In a scene in Netflix's IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack, two men have a light-hearted conversation over morning tea. “Coffee is like a religion, sir. There is no place for misinterpretation”. The other retorts “And tea is like blind faith. Good or bad. Tea is tea”. It is clever dialogues like these that make IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack a delightful watch. The eeries is a gripping, edge-of-the-seat retelling of one of 1999 Kandahar Hijack based on the book Flight Into Fear authored by captain Devi Sharan.
Elsewhere, far away from Kathmandu, a newsroom in Delhi covers the Hijack. The Editor of a newspaper walks up to a journalist to share words of appreciation for her reporting on the Hijack. “Switch to TV”, she says, meaning it as a compliment. “I will stick to print”, the journalist responds.
IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack Plot
The six part limited series on Netflix opens with Ram (Anupam Tripathi), a RAW spy in Kathmandu gathering Intel on a possible Hijack of IC-814 flight from Kathmandu to Delhi. Ram tries to warn IB (Intelligence Bureau), CC’es everyone on the mail but no one pays heed to it.
The flight takes off. The plane is hijacked. Somewhere in the families trapped on this flight, we see a complicated dynamic play out. An emotionally distant father is forced to spend time with his differently abled son who he avoids emotionally. A geriartic man reminds a cabin crew of her father, who has missed his night medicine.
A rebellious teenage boy argues with the hijackers, only to pee himself. The captain of the aircraft meanwhile, takes the literal and metaphorical fall trying to land the plain in Amritsar, then Lahore and then in Kandahar. He is also blamed for flight’s take-off from Amritsar which was a systemic failure.
IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack Performances
IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack is as much a commentary on the system as it is a portrayal of how this system fails its people. To conduct an operation in Amritsar, Punjab DG needs a go-ahead from the CM who needs a go-ahead from the Home Minister of the Prime Minister.
The hierarchical and bureaucratic nature of approvals wreak havoc and how. A formidable Pankaj Kapur plays Vinay, the Home Minister who, instead of scapegoating captain, or blaming it on the PM, takes full accountability for his failure to stop the flight at Amritsar.
IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack Writing And Direction
Naseeruddin Shah plays CMG Commander who balances Vinay's idealism with practicality. When Vinay feels let down by the PM, it is Manoj Pahwa plays Mukud Mohan, the Director of Intelligence Bureau. He tries to make amends for having missed out on the Intel shared by Ram.
Dia Mirza is Shalini, who like every 90s Editor prefers TV over print. She says, referring to an anchor at one point “She is soft like Doordarshan. She needs to be aggressive”. Shalini shares a hot and cold equation (like every Editor-reporter) with Nandini. The two lock horns over headlines and opinion pieces.
Vijay Varma as Captain Devi Sharan brings the right amount of restraint in his performance. Of course, he is the captain of the plane and there is a gun on his head so Varma has limited emotions to display (and even more limited space).
But in moments of distress, his bloodshot eyes, sweat dripping off his face and occasional swearing show just how stressed the captain is. Patralekhaa Paul as Chayya portrays succinctly the agony of being betrayed by her lover. Seldom do we see an ensemble cast compliment each other so well.
IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack: What Works, What Doesn’t
Directed by Anubhav Sinha, Kandahar Hijack is just the deep-dive Into the 199 we needed. What works for the series are explainers which play out in between key scenes, highlighting why landing in Lahore wasn't an option (Kargil War) or why the US wouldn't allow the flight to land in UAE (Pokhran testing and the subsequent nuclear sanctions on India).
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The series also shows an official interrogate Masood Azhar, the international terrorist touted as the mastermind behind the Hijack. Sinha handles religous extremism with utmost sensitivity so as to not demonize any community. In fact, at one point, we see an ATC operator recite a Quran verse to teach a hijacker what it means to be a ‘good Muslim’.
At 6 episodes ranging from 28-53 minutes, IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack is hauntingly brilliant. The edge-of-the-seat survival drama is elevated by a powerful ensemble cast, each of them complementing the other and clever dialogue by writers Trishant Shrivastava and Anubhav Sinha. If there's one show you absolutely shouldn't miss this year, it's this one.
Star Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
IC-184: The Kandahar Hijack is now streaming on Netflix.
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