Polarising but politically correct – Beyond Bollywood

For all the outside noise, director Anubhav Sinha’s web series isn’t anti-Indian, nor anti-establishment, and definitely not pro-Pakistan. From veteran actors to Vijay Varma, Sinha’s impressive cast deliver a compelling portrayal.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

It’s perhaps day 5 of the hijacking. The lavatories are messy and choked, resembling municipal Mumbai toilets. The stench is unbearable, so much so that even the hijackers avoid it. The visiting Taliban men refuse to clean it. Flight attendant Chhaya (Additi Gupta) bravely steps inside. Feces cover the lavatory, and she somehow manages to pump it. Barely able to hold her breath for two minutes, the exhausted Chhaya storms out, heads to the open exit, and throws up.

Imagine how 190 people, including 179 passengers and 11 crew members, endured this ordeal for a week. Nearly 25 years later, sitting in the comfort of our homes, can we truly have a perspective on the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814? Only those who lived through this hell can have an opinion.

The release of Netflix’s IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) has faced criticism from various quarters, but more concerning is the disapproval from a few surviving passengers, crew, and former intelligence officers. Even Captain Devi Sharan called out certain fictional elements. When those who endured the 7-day ordeal, both inside and outside the aircraft, voice concerns, it signals that the Netflix series is a significant letdown. However, viewed through the prism of cinema, director Anubhav Sinha, writer Trishant Srivastava haven’t done much wrong.

Social media trolls, and bizarrely even the present I&B Ministry, jumped the gun by not verifying certain claims in the film. As it turned out, then Home Minister L.K. Advani’s statement from 6 January 2000 corroborated the film’s claims. The five hijackers did indeed use the codenames Chief, Doctor, Burger, Shankar, and Bhola.

This controversy was addressed by revealing the real names of the hijackers in a new disclaimer. However, allegations of distorting and humanising hijackers/terrorists, and suggestions that Sinha was soft on Pakistan while blaming Al Qaeda, created so much noise that forming an objective view became challenging. Your reviewer waited over a week to binge-watch IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024). After six episodes, we can confidently say that the series is neither anti-Indian, nor anti-establishment, and definitely not pro-Pakistan. While it may have taken a few liberties, there is no major distortion of the truth.

The primary source for this series is Captain Devi Sharan’s book Flight into Fear: The Captain’s Story (2003), co-authored with well-respected journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury. Very few dispute its content, although a former Indian Airlines employee claimed the book contains a share of drama. Interestingly, another book with the same title addresses a different hijacking. While Captain Sharan is best suited to describe what transpired in the cockpit, we presume Srinjoy Chowdhury used his extensive network in political, defence, and intelligence circles to provide insights into the troubleshooting from Delhi.

Roll back to 1999, and the general feeling at the end of the world’s longest hijacking was one of relief. However, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led coalition government faced criticism for bowing to terrorism by agreeing to release the hijackers and three dreaded terrorists: Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh, and Ahmed Zargar.

Anubhav Sinha is known for his strong left-leaning views, so was this web series intended as anti-establishment propaganda? Sinha is too wise to resort to cheap shots. Despite early criticism, Sinha’s series seems to give the then government the benefit of the doubt. It avoids blaming any political party. Pankaj Kapur’s portrayal of Foreign Minister Vijaybhan Singh (loosely modelled on then Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh) is positive. Sinha subtly questions political competency but smartly places the responsibility on Indian intelligence agencies—R&AW and Intelligence Bureau.

So, we have former R&AW chief A.S. Dulat dismissing the theory of Indian intelligence agencies ignoring a tip-off, as depicted early in the series. While one might not argue with his view, would any current or former intelligence head ever publicly admit to a mistake? It is surprising to see Dulat label this as fiction. By doing so, doesn’t it suggest that the then Indian agencies were clueless?

Sinha’s key men for troubleshooting are Mukul Mohan (Manoj Pahwa), Additional Director of IB; R&AW chief V.K. Agarwal (Aditya Shrivastav); DRS (Arvind Swamy), Secretary of MEA; Cabinet Secretary Vinay Kaul (Naseeruddin Shah); Ranjan Mishra (Kumud Mishra), Jt. Secretary R&AW, and Abhijeet Kumar (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), a senior officer in MEA. Early on, the men come across as headless chickens, more worried about becoming scapegoats. Once IC-814 lands at its final destination, Mohan, DRS, Mishra, and Kumar swing into on-ground action. Meanwhile, Kaul and Agarwal lead the discussions and troubleshooting from Delhi.

After a rather dull opening episode, the series gains intensity, especially when the Indian aircraft lands in Kandahar. The last two episodes are a class apart. Manoj Pahwa’s Mukul Mohan takes centerstage, impressing with his negotiation skills while refusing to yield to the hijackers’ reckless demands. He even mocks Chief (Rajiv Thakur) for being unable to present a clear demand, boldly telling him to connect him with his true master – Inter-Services Intelligence. Pahwa often delivers standout performances in Sinha’s works, and this is another fine portrayal by the acclaimed actor.

