‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ series review: Vijay Verma, Manoj Pahwa’s riveting political thriller
On December 31, 1999, when the world was eager to embrace Y2K, Indian Foreign Minister Jasbant Singh was on his way to Kandahar, Afghanistan, with three dreaded terrorists. Released hours earlier from an Indian prison, they were part of an exchange deal for 176 passengers and crew members on Indian Airlines flight IC 814 that was hijacked eight days before it took off from Kathmandu.
What led to the hijacking and why the Indian government caved in to the terrorists’ demands has been a subject of discussion and interpretation in academic circles as well as popular culture. But this is essentially the story of ‘the blind man and the elephant’. This week writer-director Anubhav Sinha revisits time with his magnifying socio-political lens and modern technology to uncover the layers behind the longest hijacking in Indian aviation history to find some answers and perhaps some solace.
Projected as a work of fiction against the backdrop of real-life events, the action-packed series presents a balanced view of episodes without veering into monotony. based on Flight of fearNarrating the hijacking of Captain Devi Saran, the series captures the bigger picture by going beyond the brave pilot’s perspective. From the delayed response in Amritsar to the RDX on board, Anubhav largely succeeds in his aim to provide a nuanced view of the geopolitics in the post-Pokhran and Kargil wars and to paint a compelling narrative.
Different views run without buttons to hold viewers. For us, 200 lives and the indignity of being labeled as a soft state are at stake. In the worldview of Masood Azhar, the top terrorist on the swap list, the whole of Afghanistan and Palestine is held captive. And the terrified hostages on board want to be with their families before the dawn of the new millennium. The series respects different points of view but calls out hypocrisy and bigotry at every turn, in a sentence structure that puts a smile on the face but stings as it touches the conscience.
In the backroom of ‘Babudum’, Anubhav has a knack for creating a delicious blend of realism and drama. We saw it Section 15And a lot. With a stellar ensemble cast and rich material at his disposal, here, he creates a more refined picture of how Indian democracy functioned during the coalition era.
A still from ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’
Clipped conversations, pragmatic nationalism, internal hand-me-downs, diplomatic maneuvering and subtle games of one-upmanship between security agencies run seamlessly with a ring of verisimilitude around them. The crisis management group depicts without inconsistency the subtle differences in how officers from different arms of the government respond to situations depending on the nature of their work, place in the hierarchy and social background. And, in the thick of war room action, experience underscores the difference between job and duty; How to pass money during a crisis does not help the cause. The series subtly implies that while Afghanistan has multiple players, India also has diverse voices that take time to unite for a common cause. One can easily sell Pakistan’s treachery to the media but geopolitics is much more complex. And sometimes, personal interests override political prudence in the Great Game.
‘IC 814: The Kandhar Hijack (Hindi)
director: Anubhav Sinha
the cast: Vijay Verma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Arvind Swamy, Manoj Pahwa, Dia Mirza, Patralekha
episodes: 6
run-time: 35-45 minutes
Story Line: A replay of the infamous hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 in the last days of 1999
There is plenty to read and laugh about between the lines. A seemingly casual debate over coffee and tea carries a greater meaning. When the captain cleans the toilet line, it becomes a metaphor for the call of duty. When unrepentant officials found Indian toilets in Kandahar, they found they had to sit in Taliban territory.
While creating a powerful methodological map, Anubhav does not leave out the human drama and his ironic humor. The best part is that the series doesn’t milk sad situations to overwhelm the emotions. The VFX team proved to be a solid supporting actor in recreating the period. Cleverly integrating archival footage and computer-generated imagery, the series offers an immersive experience. Ewan Mulligan and Ravi Kiran Aiyagari’s sure-footed camerawork stirs one’s imagination. Over the years, hijack has become a common theme in Hindi entertainment but the series still manages to keep you going with its combination of emotion and action.
Vijay Varma is the perfect choice for the role of the brave captain, Sharan Dev, who keeps hope afloat in difficult situations. With little physical elbow room to perform, Vijay conveys a gamut of emotion that Hijack creates through his expressive face. Veer, without making a show of it, is the beating heart of the Vijay Tout series.
If Vijay is the heart, experience is the ticking mind of the series, neatly lining up a bevy of strong performers. Pankaj Kapoor shines as External Affairs Minister Vijayvan Singh is tasked with marshalling his troops on the diplomatic front. The ace of the pack is Manoj Pahwa as he gets into the skin of a hard-boiled intelligence officer whose negotiating skills with the henchmen produce gallons of guffaws. Despite a huge frame and gas in the stomach, his bud is seen as the most aggressive officer on the ground. Playing the MEA officer of South Block, Soukhin has a tough conversation with Arvind Swamy, creating one of the highlights of the series. Together with a consummate cast like Kumud Mishra, Naseeruddin Shah, Kanwaljit Singh, Aditya Srivastava and Divyandu Bhattacharya, they create plenty of memorable moments. Female actors, especially Patralekha and Aditi Gupta, also made an impact.
Manoj Pahwa as Mukul Mohan, Aditya Srivastava as VK Aggarwal, Kumud Mishra as Ranjan Mishra in ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
There are passages where it seems that after drawing from real events, Anubhav Hathi stops to create his version. The hundred-character series is curiously silent on the role of the then Home Minister and other ministers in the CMG and the absence of the Defense Minister from the war room is not deliberate. As in real life, the series also safely keeps the plot around the Foreign Minister. The disclaimer states that the names are creatively conceived. Still, while the names of Indian politicians and bureaucrats have been completely changed, the names of terrorists, their handlers and Taliban leaders have either been retained or are very similar to their original identities.
Meanwhile, comedian Rajeev Thakur, playing against type as the ‘chief’ of the robbers, proves to be the weak link. One gets the sense that he is brought into the mix as the script demands a maniacal misfit but he fails to create the fear of a monkey with a knife. While the painstaking but accurate print vs. breaking but frantic electronic media conversation is timely, the way it plays out feels rather illogical in a series that otherwise measures up in every way.
IC 814: Hijack of Kandahar is streaming on Netflix
