The Railway Men true story and the real men behind the Netflix series

YRF's inaugural OTT mini-series, The Railway Men on Netflix, has emerged as a major success. This series, centred on the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, currently holds a position among the top ten trending shows on Netflix India.

Additionally, it has garnered acclaim for paying tribute to the often overlooked heroes of the Bhopal Gas tragedy, making it a poignant homage to their efforts during this catastrophic incident.

About The Railway Men

• The Netflix series The Railway Men is a gripping portrayal of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and the heroic railway workers who saved many lives but whose efforts went largely overlooked. 
• The storyline races against time to avert further casualties in one of the worst industrial disasters in the world. 

• The series, inspired by true events, follows their efforts before, during, and after the gas leak, highlighting the urgency to rescue others. 
• The show emphasises the selfless acts of those involved in preventing further harm during this tragic incident.

The real men behind The Railway Men 

Iftekaar Siddiqui, inspired by Ghulam Dastagir

• Experienced Bollywood actor Kay Kay Menon plays Iftekaar Siddiqui, the station master at Bhopal Junction railway station in 1984, when the gas leak happens. 

• Siddiqui's character is drawn from the valour displayed by station master Ghulam Dastagir and his team during the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. 
• Dastagir risked his life attempting to rescue passengers and innocent civilians amidst the toxic air and the consequent stampede at Bhopal Junction.

Jagmohan Kumawat, inpired by Rajkumar Keswani

• Sunny Hinduja stars as Jagmohan Kumawat, a local journalist in The Railway Men, investigating safety issues at the Union Carbide plant that caused the Bhopal incident.

• Jagmohan Kumawat's character is inspired by the real-life journalist Rajkumar Keswani. 
• The series draws extensively from Keswani's pre- and post-Bhopal Gas Tragedy articles. 
• Keswani, the initial whistleblower, was the first to highlight the lethal impact of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. 
• Despite his efforts, his warnings went unheeded. 

Rati Pandey, inspired by Gauri Shankar

• R Madhavan's depiction of Rati Pandey, the General Manager of the West Central Railway Zone in the series, draws inspiration from a real person—Gauri Shankar, who served as the GM of Northern Railways during the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

• Pandey's character leads the charge in the series to save lives during the gas leak, paying a tribute to the real-life efforts of Gauri Shankar.
• Gauri Shankar defied orders from his superiors and risked his life to assist those stranded at Bhopal junction on his Inspection Special train during the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, as depicted in the Netflix series.

Kamruddin, inspired by Bashirullah

• Dibyendu Bhattacharya's character Kamruddin in the Netflix mini-series portrays a manager at Union Carbide.

• The character is inspired by a real individual named Bashirullah, who worked at the UC plant.
• Initially alarmed by the gas leak, Kamruddin, like his real-life counterpart, was reassured by the plant's head that it was not a significant issue.

Warren Anderson

• The first episode of The Railway Men begins with Jagmohan Kumawat (Sunny Hinduja) looking at the Union Carbide Corp CEO Warren Anderson fleeing India after the tragic events of Bhopal in 1984.

• The character was actually inspired by the real-life Warren Anderson, who escaped arrest and any kind of charges when he fled India and never appeared again to face charges of "manslaughter" for ignoring all safety warnings at Union Carbide India Bhopal plant, that ultimately led to the disaster.