Actor Rajpal Yadav says his role in the upcoming film 'Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain', a drama set amidst the Bhopal gas disaster that occurred in 1984, is a tribute to the victims of the tragedy.
The 43-year-old NSD graduate, mostly known for his comic roles in Bollywood, plays the character of a rickshaw driver around whom the whole story revolves.
"This film is my tribute to the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy. I am representing one of them in the film. It's one of the dreadful tragedies in world history and as severe as Titanic massacre. Revisiting the past with the film was a horrific experience for me," Rajpal told PTI.
The makers are also planning to hold a special screening of the film in Bhopal on December 3, two days ahead of its official release in Indian theatres on December 5.
"We are planning to do a premiere in Bhopal on the day the disaster will complete 30 years. We want that everybody should know how the chemical leak in Union Carbide led to the biggest man-made industrial disaster in history that killed over 5000 innocent people," Rajpal said.
'Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain' is directed by London based Indian director Ravi Kumar, who did an extensive research before helming the project. The film also stars Hollywood actors Martin Sheen, Kal Penn and Mischa Barton besides Indian artistes Tannishtha Chatterjee and Rajpal.
Rajpal said he was not the first choice for the role but when he bagged the offer, it was not a tough job for him.
"This film marks my trilogy in showing various facets of common man after 'Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon', 'Main Meri Patni Aur Woh'. In these three films you will get three different psychology of the common man. 'Main Madhuri...' and 'Main Meri Patni...' were the films which Ravi watched of mine and finalised me from 12 actors," he said.
The 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' actor feels lucky that he will be able to break free of his funnyman image in the industry through this film.
"I feel an actor is an entertainer first then a performer. When somebody offers you a role which you might not have done for a long time then it becomes a challenge for you. I did play a troubled common man during my NSD days but it is the first time that I am dealing with such subject again," he said.
Rajpal said sharing screen space with Sheen is a learning experience for him.
"He (Martin) is a wonderful actor. He is a thorough gentleman and I got to learn so much from him. He is super energetic too," Rajpal said.
