‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ series review: Vijay Varma, Manoj Pahwa power this stirring political thriller

In ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’, streaming on Netflix, Anubhav Sinha recreates the story of the longest hijack in Indian aviation history with precision, fairness and a touch of humanity

On December 31, 1999, when the world was eager to embrace Y2K, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh was traveling to Kandahar in Afghanistan with three dreaded terrorists on board. Released hours earlier from Indian jails, they were part of an exchange deal for 176 passengers and crew members on board the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 that had been hijacked eight days earlier after it took off from Kathmandu.

What led to the hijack and why the Indian government succumbed to the demands of the terrorists has been a matter of discussion and interpretation in academic circles as well as popular culture. But it has largely been the story of the ‘blind men and the elephant.’ This week writer-director Anubhav Sinha revisits the period with his magnifying socio-political lens and cutting-edge technology of today to unravel the layers behind the longest hijack in Indian aviation history to find some answers and, perhaps, some solace.

Projected as a work of fiction set against the backdrop of real-life events, the action-packed series presents a balanced view of the episode without veering toward boredom. Based on Flight Into Fear, Captain Devi Sharan’s account of the hijack, the series goes beyond the brave pilot’s perspective to capture the bigger picture. From the delayed response in Amritsar to the RDX on board, Anubhav aims to provide a wholesome view of the geopolitics in the post-Pokhran and post-Kargil War period and largely succeeds in painting a compelling narrative.

Different perspectives play out without a button holding the audience. For us, 200 lives and the ignominy of being labelled as a soft state are at stake. In the worldview of Masood Azhar, the top terrorist on the swap list, the entirity Afghanistan and Palestine is being held captive. And the terrified hostages on board want to be with their family before the new millennium dawns. The series respects different points of view but calls out hypocrisy and bigotry at every turn, in a syntax that puts a smile on the face but stings as it touches the conscience.

Anubhav has a knack for creating a delicious blend of realism and drama inside the backrooms of the ‘babudom’. We have seen it in Article 15and Anek. With a stellar ensemble cast and rich material at his disposal, here, he creates an even more refined portrayal of how Indian democracy worked in the coalition era.

The clipped conversations, the pragmatic nationalism, the internal hand-wringing, the diplomatic manoeuvrers, and the subtle games of one-upmanship between security agencies play out seamlessly with a ring of authenticity around them. The fine difference between how officials of different arms of the government in Crisis Management Group respond to the situation depending on the nature of their job, place in the hierarchy, and social background is delineated without any dissonance. And, in the thick of war room action, Anubhav underlines the difference between job and duty; how passing the buck during a crisis doesn’t help the cause. The series subtly underscores that if Afghanistan has multiple players, India also has varied voices that take time to come together for a common cause. That one can easily sell Pakistan’s betrayal every time to the media but the geopolitics is much more complex. And that sometimes, personal interests override political sagacity in the Great Game.

There is plenty to read and chuckle over the content between the lines. The seemingly casual debate over coffee and tea carries a larger meaning. When the Captain cleans the toilet line, it becomes a metaphor for the call of duty. When the condescending officials find Indian toilets in Kandahar, they find they have to squat in the Taliban territory.