Web Series Review: IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK shines through a taut execution, strong script and the ensemble cast

Star Cast: Vijay Varma, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swami, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Kanwaljeet Singh, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Dia Mirza, Amrita Puri, Patralekhaa

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Synopsis: IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK is the story of a shocking episode of Indian history. On December 24, 1999, Ram Chandra Yadav (Anupam Tripathi), First Officer, Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal gets the information that a major attack is going to happen in India. He begins his investigation and learns that the Indian Airlines IC 814 flight, which will fly from Kathmandu to Delhi, will be hijacked. He sends a telegram to all central agencies and even tries his best to stop the plane from flying. His plea, however, falls on deaf ears and the flight takes off. The captain of the flight is Captain Sharan Dev (Vijay Varma) and he is joined by Sunil Sachdeva (Karan Desai) and Rajendra Nangia (Girish Dhameja). The crew comprises Indrani (Patralekhaa), Chhaya (Additi Gupta Chopra), Arun Kapoor (Mohit Sewani), etc. There are 176 passengers on board. Sometime after the flight takes off, the terrorists present among the passengers – codenamed Burger (Diljohn), Doctor (Harminder Singh), Chief (Rajiv Thakur) and others – announce that they have hijacked the flight. They enter the cockpit and inform the pilots as well. At first, the hijackers believe that everything is going as per their plan. Trouble arises when they ask Sharan to divert the plane to Kabul, Afghanistan and the latter informs them the aeroplane doesn’t have enough fuel for such a long journey. Meanwhile, the news of the hijack spreads like wildfire. The ministers and bureaucrats – V K Agarwal, head, RAW (Aditya Srivastava), Ranjan Mishra, Joint Secretary, RAW (Kumud Mishra), Mukul Mohan, additional director, IB (Manoj Pahwa), J P Kohli, director, IB (Kanwaljeet Singh), Abhijeet Kumar, Senior Officer, MEA (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), Vijaybhan Sinha, Minister of External Affairs (Pankaj Kapur), D R Sivaramakrishnan aka DRS (Arvind Swami) and Vinay Kaul, Cabinet secretary and head of Crisis Management Group aka CMG (Naseeruddin Shah) – assemble together in Delhi to find out the solution to this unexpected development. What happens next forms the rest of the series.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Story Review: IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK is adapted from the book 'Flight Into Fear' by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury. Adrian Levy and Trishant Srivastava's story is significant as many know only the overview of the episode and not the details of it. Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava's screenplay (additional screenplay by Nikhil Ravi Shankar) is gripping. It is informative but not boring and has a cinematic appeal. Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava's dialogues (additional dialogues by Nikhil Ravi Shankar) are conversational but also sharp in places.

Anubhav Sinha's direction is effective. He uses a no-nonsense approach and gives a treatment that one sees in Hollywood period thrillers based on true events. Despite so many tracks and characters, he doesn't let the narrative turn confusing. The show also has certain aspects unique to an Indian show, be it the narration given by Ninad Kamat in a certain style or the end credits rolling by pausing the screen instead of being displayed on a black screen. Certain scenes also are different from the ones we see in hijack dramas, especially the challenges faced by passengers. The scenes of air hostesses providing tea from a kettle and fruits are memorable. A few scenes stand out like the dangerous landing of the plane in Lahore, Sharan Dev planning to jettison the fuel, DRS bonding with Wakil Ahmed Muttwakil (Mu'Azzam Bhat), etc. The scenes of Mukul Mohan negotiating with the terrorists are truly clapworthy.

On the flipside, the track of Shalini Chandra (Dia Mirza) and Nandini Martin (Amrita Puri) gets a raw deal, especially its culmination. It is the only track which gets complex and leaves questions unanswered. Some tracks get prominence but are forgotten in the end. In fact, the climax doesn't give viewers a high. Viewers would also be confused about the angle of Kailash Chauhan of RAW being on the ill-fated flight. Lastly, the colouring and DI in the scenes of Kathmandu, the Crisis Management Group meeting and the interrogation of Masood Azhar (Danish Khan) are too harsh and faulty.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Performances: IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK has arguably the most amazing ensemble cast of all time. The character of Vijay Varma initially seems like a victim. But he rises to the occasion and Vijay has performed the part with utmost conviction. Pankaj Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah got their acts right, as expected. Seeing them together in one frame makes for a nice watch. Arvind Swami gets into the skin of his character and delivers a fabulous performance. Manoj Pahwa is the scene stealer; see it to believe it! Kumud Mishra and Aditya Srivastava, too, put their best foot forward. Kanwaljeet Singh and Dibyendu Bhattacharya get a bit overshadowed, but they manage to do well. Dia Mirza is decent but is let down by the writing and her character. Amrita Puri leaves a huge mark. Patralekhaa and Additi Gupta Chopra deliver sincere performances. Diljohn and Mu'Azzam Bhat are actors to watch out for. The others like Anupam Tripathi, Karan Desai, Girish Dhameja, Mohit Sewani, Harminder Singh, Rajiv Thakur, Danish Khan, Nikhil Angrish (Rupesh Singhvi; passenger who gets killed) and Renuka Purohit (Archana Singhvi; Rupesh's wife) are fair. Yashpal Sharma (Sanjay Mehta) and Sushant Singh (Ravi Shankar) are wonderful in special appearances.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack music and other technical aspects: IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK is a song-less show. Alex Lamy and Richard Harvey's background adds to the tension and drama. The theme played during the opening credits is memorable. Ewan Mulligan and Ravi Kiran Ayyagari's cinematography is terrific, and the scenes filmed in the confined space of an aeroplane are praiseworthy. The Kandahar airport scenes, shot in Jordan, are breathtaking. Fractal Pictures, Labyrinth Cinematic Solutions Pvt Ltd, PhantomFX, Cinegence and Open Slate VFX Studio’s VFX is outstanding. It’ll be difficult for viewers to believe that so many scenes are shot against the green screen. Riyaz Shaikh and Habib Sayed's action is minimal and functional. Acropolis, Sumit Basu, Snigdha Basu and Rajnish Hedao's production design as well as Vishakha Kullarwar and Joe Mansoori's costumes are realistic. Amarjit Singh's editing is slick.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Conclusion: On the whole, IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK sees the coming together of some of the most talented names of Indian cinema and also throws light on the shocking aspects of the 1999 hijack episode. Due to the taut execution, strong script and of course the ensemble cast, the show is sure to get a huge viewership.

Rating – 3.5 stars 

IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK shines through a taut execution and strong script and the ensemble cast

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