Cristofle

I'm interested to see this one, especially after all the controversy.

maalibu

A new still from the movie

Sam_MC

Thanks Maz

{Melody}

Thanks for that. I'm getting exciting for this movie.

Sam_MC

Martin Sheen Bhopal film in trouble

Hollywood stars Martin Sheen and Mischa Barton’s upcoming film, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, based on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, has come under severe attack from NGOs and campaigners for several reasons.

Sheen plays Warren Anderson, the then chief executive of Union Carbide, while B
arton plays Eva Gascon, a journalist of the magazine, Paris Match. Although the film has been kept under wraps, reports suggest it ends with an imagined present-day meeting between an unrepentant Anderson and a remorseful Gascon at the former’s country club in the US.

Director Ravi Kumar was unavailable for a comment. However, Rachna Dhingra of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal says the movie “shows the US-based Union Carbide Corporation management as pure saints”. She adds that they have been in constant touch with Sheen. “Initially, Kumar was in touch but once we started raising objections, he vanished. Sheen has expressed solidarity with us over the issue.”

“Kumar’s film shows Union Carbide’s Indian subsidiary Union Carbide India Limited was responsible for the tragedy while Anderson goes scot-free. Several respected people such as senior journalist Raj Kumar Keswani are depicted in an objectionable manner,” says Dhingra, adding they want the makers to re-shoot a small portion. “They haven’t responded yet. If our concerns aren’t dealt with, we won’t let the film open.”

Satinath Sarangi, managing trustee of Bhopal-based Sambhavna Clinic, which has been helping the victims over the years, says, “Ravi Kumar was constantly in touch with us initially but he suddenly stopped communicating. We are going to shoot off letters to all cast members including Barton and Sheen, who will pay heed to our objections because he has been involved with several causes around the world.” Actor Tannishtha Chatterjee, who plays Leela in the film, says, “I am an Indian so I will never be part of any film that’s insensitive to such a subject.”

The film is likely to release later this year.

Martin Sheen Bhopal film in trouble - Hindustan Times

Cristofle

...I'm confused. LOL.

eatyourgreens

If he's unrepentant, doesn't that make him seem like the bad guy...? I don't get it either, Liz.

Hope the movie comes out this year though!

Cristofle

Yeah, all I've heard about this film suggests Americans are not portrayed in a flattering light at all, lol.

Sam_MC

One line annoyed me a lot...

I'm all for voicing your opinion but to block a film from being released because you don't AGREE with the fictional tone, don't we call that censorship? How about you let the public decide.

Cristofle

I've added tags to this.

And I know censoring movies country-wide happens, but it confuses me. What do they think showing the movie is going to cause?

Sam_MC

Gas tragedy film on the right track

Martin Sheen and Mischa Barton's 'Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain', that was shot partly in the city, may release next year

Ravi Kumar, the director of "Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain" was inspired by "many wonderful books and documentaries" on the Bhopal gas tragedy when he decided to make a feature film on it. In 2009, Kumar got US actors Martin Sheen and Mischa Barton on board for the movie, through which he wanted to tell the story of "corporate greed and the hypocrisy of multinationals in dealing with the third world". He says it was relatively easy to convince the renowned actors to be part of the project since they responded well to this universal theme.

Kumar shot with Sheen, Barton, Indian actress Tannishtha Chatterjee and several others at that time, and since he had to re-create the 1984 period of Bhopal, he shot the film in Hyderabad and Mumbai on sets and factory locations, and only a few critical scenes were shot in Bhopal. The "life-changing" experience was like a roller coaster ride for the director, who says that three years after the first shot, he is finally reaching the "end of this long journey".

He told us recently, "We have been invited to some major film festivals where it will be premiered. The release dates will be decided by the distributor all over the world according to their plans."

However, after the shoot, the director had come under attack from some local NGOs, which claimed that the movie was misrepresenting reality. But ask him about it now, and he says, "For us, there are no issues. The script that they objected to, is not relevant as it was an older version. You have to remember, 95 per cent of the film, crew and cast is Indian, our producer Ravi Walia is Indian... hundreds of them came on board as they believed in the script. Anyone who has seen the rough edit is proud to be associated with this epic and moving story made by Indians." As far as the delay in the release is concerned (from 2010 to tentatively 2012), he says, "The film has been edited carefully, some scenes re-shot, as this is a historical document and people expect the story to be authentic and genuine. It's been worthwhile fine-tuning the story as this kind of films have a long shelf life. "

Right now, the film is with some very senior editors, and music composers from London and LA are working on it, says Kumar. While he does admit that the whole journey of making the movie has been difficult, he adds, "This is not a commercial project, but I'm glad to say that the finished film feels more suited for mainstream audience worldwide, thanks to the universal theme and the US actors playing crucial roles."

Gas tragedy film on the right track - The Times of India

Cristofle

Well, glad to hear some good news on this at last! I still want to see how Mischa and Martin Sheen worked together, since she seemed impacted by him in such a positive way.

eatyourgreens

Nice to hear good news. I think this is the one I want to see most out of Mischa's projects in the pipeline. The story is definitely an interesting one in history, and they seem to have done their homework, especially after reading that article. It has mainstream potential, with all the other big names involved, and it seems like it has potential for critical acclaim as well.

Cablebot3000

Man that is good news! I thought this film would never see the light of day, and I agree with whoever said they were most interested in this project. I am as well.

Sam_MC

I wonder if they'll do a full red carpet premiere at one of the upcoming festivals. That would be cool.