A new film starring Martin Sheen that dramatises the 1984 Bhopal gas leak, is due to be released to mark the 30-year anniversary of the world's deadliest industrial disaster.

The film, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, starring Hollywood actors Martin Sheen, Mischa Barton and Kal Penn, documents how an American pesticide factory in India accidentally released cyanide gas into the atmosphere, killing thousands of people and leaving many more sick or disabled opened in the city

Indian director Ravi Kumar who himself hails from Madhya Pradesh state of which Bhopal is the capital, said he wanted to make the film for a long time, but believes now the time is right to tell the story.

"Bhopal has been in our conscience for last 30 years and I think this is the right time to tell the story because time has passed, so there is emotional distance so we can tell this story by objective point of view," said Kumar.

Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain is due to be released worldwide on 5 December.

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