The Indian Airlines hijacking by the terrorists in 1999 is an event that is hard to forget. The horror that ensued for the next few days leading up to the release of the hostages and the negotiations between the terrorists and the Indian government led to many developments. IC 814: Kandahar Hijack, created by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava, is a Hindi-language miniseries that is based on the book ‘Flight into Fear.’ The show retells the story of the hijack and the drama that ensued. Released on the 29th of August 2024, the show is six episodes long.
As everyone is aware, IC 814: Kandahar Hijack chronicles the story of the December 24th, 1999, hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi. As the flight was hijacked by several terrorists belonging to the neighboring nation, the Indian government and several top agencies, namely, R&AW, IB, and the police, went into action to understand the reasons behind the hijack and how to solve the matter at hand. The Home Minister and the Cabinet Secretary were at the forefront to begin the negotiation to find out what the terrorists wanted in return for the lives of the passengers. The show also deals with the scenario on the flight as passengers were getting tensed and fidgety while the terrorists on board were being unreasonable and agitated all the time. Things initially didn’t work as per their plan. The intelligence agencies were also keen to find out what ensued in Kathmandu and who supplied arms and ammunition to the terrorists.
Since the story is based on a true story that took place twenty-five years ago, many are aware of what happened as the situation worsened on the plane as well as the bureaucratic corridors of New Delhi. A lot of these events have been officially documented. What makes IC 814: Kandahar Hijack interesting is its direction and the way it treats the source material. Since the series is based on the book co-written by the pilot who was flying the plane that was hijacked, much of the narrative was from his perspective. The screenplay is tight and does not resort to hyper-nationalism or jingoism. The story is handled with the utmost subtlety and is low-key in a way that generates tension, which is required in a show that deals with crimes of high magnitude. The suit-wearing bureaucrats and heads of the intelligence agencies are not just walking around; they are getting to the bottom of the issue to make sure the terrorists are caught and the passengers are rescued. The screenplay, however, fizzled by the last two episodes as the narrative was only beating around the bush and the writers and the director kind of abandoned several subplots they had introduced.
The narrative began to resemble Vivek Agnihotri style as the heads of the agencies began to talk amongst each other about the consequences of their actions and the subsequent acceptance of the demands made by the hijackers on board. It gets exhausting by the end. The screenplay at one point tries to sympathize with the terrorists, which is wrong on every level as nothing can justify the crime they committed and the cause of their actions. Having one of the hijackers sympathizing with one of the crew members of the flight was unnecessary. There is also the issue of the subplot about two women working in the media trying to make sense of the incident and how to publish the stories about the hijacking. However, the premise of the subplot is interesting; the writers did not expand on the subject. It was only about two women having two different opinions about the incident. The subplot did not add any value to the existing narrative, which is frustrating. There’s one subplot about the pilot’s wife as the person putting on a brave face during this horrendous time. There is a complete lack of empathy towards her character, which is frustrating. Bringing in her character did not make sense at all.
The screenplay and the direction are heavily inspired by the 2006 film “United 93” by Paul Greengrass. All the characters are presented as being the real-life personas they are based on and converse naturally instead of going over the board with showy dialogue or theatrics. The direction by Anubhav Sinha is excellent even though the narrative dawdles. The screenplay and the direction bring in real-life footage with a voiceover to explain the political situation of the subcontinent, which is an interesting way of getting the audience engaged. This works because it does not come across as spoon-feeding but as offering a lesson in history in a matter-of-fact way.
Director Anubhav Sinha has included some excellent shots of the Indian Airlines flight at several points of the show. The tension created through the narrative and the direction is excellent. There is no sense of confusion when it comes to the plot, but the lack of emotion and addition of unnecessary philosophical tangents and interpretations to the events ruined the ending of the show. The first four episodes are an example of how a political criminal drama ought to be directed. The sense of claustrophobia is generated very well, which only adds to the intrigue even though many of us know how the saga ended. The CGI as well is brilliant. The good graphics only add urgency to the narrative and take the story forward. I am also glad the director and the writer did not use the cliched Bollywood version of how a Pakistani sounds. Clever of the makers to eliminate all of that and focus on the screenplay and not going overblown with the India-Pakistan narrative.
The editing is crisp and tight until the last two episodes. The two episodes are supposed to offer a conclusive ending, but sadly, that does happen. It is the screenplay that needs to be blamed, as it tried to close too many chapters. IC 814: Kandahar Hijack has a killer title track, and I personally did not skip it. The show boasts an ensemble cast, and none of them try to overpower each other. Each actor has a role to play, and they deliver it with utmost ease.
As the series starts, each actor is the character, and they disappear into them, which is a joy to watch. All of them are officers working for the government and the intelligence agencies who are trying to do their job and not freaking out. It is for the first time in Hindi cinema that there is a mention of constant tension between the R&AW and the Intelligence Bureau. All of them are human beings leading a normal life outside of their work, while their actual job is to protect the nation and the people of the country. It is such a joy to watch Arvind Swamy back on the screen after a long time and playing a Tamilian himself. Kudos to Anubhav Sinha for finally understanding the meaning of a diverse cast. There is Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Kumud Mishra, Yashpal Sharma, Dia Mirza, Rajiv Thakur, Patralekha, Aditya Srivastava, Kanwaljeet Singh, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Amrita Puri, and Vijay Verma. All the actors have done a commendable job, as everyone has been given equal screen time. Everyone is a hero in this story. The pilot, Captain Devi Sharan, was a bigger one than the others who pacified the situation. Vijay Verma is brilliant as the calm and content pilot who hardly lost his cool throughout the entire ordeal. Also, it is alarming to know most of the people heading the intelligence agencies as well as the other bureaucrats are all men. Is that normal or just a representation of what the situation was like back then?
IC 814: Kandahar Hijack is a good show, barring some discrepancies in the end. Give it a watch, as it is a refreshingly good retelling of a horrendous incident.
