IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Trailer: Vijay Varma's Nerve-Wracking Attempt to Land Plane Is The Highlight

Netflix India has released the much-awaited trailer for IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The series is based on the 1999 hijack of an Indian Airlines Flight IC 814. The key cast includes Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Verma, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Arvind Swamy, Dia Mirza, Pankaj Kapur and Patralekhaa. The mini-series will also be the OTT debut of director Anubhav Sinha, renowned for his gritty dramas like Mulk, Thappad, Article 17 and Bheed. This thriller series is set to release on Netflix India on August 29.

The trailer is a gripping narrative of the harrowing Kandahar hijack that shook the nation. With 188 lives hanging in the balance, the trailer vividly captures the tension and chaos from the moment the plane was hijacked. It delves into the nerve-wracking series of events, from the hijackers’ escalating demands to the Indian government’s desperate attempts to negotiate. The intense diplomatic dialogues and the government’s internal struggle are portrayed with striking realism.

One of the most heart-stopping moments in the trailer is when the aircraft, running dangerously low on fuel, begins to fly low, placing the captain in a dilemma as he goes ‘Mayday, Mayday’. The trailer touches upon the psychological pressure on the captain, played by Vijay Varma, who is depicted as being under relentless scrutiny during this life-and-death situation.

The Kandahar flight hijack refers to a dramatic incident that took place in December 1999, when Indian Airlines Flight 814 was hijacked by a group of militants. The aircraft, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, was diverted to Kandahar in Afghanistan after being taken over by the hijackers. The standoff lasted for several days, during which intense negotiations and complex diplomatic maneuvers unfolded.

Anubhav Sinha, known for films such as Mulk, Article 15 and Bheed, had earlier said it was a responsibility to be as authentic as possible while working on the series. “When I started doing research, almost everyone remembers a few things about the hijack, and what all happened during the process. I realised it is a very complex story and a lot of things happened in those seven days and not many people know about it,” he had said at the Next on Netflix event in Mumbai.