‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ series review: Vijay Varma, Manoj Pahwa star in this gripping political thriller

[ad_1]

On December 31, 1999, as the world was eager to embrace Y2K, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh was travelling to Kandahar, Afghanistan, with three dreaded terrorists. Released hours earlier from Indian jails, the men were part of a deal in exchange for 176 passengers and crew members aboard Indian Airlines flight IC 814, which had been hijacked eight days after taking 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 in popular culture. But it has largely been a story of the ‘blind men and the elephant’. This week writer-director Anubhav Sinha revisits the period with his wide socio-political lens and today’s cutting-edge technology to peel back the layers behind the longest hijacking in Indian aviation history and find some answers and perhaps some solace.

Presented as a fictional work based against the backdrop of real-life events, this action-packed series offers a balanced approach of episodes without veering towards boredom. flight to fearNarrating the story of the hijacking by Captain Devi Sharan, the series goes beyond the brave pilot’s perspective and presents the bigger picture. From the delayed response in Amritsar to the RDX in the plane, Anubhav aims to provide a holistic view of the geopolitics in the period after Pokhran and the Kargil war and largely succeeds in portraying a compelling story.

Different viewpoints come to the fore without a button to keep the audience hooked. For us, 200 lives and the infamy of being labelled 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 are being held captive. And the terrified hostages on the ship want to be with their families before the start of the new millennium. The series respects different viewpoints, but exposes hypocrisy and bigotry at every turn, in a syntax that brings a smile to the face, but touches the conscience.

Anubhav has a knack for creating a brilliant blend of realism and drama behind the scenes of ‘babuism’. We have seen it in movies. Article 15And manyWith a superb cast and the rich material at his disposal, he has produced a more refined portrayal of the functioning of Indian democracy in the coalition era.

A scene from 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack'

A scene from ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’

The clipped conversations, pragmatic nationalism, internal hand-wringing, diplomatic moves and subtle games of outdoing each other between security agencies flow seamlessly with the ring of authenticity around them. The nuanced differences between how officials from different arms of the government in the Crisis Management Group react to a situation depending on the nature of their work, place in the hierarchy and social background are portrayed without any inconsistency. And, amid the war room action, Anubhav underlines the difference between job and duty; how evading responsibility during a crisis does not help. The series subtly underlines that if there are multiple players in Afghanistan, India too has various voices that take time to come together for a common purpose. It can easily sell Pakistan’s treachery to the media every time but geopolitics is much more complex. And that sometimes, personal interests in the great game override political prudence.

‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (Hindi)

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Mould: Vijay Verma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Arvind Swami, Manoj Pahwa, Dia Mirza, Patralekha

Episodes: 6

Run-time: 35-45 minutes

Plot: The story of the infamous hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 in the last days of 1999 is rewritten.

There is a lot to read between the lines and laugh at. A seemingly casual debate over coffee and tea holds a larger meaning. When the Captain cleans the line of toilets, it becomes a metaphor for the call of duty. When the kindly officer finds an Indian toilet in Kandahar, he realises he is having to sit in Taliban territory.

While charting a strong procedural, Anubhav does not let go of the human drama and its satirical humour. The best part is that the tragic situation in the series is not used to stir emotions. The VFX team proves to be a solid supporting actor in recreating the era. Intelligently integrating archival footage and computer-generated imagery, the series offers an immersive experience. The assured camerawork by Evan Mulligan and Ravi Kiran Ayyagari keeps one’s imagination alive. In the last few years, kidnapping has been a common theme in the Hindi entertainment space, but this series still surprises you with its mix of emotions and action.

Vijay Varma is the perfect choice for the role of Captain Sashy Sharan Dev, who keeps hope alive even in difficult situations. With little physical ability to perform, Vijay conveys a range of emotions generated by the kidnapping through his expressive face. Heroic, without any pretension, Vijay is the heartbeat of the tense series.

If Vijay is the heart, Anubhav has cast a powerful ensemble cast as the brains of the series. Pankaj Kapur shines as Foreign Minister Vijaybhan Singh, who is tasked with organising his troops on the diplomatic front. Manoj Pahwa is the best performer in the series as he plays a tough intelligence officer whose negotiating skills with the kidnappers are sure to make people laugh. Despite his bulky body and flat stomach, his Mukul comes across as the most aggressive officer on the ground. His sharp exchanges with the suave Arvind Swami, who plays an absolutely convincing Foreign Ministry official from South Block, are one of the highlights of the series. Along with fine actors like Kumud Mishra, Naseeruddin Shah, Kanwaljit Singh, Aditya Srivastava and Divyendu Bhattacharya, they create many memorable moments. The female cast, especially Patralekhaa and Aditi Gupta, also leave their mark.

Manoj Pahwa as Mukul Mohan, Aditya Srivastava as VK Aggarwal, Kumud Mishra as Ranjan Mishra in 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack'

Manoj Pahwa as Mukul Mohan, Aditya Srivastava as VK Aggarwal, Kumud Mishra as Ranjan Mishra in ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ | Photo Credit: Courtesy Netflix

There are a few places where it seems that after drawing inspiration from real events, Anubhav stops to create his own version of the elephant. The series, with over a hundred characters, is strangely silent on the role of the then Home Minister and other ministers in the CMG and does not discuss the absence of the Defence Minister from the war room. Like real life, the series also keeps the plot centered around the External Affairs Minister. The disclaimer states that the names have been creatively conceptualized. Yet, while the names of Indian politicians and bureaucrats have been completely changed, the names of the terrorists, their masters and Taliban leaders have either been retained or are very similar to their real identities.

Meanwhile, comedian Rajiv Thakur, cast as the ‘chief’ of the kidnappers, proves to be a weak link. One can sense that he has been brought into the mix because the script demanded a crazy misfit, but he fails to create the awe of the dagger-wielding monkey. While the dialogue on the calm but precise print versus the shattering but frenzied electronic media is timely, the way it plays out feels largely ceremonial in a series that is otherwise perfectly measured.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is streaming on Netflix

[ad_2]

Source link

Scroll to Top