The site of the world's worst industrial disaster has slipped back into the obscurity from which it was wrenched one terrible December night just over 15 years ago. Then he visited Bhopal and spoke with activists and survivors. Even after all these years, the details can turn stomachs. People woke gasping for breath and choking on their own body fluids. An estimated 7,000 of Bhopal's 800,000 residents died within days, and more than 500,000 were affected.
Many survivors remain ill and disabled.
A Risky Precedent India ends a tense hijacking drama by releasing three militants. Although at least four documentaries have told the Bhopal story, they are rarely seen in India. So Mathai decided to make a mainstream feature, using a fictional couple to anchor his narrative. Bhopal Express, released last month to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the accident, is a 90-minute tale of newlyweds Tara and her husband Babulal, who is a loyal employee at the chemical factory. On the fatal evening, he puts his bride on a train to visit her parents and goes off drinking with his buddy Bashir.