav. Thannishtha Chatterjee ably plays the role of his wife who is happy about her husband's a job in the factory and the steady income and joyfully arranges the marriage of his sister. Kal Penn plays the activist local journalist Motwani who doggedly tries to expose the corporate greed and the local government's ineptitude by publishing several articles about the gross safety violations in the factory. Warren Anderson played remarkably by Martin Sheen flies to Bhopal in the aftermath of the tragedy but fled the country as a warrant is issued for his arrest. He never apologizes nor does anything to alleviate the sufferings of the masses for which his company was clearly responsible. Mischa Barton as a life style journalist who is roped in by Motwani to ask tough questions of Mr. Anderson is quite adequate in her brief role. The drama is intensified at the end of the movie when the deadly gas wafts through the surroundings on a wintry night interspersed with scenes of the wedding guests singing, dancing and feasting only to die horribly along with thousands of others a few hours later. The film is produced by Sahara Movie Studios and Rising Star Entertainment and distributed by Revolver Entertainment. After the screening, Kat Kramer moderated the panel discussion that included the film director, executive producers and the directory of photography. During the discussion, director Ravi Kumar told the audience that he grew up in a city not far from Bhopal and this incident had a profound effect on him. He was surprised that no filmmakers of Bollywood and Hollywood wanted to make a dramatic movie despite this being the major environmental disaster of the 20th century. So he took on the responsibility of making a feature film to re-tell the events leading to the catastrophe and the survivor's indomitable spirit in rising above their bleak circumstances. This was echoed by Tim Edwards who quoted his friend Indra Sinha who wrote that "a great catastrophe, followed by years of illness, poverty and injustice can overwhelm and crush the human spirit or it can enable ordinary people to become extraordinary with the realization that they are not weak or powerless but have the power to bring about great political change, to do good in their community and in the world".

rannynm This documentary drama is about something everyone should know about and make sure the human race should not repeat. What happened 30 years ago should have never happened and it is truly sad this film is based on this true story. Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain is not only a reminder of what happened, but a story we must remember, so we do not repeat it.This film is a documentary, but is also a story and a drama. There is no comedic relief. There is strong messages and lessons to be learned.The story begins when a multinational company, Union Carbide India opens a chemical factory which contains the number one most dangerous chemical to humans in the world. The company responsible for the factory is sadly not making much money and, as a result, they cut their safety regulations. This does not end up as a good idea for, in 1984, the factory had a major leak and the deadly chemical called MIC quickly shot into the air, and into the surrounding air which covered a major town called Bhopal. Thousands die while hundreds of thousands are injured and even today, 30 years later, are still ill. This film truly shows this event well and shows how many people were effected by it and what the company who caused it did to help the victims. Nothing. Warren Anderson (Martin Sheen) not only doesn't help them, but the India court accuses him of mass murder and the "corporate shield" protects him so he is not affected whatsoever. Martin Sheen plays this role with true conviction.This film is an incredibly sad story, I cannot choose a favorite scene. My least favorite is when the accident comes to the attention to Warren for the first time. Anyone would expect that he would be in shock or cry or just try to help them. What he does is blame the workers because he gave them an opportunity and they "ruined it." Then, he flees the country when he sees all the dead bodies and is accused of mass murder. I do not like this scene for I believe he should have at the least go to jail for the rest of his life.This film is very mature so I recommend it for ages 13 to 18. I also give it 5 out of 5 stars for they did a wonderful job retelling this horrid event. This film is playing in select theaters now and is available for digital downloads and streaming.Reviewed by Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, go to kidsfirst dot org.

ahwaan_padhee "BHOPAL : A Prayer for Rain" is a heart-rending revisit to the most horrific industrial catastrophe in our country that claimed over 10000 lives in December 1984.It forms a precursor to the massive tragedy in the form of connected events that transpired around the infamous Union Carbide plant which spew the lethal MIC gas wiping off almost an entire civilization. Such was the impact that even today, people are born with deformities.Unfolding like a docu-drama providing glimpses of the social milieu,the narrative breathes life with the insertion of certain fictitious and dramatic elements, in the form of a rickshaw puller , Deepak ( Rajpal Yadav)who forms the lifeline of the film.An illiterate who can hardly afford a square meal to his family with an unmarried sister, he finds the new ray of hope in the Carbide plant when he substitutes his friend, a worker out there , after he falls prey into an accidental factory mishap. The plant is a dormant volcano waiting to erupt, a hibernating monster because of the highly risky pesticide production under loose and overlooked safety conditions.Yet many of the workers fail to raise their voice as they have to feed their families at the end of the day.There is a wave of crusade through vigilant journalism by a hard-nosed news reporter, Motwani(Kal Penn) who even seeks the help of another American journo(Mischa Barton) to expose the diplomatic CEO of Carbide,Warren Anderson(Martin Sheen) but all in vain.Ravi Kumar tries to portray the corporate chicanery adopted by Anderson who looked at India as a cheaper proposition, with utmost sincerity.The unflinching look at the bureaucracy and the callousness of our political leaders also flashes at the level of corruption that was rotting our society three decades back.There is a deafening silence towards the finale in the screams of the dying people and the haplessness in the eyes of the local doctor(Manoj Joshi).There are moments of poignancy that leave you numb, but had there been a more solid and polished execution , it would have lingered in our psyche.The film falters with a hurried approach in the ending reels by juxtaposing the tragedy with a wedding proceeding and also for some over- dramatic treatment like the one between Barton and Anderson inside his car.All said and done, Bhopal is a praise-worthy attempt by director Ravi Kumar,also credited fir the film's story, for bringing this tragic incident onto celluloid after almost 5 years of research.The narrative forges a strong emotional connect with its rooted characters,specially Rajpal Yadav and Tannistha Chatterjee who render genuinely moving performances.Yadav blends his innocence, warmth and talent uniformly to bring out the predicament of the impoverished Deepak.Kal Penn, with his outlandish attire,is a character with an arc but doesn't do complete justice to his mixed accent.It is Marteen Sheen who fits into the role of Anderson perfectly,and bringing out the humanistic nuances effectively.Films like Bhopal are a rarity in today's age of massy entertainers.They are highly insightful but do not hold a strong commercial proposition.It is as ironical as the fact that Carbide is not proved fully guilty of the causing this disaster.This one is highly recommended for those with inclination to real-life, meaningful cinema.Rating 3/5