The Railway Men- A Netflix Series

The Railway Men- The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984

Maturity Rating U/A 16+ 

Genres- Dramas, Thriller, Social Issue

Series Directed by Shiv Rawail

The gripping four-episode series inspired by the harrowing true events of a chemical disaster on the night of 2-3 December 1984 at Union CarbideIndia Limited, Bhopal showcases the heart-wrenching tale of greed, arrogance, helplessness, and sheer determination and further delves into the stories of some unsung heroes.

The Railway Men tackles several aspects of an accident- the before, the present and the terror ensured afterward. Although the story was told in a dramatized way to grip your heart, they add the facts and real photos and their inspiration for creating such a series.

Kay Kay Menon’s performance as the Bhopal Junction stationmaster is truly commendable. Portraying a middle-aged man haunted by a past mistake that led to the tragic death of a young boy, Menon brings a nuanced depth to his character. His commitment to strict safety protocols at the station coexists with a kind and compassionate nature, evident in his deep connections with the station’s employees.

As a man of discipline who values honest work, the character’s complexities shine through, especially in his troubled relationship with his son. The son’s desire to join Union Carbide for financial reasons adds a poignant layer to the narrative, highlighting the generational conflicts arising from differing values and priorities. Menon’s portrayal captures the intricacies of a character navigating the consequences of his actions and the challenges of maintaining integrity in the face of personal and familial discord.

The series also has some other parallel tracks focusing on several other characters, and how their story intertwined that night at the junction of Bhopal.

The thriller factor is capturing and engaging as your heart races in those moments and you are unable to sit still as the scene unravels in front of your eyes. 

Bhopal was sleeping in peace when the gas leaked at Union Carbide in the middle of the night, the workers panicked, and even though they tried to salvage the situation and to some extent saved a disastrous event to a much larger scale, some things were just out of their hands.

A chemical that has poisoned the air and it is fatal to all living things is dispersed. One would think that the authorities would take responsibility but the series captures the cold and calculative perspective of such a large corporation and how the workers who have been trained to follow the orders are clueless and destined for a gruesome fate.

Although the leak would have caused mayhem everywhere, the series’ main focus point had been the ‘Bhopal junction’ where Iftekaar Siddiqui along with Imad Riaz, a worker who has joined as a loco pilot reporting for the first time battle to find a solution. 

Balwant Yadav The Express Bandit who is a thief and has come to Bhopal to rob the station safe founds himself as the right-hand man for Iftekaar. 

The chemistry between these three was noteworthy as they formed this unsaid allegiance towards each other to ensure the safety of others. And you see why they needed each other, if Iftekaar was the decision maker due to his soft heart he needed the wit and outspoken Balwant who would call a spade a spade.

Imam who is determined and filled with this sense of duty to do their best for his people needed a direction and a leader he could follow whom he found in Iftekaar.

What I didn’t like was the side story of Rati Pandey, GM of West Central Railway Zone, and his wife Rajeshwari Jangley, the DA of West Central Railway Zone- the good aspect was the tension between the characters as they fight for a common cause but it felt irrelevant at the given point of time and was maybe given just to provide a more screen time which was again unnecessary. 

The characters were important to the story for unraveling the other aspects of the tragedy- politics and greed. But it could have spared the intangible layer of a relationship between these two characters.

Nonetheless, this series is a must-watch.