Beyond its cinematic merits, "Irada" takes a bold step toward addressing pressing social issues. The film sheds light on the destructive consequences of industrial pollution and exposes the corrupt collusion between corporations and government officials. By intertwining a gripping narrative with societal commentary, "Irada" transcends the boundaries of entertainment, emerging as a socially relevant and thought-provoking piece of cinema that encourages viewers to reflect on real-world challenges.

The exploration of reverse boring and its environmental implications have garnered increasing attention within the scientific community, however, not much material is available on the internet.A few studies have illuminated the extensive ramifications associated with this practice, extending far beyond the immediate disposal sites. One key concern highlighted in the literature is the leaching of toxic substances into the surrounding soil and groundwater, posing a significant threat to essential resources vital for sustaining both wildlife and human communities.This literature review stresses the multifaceted dangers associated with reverse boring. The evidence presented in the following studies collectively points towards the urgent need for comprehensive assessments, regulatory enhancements, and proactive measures to address the environmental and human health risks posed by reverse boring activities.

Estok, S. C. (2009). Theorizing in a Space of Ambivalent Openness: Ecocriticism and Ecophobia. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 16(2), 203–225.

Fisher, R. M., Alex, R. K., & Sachindev, P.S. (eds.) (2021). Interdisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Approaches. International Journal of Fear Studies, 3(1).

"Health and Environment -Environmental Health Crisis in Cotton Belt of Punjab." MPCB Home Page, 2022, www.mpcb.gov.in/healthenvt/punjabhealth.

Kovel, Joel. The Enemy of Nature, the End of Capitalism or the End of the World? Zed Books, 2007.

Peterson, K., & Kovel, J. (2008). [Review of The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World?]. Environmental Philosophy, 5(2), 174–176.

'Irada', a gripping film released in 2017, brings the undivulged case of reverse boring into the spotlight, revealing the impact of reverse boring and the forces responsible for the practice despite the government-imposed ban on it. The mechanism involves directing industrial refuse and toxins through drilled piped wells and dumping them into the earth's crust, thereby contaminating the underground water reserves. Several industries like textile, fertilizer, chemical industries et cetera deftly employ this procedure to dump their factory refuse. Drawing on these actual cases, Aparna Singh, the Director, weaves the yarn around an ex-army man's daughter who develops lung cancer. It is later revealed that the presence of the carcinogenic substances in the city water is responsible for not only her ailment but many others', as is explicitly evident from the distressing scene featuring the 'Cancer Train'. As the film unravels, it becomes explicit that both the corporates and the 'corporate funded' government are complicit in the reverse boring web trapping innocents in an inescapable sickness. Both the characters of Ramandeep Braitch, the insensitive and corrupt Chief Minister and Paddy Sharma, a money-grubbing executive, turn a blind eye to the consequences of reverse boring to satiate their personal and monetary interests. Blinded by their capitalist goals, citizens and their lives appear disposable to these neo-colonialists. The film, therefore, intends to condemn the reckless disposal of industrial refuse and, in the process, successfully exposes the apathy and laxness of concerned authorities and institutions. Lastly, as the film explores the matters of justice, corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship, it also moves its audience to question whether development is desirable at the cost of environmental and human health.

In an article published by 'The Indian Express' on December 5, 2023, Divya Goyal reports Ludhiana villagers pleading, "we don't want to die of cancer". Behind this deeply distressing plea is the menace of 'reverse boring', a forbidden procedure that involves the disposal of industrial refuse and toxins through drilled piped wells into the earth's crust. Several industries continue to employ this perilous mechanism with a smokescreen of development and capitalism, keeping innocents in the dark. Aparna Singh's 'Irada', a 2017 film, attempts to unveil this malpractice by familiarising its audience with the concerning consequences of reverse boring, simultaneously debunking the forces that are responsible for sustaining this evil.

Set in Bathinda, 'Irada' begins with a wide shot of the intimidating industrial reactors with a sepia tint, directing the audience's focus to industrial pollution from the very start. Aparna Singh, the Director, then lays out the film's trajectory against various tragedies related to the reverse boring scam, beginning with an ex-army officer's daughter, Riya Walia, who develops lung cancer. Her father, Parabjeet Walia, on receiving her blood reports,discovers that her blood contains unnaturally alarming amounts of carcinogenic substances. Therefore, he takes on a quest to uncover the factors responsible for her daughter's ailment. 

In a parallel plot, Anirudh Dutt, an RTI activist, gets his hands on the confidential documents of the PPFPL industries that prove that the industry employs reverse boring and is additionally involved in tampering with public blood reports. However, much to our dismay, he is soon put out of the way by the antagonist, Paddy Sharma, the wicked executive of the PPFPL industries. Indeed, as Singh states, "both blood and water are owned by Paddy". Nevertheless, his partner, journalist Maya Singh, takes over his hunt for the truth and justice. It is through her that the audience is disillusioned and the perils of reverse boring are laid bare.

The ramifications of reverse boring are extensive and extend beyond the immediate vicinity of the disposal sites. The toxic substances can leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater, contaminating essential resources for both wildlife and human communities. As these pollutants spread, they can disrupt ecosystems, harm aquatic life, and compromise the quality of drinking water sources. Additionally, the release of harmful chemicals into the Earth's crust can cause soil degradation and the destruction of microbial communities that play crucial roles in maintaining soil fertility. The long-term consequences of reverse boring can lead to irreversible damage to the delicate balance of the ecosystems.

