The Railway Men has been released on Netflix recently and the streaming giant has hit the jackpot with yet another Indian web series. Bollywood has always been at the forefront of the Indian Entertainment Industry catering to the global audience. Recently the South film industry has taken the lead prompting the living legend Shah Rukh Khan to come to the rescue of a rotting Bollywood with record-breaking films – Jawan and Pathaan. All in all, India is known for its over-the-top highly entertaining movies but not for web series.
A change to that singular dynamic is being changed slowly with some acclaimed web series coming out of the 1.5 billion population nation. We saw acclaimed shows like – The House of Secrets, Kohrra, and Aranyak. A couple of months ago we witnessed the almost masterpiece, Kaala Paani. So, a shift in the wind is noticeable and the ship has set sail with proper confidence. Now, The Railway Men is here to contribute to that optimistic journey with its gripping narrative (based on true events), exciting visuals, and praiseworthy performances.
The Railway Men aka The Untold Stories of Bhopal 1984 is a historical streaming miniseries produced by YRF Entertainment and is being streamed on Netflix. The extremely popular show stars some big names like – R. Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyenndu and Babil Khan. Juhi Chawla and Sunny Hinduja play supporting characters. The miniseries was directed by Shiv Rawail who was in charge of Dhoom 3. He has done an amazing job directing The Railway Men since it is the polar opposite of his previous high-profile work.
The Untold Story Of Bhopal 1984
Iftekaar Siddiqui, the dedicated station master of Bhopal Junction who becomes the pivotal figure in the rescue efforts on that fateful December 2, 1984, night, is at the center of the story. Unexpectedly, a criminal by the name of Express Bandit appears on the scene, initially intending to profit from the chaos for himself but ultimately assisting in the rescue effort. The recently joined train pilot Imaad and Focal Rail routes GM Rati Pandey unite with these rail route men for a daunting rescue mission.
As time goes by, the weightiness of the circumstance strengthens, with the series keeping watchers as eager and anxious as can be, addressing whether The Railway Men will prevail in their central goal. Parallelly, columnist Jagmohan Kumawat takes on a campaign against the American enterprise through his paper, giving advance notice to local people about the looming risk. The unfolding disaster is further complicated by skepticism and attempts to silence him, despite his efforts.
The Railway Men Strengths
The Railway Men, the new Netflix short, is an eye-opener not only on the ‘1984 Bhopal Gas Leak tragedy’, the worst industrial disaster, and the role played by unsung railway workers who went above and beyond their duty to save thousands of lives at Bhopal Junction, but also on the Sikh genocide of the same year, in which thousands of members of the Sikh community were murdered everywhere, including trains, streets, and homes. Hats off to the team for weaving two completely different types of tragedy into a single show.
The creators of The Railway Men merit unique appreciation for bringing into the spotlight the penances of overlooked yet truly great individuals who saved the existence of thousands of individuals. The four hourly episodes give a spine-chilling encounter, strikingly portraying the stunning results of the gas spill. The haunting images of poison coming from people’s mouths and the close-up shots that show the instantaneous deaths leave an emotional impression. The reasonable depiction of the eventual outcomes of the gas spill adds one more layer of profundity to the account.
R Madhavan and Kay Menon convey strong exhibitions, imbuing their characters with heart and making them engaging. The portrayal by Divyenndu adds a touch of intensity and clever one-liners. Babil Khan performs immaculately, particularly in profound sections. Indeed, even he stunningly embraces the Bhopali accent, and Juhi Chawla has a remarkable effect in her restricted screen time. Also, the performance by Sunny Hinduja as a righteous journalist gives us a sense of standing up to wrong and injustice.
The Railway Men Weaknesses
The Railway Men has too many subplots, which is its main flaw. The majority of them are poorly handled and add unnecessary length to the show. Additionally, the subplots lack a proper conclusion. The overdramatization of a few scenes reduces the authenticity impact to some extent. In the event that you seriously love the English web series Chernobyl, then The Railway Men may not dazzle you totally. Both titles tackle comparative catastrophes, yet Chernobyl is a true masterpiece in every sense.
There are numerous lingering moments in The Railway Men. Why, then, does it leave you feeling that it might have had more? Challenging to put a finger on it. Fundamentally attributable to entertainers aware of the practical vein of the amusement of a modern calamity that happened forty years prior, The Rail route Men is never at risk for dashing crazy. However, due to the large number of characters that populate the narrative, too many of them, particularly the women, are omitted abruptly.
The Railway Men uninhibitedly jumbles two parallel tracks – the genuine and the fictitious – without disclosing the take-off points or cross-over. It is clear that the majority of the series’ main characters are based on real people who were in the middle of the action that night and made it out alive. However, the inclusion of an outsider main character and different unnecessary plot points turn the show a bit into an entertainment-oriented ‘Soap Opera’. You may think me cruel for describing the series as such, but that is the truth. And sometimes, truth is bitter.
You Should Stream
Despite quite a few shortcomings, you should still stream the show as The Railway Men not only fills in as a stunner to the terrible occasions of 1984 yet in addition reveals insight into the ethical defilement inside the political scene. Despite being founded on evident episodes, the series maintains a strategic distance from a narrative-style approach, effectively fashioning a profound association with the watchers.
The Railway Men concludes its voiceover introduction by saying, “We live in a country where culprits go unpunished and heroes remain unrewarded.” This statement is made without any kind of nuance that would suggest that the adage applies today as well as to the past. A slew of admirable performances and storytelling that does not fall below a certain level of competence buoy. However, it could have been a lot more. Nonetheless, an enjoyable watch!
