One-dimensional presentation marries this moving tale of a real-life hero; in the film’s excitement over Jaswant Singh Gill’s courage, the six miners who perished in the disaster are all but forgotten.
Introduction:
Hindi-language catastrophe thriller Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue was released in 2023. Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, Pooja Entertainment handled production. Starring Parineeti Chopra and Akshay Kumar, the movie is based on the collapse of West Bengal’s Raniganj Coalfields in 1989. The movie is based on the brave and selfless rescue of 65 trapped miners from the Raniganj Coalfields in 1989 by IIT Dhanbad mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill.
Plot:
Era of 1989, miners of Raniganj Coalfields are changing shifts at midnight. Three parts make up the mine, and in one of them, a blast is detonated to reveal new coal veins. It is discovered that the shaft is leaking water after the blow. A deaf miner who is in charge of the Behra (deaf) section doesn’t hear the phone signal, despite the emergency order to leave. All but 60 of the more than 200 miners in the Behra portion have been evacuated, and six more miners have drowned while attempting to escape the mines. When he sees the rescue vehicles approaching the mine, Jaswant Singh Gill, the manager of a nearby mine, decides to offer his assistance. When he arrives, other operation members firmly oppose him, believing that there is no chance of saving the miners and that they have already all perished.
Ujjwal, the head of the flooded mine, asks for his assistance with the rescue effort. To scope the mine’s highest point, Gill hires drilling engineer Bindal and discredited surveyor Tapan Ghosh. After that, he drills an 8-inch hole and signals the miners with a torch. The miners do not see the flashlight because they are unaware that they are trapped behind a brick wall that blocks their path to the highest peak. Sen from Coal India is dispatched to undermine the mission while Ujjwal, the manager of Raniganj Coalfields, is deeply despised by his superior. Gill warns that the mineshaft is highly flooded and cannot be entered, but he suggests saving the workers through a closed mineshaft that had been breached by the explosion.
When his team finds the drowned bodies of six miners, the rescue team decides to call off the search and shut down. Shortly before the miners reach the highest point, the flashlight is removed. But when one of the miners’ dogs hears their frantic cries, it alerts Gill that the miners are still alive and that the rescue operation should go on.
Sen’s plan fails, and then Gill is the target of attention. Food, water, and medications may be sent down to the mine via the 8-inch borehole, which also serves as a communications connection. The miners learn through a Davy light that carbon dioxide gas is filling the shaft and that it is coming toward them along with the water. Gill creates a capsule that is 29 inches wide and may be used to extract miners from a larger borehole one at a time. Sen ruins this endeavor by taking important parts out of the crane he brought in, which delays the miners’ prompt rescue. Gill calculates that the miners’ oxygen supply will run out in just 48 hours. They have no choice except to personally hoist each miner out. The majority of the miners are saved, but during a crucial moment, their oxygen supply runs out and they understand they can’t save them all by hand. Sen is attacked by Govardhan, the union leader and local MLA, until he confesses to intentionally damaging the crane. He fixes and transports the crane to the mine under duress. Despite losing his metal hammer, Gill manages to signal for the capsule to be raised using his kaṛā before appearing to black out from oxygen deprivation. Gill receives an instant promotion and a cheque for Rs. 1 lakh for being the last person to be taken out of the minefields. The discredited surveyor receives payment for his unpaid wages and recognition for his efforts.
Cast:
- Akshay Kumar as Jaswant Singh Gill
- Parineeti Chopra as Nirdosh Kaur Gill
- Kumud Mishra as RK Ujjwal
- Pavan Malhotra as T.P. Bindal