Though not as tough-talking, DRS uses his calm demeanor to win the trust of the English-speaking Talibani spokesperson Muttawakkil. Arvind Swamy has made a career out of playing restrained characters, and given the critical situation, Sinha has chosen the right man for the role of DRS.

Veterans Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur are flawless in their respective roles as Kaul and Vijaybhan. Yashpal Sharma impresses in his brief but pivotal role as Officer Mehta, who interrogates Masood Azhar, locked up in a jail in J&K.

Given that this is based on true events and a commando operation was ruled out once IC-814 left Amritsar, the in-flight action focused solely on surviving the hijacking. Airlines worldwide train their crew to handle such situations without escalating and to keep the passengers safe. Captain Devi Sharan (Vijay Varma) maintains his composure throughout, and Sinha avoids glorifying or adding unnecessary bravado to his principal in-flight character. In fact, there are no heroes here, just survivors. Varma, usually an excitable actor, restrains himself and remains calm under pressure, successfully conveying Captain Sharan’s internal turmoil. The two mistakes pointed out by the real Captain Sharan are negligible in nature. Sharan’s parting image from IC-814 reflects an Indian Major or Captain who ensures that no one is left behind. This is by far Varma’s most mature performance, both within the context of the series and his career.

The underrated and often untapped Patralekhaa showcases her prowess with a defiant performance as flight attendant Indrani. Additi Gupta is somewhat loose initially, but as the tension rises, she ramps up her intensity. Dia Mirza and Amrita Puri reflect the media perspective of the time as editor and reporter, respectively, for India Headlines Daily. Initially, it seems like another media bashing, but if some media outlets didn’t conduct themselves responsibly, then this criticism is justified. However, Shalini Chandra (Mirza) and Nalini Martin (Puri) do get the final lead story headline right.

As for the passengers, they mostly serve as spectators to the drama. The image of a cruel dermatologist passenger, uncomfortable with his mentally challenged son, is particularly striking. Meanwhile, the director does not shy away from highlighting that this flight also includes a VIP passenger.

In a dark chapter like the IC-814 hijacking, you don’t want to give any undue mileage to terrorists. Initially, Chief (Rajiv Thakur), Doctor (Harminder Singh), Burger (Diljohn), Bhola (Kunal Chopra), and Shankar (Kamal Batra) don’t seem particularly menacing. Later in the show, it is concerning when Sinha shows a humane side to Doctor and Burger. However, as Mukul Mohan later notes, terror outfits and rogue agencies often use expendable individuals for hijackings. Sinha chooses to undermine the hijackers, portraying them as mere pawns. The director shifts focus towards Pakistan and its dangerous intelligence agency, ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). By the fourth or fifth episode, Mukul Mohan reveals Chief’s real name—Ibrahim—thus dispelling the notion that Sinha is protecting the real identities of the hijackers.

As for humanising the hijackers, there is a video of an IC-814 passenger stating that the hijackers spoke to her gently, with the lady even taking one hijacker’s autograph. Hijacking isn’t immune to the Stockholm Syndrome. Comedian Rajiv Thakur might have been surprised that Sinha and his casting director chose him for the role of Chief. Honestly, the actor who truly embodied and intimidated as a chief is Harminder Singh.

No way does the Netflix series go soft on Pakistan or the ISI. As is often the case with such incidents, truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction. Sinha’s depiction of certain elements within the 1999 Taliban and the suspected role of  Osama Bin Laden in the hijacking / negotiation might seem unusual, but there is no affection for the terror groups. As Mukul Mohan says on a few occasions, “Taliban, ISI. Yeh ek thali ke chatte batte hai” (six peas in a pod). Perhaps Sinha avoids antagonizing the Taliban, who now hold power in Kabul but do not share the same close relationship with Pakistan. Sinha’s series may be polarising, but it is politically correct in its stance.

In a decisive moment, Vijaybhan recalls advice from his late father: “Think 1,000 times before lifting a gun to kill someone, but if it comes to lifting a gun to save many lives, then don’t think twice.” After all these years, it would be naïve to say that the then government bowed to terror.  

In their final exchange, DRS questions Mukul Mohan about how history will remember them. The seasoned intelligence officer replies, “Whether history remembers us is immaterial; the truth is that we fought.”

The closing stills rightly remind us of the repercussions of releasing three dangerous terrorists, further emphasising that Pakistan is indeed the epicenter of terrorism. While 189 lives were saved in IC-814, hundreds more have been lost due to subsequent terror acts orchestrated by these men. Phew, there we go again. Sitting in the comforts of our homes, it’s not for us to judge. A tragedy often presents an opportunity to set things right. We had a few hijackings in the late ’70s and early ’80s, but IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack of 1999 was the last the country witnessed. As for the Netflix series, it’s another well-made piece of cinema by Anubhav Sinha.