Kolkata, Nov 12 (Representative) ‘Tailing Pond’, an award-winning short film directed by contemporary director Saurav Vishnu, has been confirmed for a six-episode docuseries in 2022-2023. ‘Tailing Pond’, which qualified for Oscar consideration, showcases how tribal families in Jadugora, Jharkhand are suffering from chronic medical conditions. The sole cause of their grief is uranium radiation. Narrated by ‘Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, the 20-minute short film gives audiences a brief introduction to the horrifying effects of uranium poisoning on innocent tribal people. The short film took five years of hard work and over 160 hours of shooting to make. The upcoming docuseries will delve deeper into the story of Jadugora. In 1951, the government of India realised its fortune in uranium and, in 1967, formed the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) to oversee all of the country’s uranium mining activities. The creation of UCIL became a devastating turning point in the lives of tribal families in Jadugora. The heart-wrenching documentary sheds light on the cruelty one village is facing.
However, the upcoming docuseries will highlight the other tailing ponds in and around the villages and the irresponsible practices of nuclear waste dumping. Families have suffered over many generations and are still affected by the nuclear contamination. The slurry from the ponds has seeped into the local soil and groundwater exposing the locals to a highly toxic radioactive waste. Speaking on the announcement, Saurav Vishnu, Director of ‘Tailing Pond’, said, “We are thrilled with the positive audience response we have received from the short film. We are now planning to expand this narrative into a six-episode docuseries that will give an in-depth insight into the entire story of Jadugora. We will be highlighting 12 additional families who are victims of radiation poisoning and have been suffering for generations. The series will also include interviews with relevant activists and other important members of our society, raising a debate on why this issue has been under wraps for decades. With our unbiased story, we will bring to the focus of senior authorities the grief and misery of the tribal people.”