MP/ 39 Years On Muzaffar Ali's Documentary on Bhopal Gas Tragedy Still Awaits Release

Bhopal: Celebrated filmmaker Muzaffar Ali’s documentary titled ‘Sheeshon Ka Masiha’ (God of glasses) vividly narrating the horrific scenes of Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 has been gathering dust in the state archive for the last 39 years with the short film still awaiting nod by Madhya Pradesh government for its public screening.

The 28-minute documentary made around a couple of months after the incident, said to be the world’s worst industrial disaster, narrated the heart-wrenching tales of the victims who survived the tragedy only to battle numerous serious illnesses caused by the leakage of deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) in the plant on the fateful night, for the rest of their lives.

“The Bhopal gas tragedy has now become history. There is no point holding back the public screening of the documentary”, Mr Ali, the maker of the classic ‘Umrao Jaan’, told this newspaper earlier.

Mr Ali had made documentaries on Gwalior and Chanderi before being approached by the state government to do the short film on the Bhopal gas tragedy for posterity.

“I was paid fully by the state government for the documentary. But, people should be given the opportunity to watch it”, he said.

The protagonists of the documentary are none other than the survivors of the tragedy, who gave the eyewitness accounts of the tragic incident.

One of the survivors was seen narrating how one of his kin was found alive when he was frantically screening the bodies of the victims piled up in a truck, while some others were heard telling stories of bodies being carried by vehicles to dispose of them.

This newspaper had access to the documentary.

Official sources said that the documentary did not get the nod of the state government for public screening fearing that it may invite legal trouble because of some narratives in the short film.

The issue is still in the court with the survivors demanding adequate compensation and medical facilities for them and the release of the documentary for public screening may spell more legal trouble for the government, a senior state government officer said requesting not to be quoted.

More than 15,000 people were killed and over one lakh others maimed in the incident.

Many survivors are still battling serious illnesses such as pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac problems and cancer.