A series on Bhopal tragedy

The Indian media mogul has optioned the audio–visual rights to eminent authors Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro’s book, Five Past Midnight in Bhopal: The Epic Story of the World’s Deadliest Industrial Disaster. Ronnie Screwvala, on Thursday announced the news of turning the book into a series adaptation.

In 1984, the Bhopal gas tragedy had killed and injured thousands of people in the ancient city of Bhopal, when a cloud of toxic gas escaped from an American pesticide plant. Five Past Midnight in Bhopal, in which Lapierre and Moro weave hundreds of characters, eyewitness accounts, and adventures into one thrilling human tapestry, is an epic of ambition, valour, faith, hope, catastrophe and consequence.

Talking about the rights and screen adaptation, Ronnie said, “This story needs to be adapted for screen with the importance and scale as that of Chernobyl. The series will keep you on the edge of your seat, touch your heart, and provoke your anger and compassion. It’ll challenge the determination and implementation of international policy while celebrating the spirit of human endeavour against all odds. There isn’t a better time for this story to be told.”

Incidentally, the 2014Hollywood film Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, starring Martin Sheen, Mischa Barton and Kal Penn, with Indian actors Rajpal Yadav, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Fagun Thakrar on the topic had been viewed by critics as underwhelming.