US film angers Bhopal gas survivors

An upcoming Hollywood film on the Bhopal gas disaster has run into objections from a survivors' group that fears the production will whitewash the role of the US company blamed for the tragedy.

The film, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain starring Martin Sheen, is set for release in December and focuses on the aftermath of the gas leak in 1984, which was the world's worst industrial accident and claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Sheen plays Warren Anderson, the Chief Executive of Union Carbide, the US chemical group that ran the factory, who is considered a fugitive in India, where he faces charges of negligence.

"It looks like the director is trying to justify the action and decisions taken by Warren Anderson and many facts are presented wrongly," an activist from the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, Rachna Dhingra, said.

The blame

US group Dow Chemical said efforts to tie it to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster were "misdirected" amid media reports the Indian government will try to extract compensation from the company.

Dow bought Union Carbide in 1999, whose local 51-per cent-owned Indian unit was responsible for the catastrophic gas leak that killed thousands instantly and tens of thousands over the following years.

Union Carbide struck a $470-million (Dh1.72 billion) out-of-court settlement with the Indian government in 1989.