I watched an Indian disaster film called Mission Raniganj (2023) which is inspired by the Raniganj Coalfields collapse of 1989 in which more than 60 miners were trapped and the mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill who played a pivotal role in saving them.

The film didn’t seem terribly accurate, and I was concerned by how the story might be biased based on the fact that the film opens with special thanks to Coal India Limited, which is the company later revealed in the film to be in charge of the mine at the time. In fact, there are several times in the movie in which the miners and rescue workers rally around the pride of being workers of Coal India. This seems a little odd to me, since even in the film it appears that the crisis happened or was worsened due to lapses in measures taken by Coal India in operating the mine.

Much of the film appears to be fictional, but that isn’t to say the film wasn’t enjoyable. The good-natured humor of Gill in response to many perilous, serious, or frustrating situations were pretty funny while still managing to keep a respectful tone considering the subject matter.

Like the friend who recommended this film to me mentioned, the CGI was a bit dated in a few parts, but I think the story was told well, even if seemingly biased and very fictional.