Anubhav Sinha is set to make his streaming debut with “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” a thrilling series based on the real-life hijacking of an Indian aircraft in 1999 by five Pakistani militants. The series will premiere on Netflix India on August 29 and boasts an ensemble cast.
The teaser opens with Indian passengers preparing for takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, heading to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Vijay Varma, portraying pilot Sharan Dev, instructs the passengers to sit back and relax. Suddenly, five masked militants hijack the plane, putting the pilot at gunpoint and assaulting the air hostess, plunging everyone into terror.
Priyanka Chopra reacts on Citadel: Honey Bunny teaser says, “VD and Samantha are incredible”
The stakes are high as the teaser emphasizes that the hijack is not just a crisis for the passengers but a matter of national security. Indian government officials, played by Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, Manoj Pahwa, and Naseeruddin Shah, scramble into action in New Delhi. The hijacked plane is rerouted to Kandahar, Afghanistan, then under Taliban control, escalating the danger for everyone on board.
Anubhav Sinha, known for his gritty dramas such as “Mulk,” “Thappad,” “Article 15,” and “Bheed,” makes his streaming debut with this series. He collaborates again with familiar actors Dia Mirza and Pankaj Kapur, both of whom he has worked with in previous projects. The series is co-produced by his banner, Benaras Media Works.
The actual hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 took place on December 24, 1999, when five Pakistani militants from the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) hijacked the plane en route from Nepal to New Delhi. They forced the flight to land at multiple locations before taking it to Kandahar, then controlled by the Taliban. The incident had a profound impact on the course of terrorism in India.
Interestingly, Vishal Bhardwaj had previously planned a series on the Kandahar hijacking, but his project was shelved following the controversy surrounding Prime Video India’s 2021 series, “Tandav.”
View this post on Instagram
