Reel-life Anderson talks of justice for Bhopal gas tragedy victims

Warren Anderson might arguably be the most hated figure for the people of Bhopal, but the actor who plays the role of the former Union Carbide chief in an upcoming film is supporting the gas victims’ cause.

Updated on: Nov 8, 2014, 17:08:38 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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Warren Anderson might arguably be the most hated figure for the people of Bhopal, but the actor who plays the role of the former Union Carbide chief in an upcoming film is supporting the gas victims’ cause.

Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, who plays Anderson 'A Prayer for Rain', has also joined Amnesty International’s fight for justice to those whose lives were devastated forever by the 1984 gas leak.

"This was not an unavoidable accident. There is evidence that the companies responsible for the factory site failed to take adequate precautions both before and after the leak," Sheen says in a video message released by Amnesty.

'A Prayer for Rain', set amid the real life Bhopal disaster, was released in US on Friday and is set for worldwide release on December 5, two days after the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. The makers of the movie claim that it exposes the shocking events that led to the biggest man-made industrial disaster in history.

Sheen has, meanwhile, joined Amnesty’s battle to hold Union Carbide accountable for the industrial disaster, as he launched his latest film based on the tragedy in Los Angeles on Friday, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International India.

"Those who survived have faced long-term health problems, but receive little medical help. For 30 years the survivors of Bhopal have campaigned for justice, for fair compensation, health care and for Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemicals, to be held to account," says Sheen.

Audrey Gaughran, director of Amnesty International’s Global Issues Programme, says, "Dow tries to portray Bhopal as a historic event that ended well before they assumed control of Union Carbide, but that’s not the case."

"Together, the US and India must challenge international companies like Dow ... They must seize this opportunity to show that international investment cannot come at the cost of human lives," Gaughran adds. Anderson died in US at 92 in late September, but it came to light only a week ago.

Read:'Anderson had not wanted to leave Bhopal immediately'

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More