The dark I don't want to name

It's a film I saw at an obscure film screening in Dadar. The film is about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Part of my ancestry is from Bhopal. I have heard accounts of the tragedy from Bhopalis. And honestly, I feel this tragedy is a gum thats been chewed for far too long. It holds no promise for any new films.

The dark I must not name begins by promising to do the unpredictable. To try and unravel the lives of the so-called heroes of the tragedy. Like Sunil. A boy who lost both parents and three sisters in a matter of hours. Like Aaina Miyan. Who saw his relatives die like flies. Like those numerous ladies who spend the their lives in a widow house that resembles an abandoned ruin.

The film fails to deliver the different take it promises. It does not clearly probe into how those once cherished 'heroes' of the tragedy that made the front pages of hundreds of Indian newspapers are now utterly neglected. It could have spoken about how rehabilitation is not even considered as a remote possiblity by the government.

There are many moments when the camera movement is agonizingly slow. Repeated shots of the same factory ruins and seemingly unedited interviews of victims that go on for an eternity bored me. Too many scenes are excesssively lengthy and boringly repetitive. Moreover, the director appears on screen with nothing to say. Perhaps she just wants to star in the film.

The film does not seem to follow any logical sequence. It begins with shots of Bhopal's routine life - chai and samosas being served. The same scene is repeated after around 45 minutes when the viewer tends to think that a full circle has been completed and he will soon see 'The End'. However, the film drags on for an agonizing half hour more.

Lastly, the film does not seem to take any stand on the issue. No suggestions from the film maker. No views from experts. No participation from the NGO's who I'm sure don't see Bhopal tragedy as a glamourous issue any more.

After the screening, the Director spoke for a bit. She said she did not want to do anything for Bhopal. She did not want to present the issue to the urban educated classes. Making a film was her primary objective and Bhopal just happened to be the issue she chose. That honesty was good to see.

One thing I found commendable was the imaginative use of colour filters. At least to my untrained eye it seemed quite interesting. The redness of the arriving trains and the bright white lights of the factory ruins stand out in my memory.

All in all, better give this film a miss for its length of 66 minutes.