Review of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack
Anubhav Sinha’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, the newly released series, is based on the real-life hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight that took place in December 1999 starring Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur. Drawing from the events of the seven-day hostage-taking, as described in Flight Into Fear by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury, the show puts cross-sectional emphasis in presenting impact of the crew and ineptitude of the Indian authorities.
The series excels itself in the portrayal of the hijacking and does not resort to histrionism while denoting the action with studied calm. The suspense rises high when switching between scenes that depict the interior of the plane and intense conferences taking place in New Delhi. Overall, the cast gives a very colorful performance – Vijay Varma who gives a tremendous presentation of Captain Devi Sharan, Naseeruddin Shah as well as Pankaj Kapur as the actors representing political parties of the crisis.
Even though, the first episodes could be slightly boring, the last two episodes of series are compelling. Though the plot of two journalists, Dia Mirza and Amrita Puri adds more drama but somehow looks forced and takes away an important element of tension.
‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ is slick and well-made, and provides an intelligent view of a major episode in the history of India. They described the political realities of that time while simultaneously courageously pointing to the fact that painful decisions were made. Altogether, the series could be watched a great number of times because it does not let viewers get bored and acts as a memorial to the victims and participants of the ordeal.
