The web series titled The Railway Men, which was based on the horrific Bhopal Gas tragedy, not only left all the fans in shock but became a huge hit nationally and internationally. The series starred Babil Khan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu Sharma, and R Madhavan in pivotal roles. The thrilling tale of heroism, hope & humanity was a 4-part mini-series. But did you know this was supposed to be a film before? Director Shiv Rawail in an interview revealed what led him to make it onto a web show.
Shiv Rawail reveals there was no footage of the horrific night available
The Railway Men which premiered on November 18, is a runaway success story riding on unanimously positive reviews from media & audiences across the world! In fact, The Railway Men has topped global charts for around three months now! Director Shiv Rawail, a director that YRF has launched with the series, reveals how there is no imagery or footage from the night when the deadly gas leaked in Bhopal and killed thousands of people. He says everything depicted in the series had to be re-created and re-imagined to show people how horrific the tragedy was for people residing in Bhopal.
Shiv says, “When we were doing the research we realized there is no imagery or footage of the night. So, everything had to be recreated by us. We have to make it believable for you. So, the world has to look like it belonged to that night. First, we wrote the film script, which was like 130-140 pages. Then we were like what if we have to make it into a feature film, we would have to remove a lot of elements!”
He adds, “That is when Adi Sir (Aditya Chopra), Ayush Gupta ( Writer ), and myself found ourselves losing things we really loved. That is when Adi sir suggested why don't we do this as a show. And there it was, YRF was looking to step into streaming!”
The Railway Men is a thrilling tale of heroism, hope & humanity! It is the first from the partnership between Netflix & YRF Entertainment. It is a story of extraordinary heroism demonstrated by the employees of the Indian Railways in Bhopal on the fateful night of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy! These self-sacrificing individuals rose against all odds and put their lives at risk to save fellow citizens while battling an invisible enemy in the air.
Inspired by true stories, this gripping series features a stellar ensemble cast, including R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyenndu, Babil Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Mandira Bedi, among others.
