Netflix viewers ‘shocked’ by true story of shocking plane hijacking

The series about a real-life airplane hijacking in the 1990s left Netflix viewers feeling uneasy.

Based on true events, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack tells the story of the longest aircraft hijacking in Indian aviation history.

The series is set in December 1999, when a passenger plane with more than 175 passengers on board is taken over by five masked hijackers on its way from Kathmandu to Delhi.

The planned one-hour flight is diverted several times and eventually lands in Taliban-controlled territory in Afghanistan.

The six-part series, starring actors such as Vijay Varma, Pankaj Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah, follows events spanning seven days, “from the chaos in the air to government officials scrambling to bring the ordeal under control.”

Since its release on Netflix in the last few days, viewers have been voicing their opinions about the series.

“It went down my spine. I can't imagine how traumatic that was for the passengers on that plane,” wrote user kavitha90031 on X.

“Rewatching and reliving the #IC814 saga on Netflix. Excellent storytelling that takes me back to the days when I sat glued to the TV,” rekhabaala posted.

“I watched #IC814 in its entirety today. It was a remarkably well written, acted, edited and directed piece. Vijay Verma was outstanding but the truth is everyone else was equally good. 5/5 – A tour de force of suspense. Don't miss it,” SRDHAIN added.

Others called the film a “must-see,” but added that others could expect a “thrill-filled” viewing experience.

The series is based on the book “Flight into Fear: A Captain's Story” by Captain Devi Sharan, which retold the event in 2000.

During the week-long hijacking, the plane made unplanned stops in Amritsar (India), Lahore (Pakistan) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

The hijackers released 27 of the 176 passengers in Dubai, but fatally injured one of them and several others.

The motive for the kidnapping was to secure the release of Pakistani terrorists Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, who were imprisoned in India.

After seven days, India agreed to release the three terrorists. All three were subsequently implicated in other terrorist attacks, including the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Series director and co-creator Anubhav Sinha said his co-writer Trishant Srivastava wanted to “dig us deeper into the story.”

“We met officials involved in leading the rescue mission from Delhi, and passengers and crew told us the story on the plane,” he recently told Variety.

“What happened during those seven days turned out to be a gripping story that does not stand out despite the gruesome and thrilling tactical and diplomatic maneuvers that had to be told.”

“The audience needs to know this story inside and out, which has never been told before with a cast, and I don't know if I can put it together again.”

IC 814: The Taking of Kandahar is streaming on Netflix.

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