December 3 marked the 30th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy which claimed more than 10,000 lives. A film based on the incident releasing in theaters this week is certainly timely. Director Ravi Kumar’s Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain is an important film for sure; unfortunately it’s not a very well made one.

   The film was shot five years ago, and the story of the struggle to get it in theaters would probably be more interesting than the film itself. The problem is, the film is neither a thriller, nor a detailed account of the event, nor an ethical rumination on the tragedy. It’s told through the eyes of a host of severely underdeveloped characters, including local journalist Motwani (played by Kal Penn), an American journalist (Misha Barton), a rickshaw driver turned factory worker (Rajpal Yadav), his wife (Tanisshtha) and Warren Anderson, the CEO of Union Carbide (played by Martin Sheen).

   All of these....