One doesn’t associate Yash Raj Films with hard-hitting and realistic stories. For the same reason, R Madhavan was initially sceptical about being a part of The Railway Men, which revolves around a group of railway personnel who saved lives on the fateful night of the Bhopal gas tragedy. “I had scepticism about how it would be treated. Will it be a cosmetic look at the Bhopal gas tragedy? Because Yash Raj is known for classically doing that,” begins the actor, who plays Central Railways’ general manager Rati Panday in the four-part Netflix series.

His doubts were cleared when he read the script penned by director-writer Shiv Rawail and co-writer Aayush Gupta. “When I saw the in-depth research and how Shiv knew everything like the back of his hand, it gave me immense confidence. But I was still unsure about how I’d do it because my character gives a speech, which was initially eight-to-nine pages long,” he exclaims.