IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack review: A refreshing fictional account of history that breaks free from jingoistic tropes

A limited series that effectively hijacks your mind, Anubhav Sinha's IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack breaks free from the stereotypical moulds of a hijack thriller! 

History is rarely as black and white as it seems when written on a blank canvas. It's often far more complicated and nuanced when lived in the moment. Hence, in this overload era, where opinions are often forcefully expressed, examining an event from multiple perspectives is essential to form an informed view. This is precisely what IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack aims to achieve. The series retells a significant historical event with engaging drama, avoiding sensationalism or judgment.

Created by Anubhav Sinha and co-written with Trishant Srivastava, IC 814 is based on the book Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story and also extensive research. It revisits one of India's most controversial government decisions: the release of three dangerous terrorists in exchange for the lives of passengers on Flight IC 814, hijacked while flying from Kathmandu to Delhi. The story has been told one too many times about how the plane, under the control of five masked hijackers, traversed a tense journey from Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai before finally landing in Kandahar (Taliban's Afghanistan), where it remained for seven days as negotiations took place.

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At first glance, this series might seem like another hijack thriller where Vijay Varma plays the hero who saves the day. However, don't forget that it's a show made by Anubhav Sinha, who, in recent times, with his films like Mulk, Thappad, and Article 15, has proved that he has a knack for addressing socio-political issues within the framework of engaging drama that pushes you to contemplate. This unique filmmaking style is also seen here, where it's emphasized that this national crisis was more of a war of wits, diplomacy and quick thinking than a larger-than-life chest-thumping patriotic triumph. Hence, no hero saves the day, there's no terrorist-turned-villain who tortures; it's just people navigating a complex, frightening situation together. It's almost the first time a hijack scenario feels realistically terrifying yet at the same time empathetic towards everyone involved. 

What's even more remarkable is that this unjudgemental approach doesn't make the six episodes any dull. In fact, the show is beautifully crafted and to the point. The lines of fact and fiction seem to blend seamlessly as the archival footage with voice-over provides a realistic context that flows effortlessly into the thrilling fictional retelling, which operates on multiple levels. On one side, we get to see what is going on inside the plane where the Captain and his crew manage the tense situation with the hijackers, on the other, we get to see what is going on outside as the very Avengers-like crisis management group comprising of IB, RAW, and the ministry, try to solve the problem diplomatically while dealing with press, which ironically acts as voice of reason and the angst of the people. 

The camera and the cuts beautifully navigate us through the tight locations of this show, leading to a holistic viewpoint of the incident for logical reasoning and making us live through the silences within the chaos. This doesn't mean that the show has nothing to say; it's laden with commentary in dialogues and non-caricaturist characterization, which is uplifted by the eclectic chemistry of the ensemble cast that includes Nasseruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Arwind Swamy, Divyendu Bhattacharya, Dia Mirza, Vijay Varma, Patralekaa, Amrita Puri, Aditya Srivastava, Kumud Mishra and so many more. 

I understand that in today’s climate, it is a formidable challenge for filmmakers to create politically charged content, especially about a controversial government decision with lasting repercussions. Yet, Anubahv Sinha's IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack succeeds in retelling history without resorting to over-dramatization or biased storytelling structures and characters. It's simply interested in laying out the facts in front of us so that we can make sense of it however we like it. And I, for one, love how it is not vested to take a side over history. Because in this day and age of polarization, with everyone having a platform to voice their opinions, one-sided cinema is more harmful than productive, making this grounded and balanced approach both refreshing and essential.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is currently streaming on Netflix! 

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