As the film vividly puts across through its extremely excruciating scene featuring the 'cancer train', prolonged exposure to these pollutants can lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory problems, neurological disorders, and an increased risk of certain cancers. In a survey undertaken by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research (PGIMR) Chandigarh, it has been revealed that the Punjab region has disconcerting amounts of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as heptachlor endo-epoxide, chromium, arsenic, mercury, chlorpyrifos, cadmium, uranium et cetera. These toxins, after having been absorbed by the crops through contaminated groundwater and irrigation, grow in concentration in the terminal consumers through the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The research further proves that the presence of these pollutants in water and food products can lead to immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive disorders like fetotoxicity, testicular cancer and congenital malformations.

After having collected the pieces of evidence, Maya hands them over to an NIA officer, Arjun Mishra. The director, Aparna Singh,uses Arjun as the vital link between the two plots, creating a link between Parabjeet and Maya and their findings. What is also significant about Arjun's character is that he unmasks the corrupt authorities responsible for sustaining reverse boring. He discloses it is Ramandeep Braitch, a double-dealing Chief Minister, who grants an underhand permit to Paddy Sharma in exchange for his illicit funding to her party. Both she and her benefactor, Paddy, set a false narrative to keep the public in the dark, continuing their unceasing exploitation of the environment and humans alike. Biswas' inference regarding the 'cancer train' offers an explicit testimony of this capitalistic exploitation inflicted by these neo-colonialists. He observes, "usually, in local or mail trains, the hawkers sell toys, biscuits and water bottles, but unfortunately, the 'cancer train' hawks blood pouches and insurance packages among passengers as the buyers are cancer patients or their relatives, so they require the blood for their transitional living and insurance to protect their families after deaths". Thereby, "blatantly sucking commoners" even in the face of death. Keith Peterson, therefore, aptly states that"capitalism's ruthless commodification of every aspect of life has deformed human relations to nature and other humans."

Their treatment of the environment resonates closely with Joel Kovel's description of contemporary society. As he states, we are building "an economy geared to run on the basis of unceasing accumulation" wherein humans are in a state of "anthropocentric delusion". In such a society,the realization of personal and monetary benefits attains primacy and moral responsibilities like environmental stewardship lose their lustre. Ergo, as Peterson states, "capitalism is like an all-encompassing "force field" which polarizes and organizes all the living and non-living under its sway, compelling human beings to exploit both human and non-human for the sake of profit."

Declaring capitalism to be the root of ecological destruction, "a cancer upon nature", Kovel predicts an "end of the world". He, therefore, proposes an improved way of life, one of 'Ecosocialism'. He states that "the term "Ecosocialism" refers to a society that is recognizably socialist, in that the producers have been reunited with the means of production in a robust efflorescence of democracy; and also recognizably ecological, in that the "limits to growth" are finally respected, and nature is recognized as having intrinsic value, and thereby allowed to resume its inherently formative path". He further suggests the adoption of an 'Eco-philosophy' to mend our symbiotic relations with nature. According to him, it represents"a comprehensive orientation that combines the understanding of our relation to nature, the dynamics of the ecological crisis, and the guidelines for rebuilding society in an eco-centric direction".

The film is not without hope either. It does present us with a few ways to address the issue of reverse boring. For instance, there must be increased vigilance in monitoring potential disposal sites, strict enforcement of environmental regulations, and severe penalties for those found guilty of engaging in this practice. Public awareness campaigns can also play a crucial role in educating communities about the dangers of reverse boring and the importance of responsible waste management. This public vigilance can also be brought about by constructing transparency through media bodies; Maya's quest in the film is the epitome of true media intervention. They are a great aid in instilling awareness and voicing mass discontent. It is also crucial that industrial authorities release a report of the items they are dealing in, and the presence of any hazardous materials and offer verified permits for their ventures.

1. Estok, S. C. (2009). Theorizing in a Space of Ambivalent Openness: Ecocriticism and Ecophobia. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 16(2), 203–225. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44733418

2. Fisher, R. M., Alex, R. K., & Sachindev, P.S. (eds.) (2021). Interdisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Approaches. International Journal of Fear Studies, 3(1).

3. Goyal, Divya. (2023, December 5) 'Groundwater turns black, stinky; Ludhiana villagers say,'we don't want to die of cancer'. The Indian Express https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/groundwater-udhiana-villagers-die-cancer-9054795/

4. "Health and Environment -Environmental Health Crisis in Cotton Belt of Punjab." MPCB Home Page, 2022, www.mpcb.gov.in/healthenvt/punjabhealth.

5. Irada. Directed by Aparnaa Singh, performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Sagarika Ghatge, Sharad Kelkar Arshad Warsi and Rumana Molla, Irada Entertainment. 2017.

6. Kovel, Joel. The Enemy of Nature, the End of Capitalism or the End of the World? Zed Books, 2007.

7. Peterson, K., & Kovel, J. (2008). [Review of The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World?]. Environmental Philosophy, 5(2), 174–176. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26167996