Based on the real-life hijacking situation of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999 as well as Captain Devi Sharan’s book Flight into Fear – A Captain’s Story (2000), this Netflix series follows the events leading up to and after the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight and the anguish of the common people trapped in the plane and what the government did to free them. The hijacking is touted as one of the longest hijacks of Indian aviation, lasting for 7 days.
The series has 6 episodes, each ranging from 30 – 45 minutes.
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IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Creators
Anubhav Sinha, Trishant Srivastava
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IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack 2024 Cast
Vijay Varma, Patralekhaa, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swami, Dia Mirza, Amrita Puri, Anupam Tripathi, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Kanwaljeet Singh, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Sushant Singh, Aditya Srivastava, Rajeev Thakur, Yashpal Sharma
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Writers
Anubhav Sinha, Trishant Srivastava
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Story By
Adrien Levy, Trishant Srivastava
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review
In this dramatised retelling of a harrowing 7-day hijacking situation in 1999, we see some of the most talented actors coming together to deliver an emotionally poignant and tight experience that will stay with you long after the credits roll on the last episode. Leaving you with many thoughts in the end and making you question the different decisions that the bureaucrats took in this time-sensitive and scary situation.
The series feels like an odd mix of documentary and dramatic retelling wherein we see a ton of footage from the actual incident which adds to the feeling of unease in viewers. Although the series itself is told well, it’s these found footage moments that truly leave an impact. They pop up during interesting times and add a gut punch to the viewing experience. This mixture of feelings makes for an odd viewing experience but in a good way. The series’s 6 episodes are around 30 minutes long and the story is told quite well, weaving in and out of situations and different perspectives that give us an overall look at the situation, both from the government’s perspective and the common people who are trapped on the plane.
However, it’s the people in the plane who leave the most impact. From the hijackers to the hijacked, the performances and the characters themselves have such an impact that you can’t help but keep watching. For me, though, it’s Vijay Varma who steals this show. Captain Sharan Dev comes out of this show as a headstrong but extremely calm individual whose mere presence in this chaos makes you calm down and take note. Varma plays him with such ease that you can’t feel comforted by his presence. But, it’s not just him who creates the necessary experience for viewers. Even the hijackers are given a softer side, who oddly comfort the passengers and come to their aid when needed (of course, this is to say that they created this situation but that’s neither here nor there).
The other part of this show includes the bureaucrats who do their best to handle this difficult situation. Helmed by talented and celebrated actors, the conversations that these heads of chiefs from different departments are electric and interesting. Although, of course, we might never know what was actually said in those rooms at that time, whatever we see on-screen feels realistic and the actors play off each other really well.
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Now, I am not going to get into the discussion of whether or not the decision was the right one or not considering the freed terrorists, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar created chaos for India later on through different terrorist attacks such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.
However, I couldn’t help but wonder media’s role in all of this. IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack only mentions the media fleetingly but doesn’t provide a better look at what its impact was with this situation. We only see Amrita Puri’s ambitious journalist clashing heads with Dia Mirza’s sweet but headstrong editor but that situation doesn’t go beyond that and feels like a half-baked plot point introduced just for the sake of it.
Final Thoughts
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is an entertaining and engaging affair that brings the harrowing ordeal of the 171 passengers to life. Other than the odd colour grading that gave me a headache, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the series and found myself rooting for Captain Dev throughout the runtime. Although you know what is about to happen since it’s based on real-life events, the series manages to create a sense of dread and anticipation and the fantastic performances just add to that interest.
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