IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Flawless Cast Leads Gripping Hijack Thriller

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack revolves around the hijack of Indian Airlines Flight 814 by five armed men in 1999 when it took off from Kathamandu, Nepal en route New Delhi. The flight was then taken to multiple locations across countries before finally landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan, then-run by the Taliban and the then-refuge of Osama bin Laden.

In itself, the hijack proves to be an unprecedented, fascinating case study. At a time when the rest of the world was celebrating the onset of a new millennium (hijack took place in the last week of December), Indian bureaucracy was struggling to rescue the 180 passengers onboard. As it turns out, the hijack in the last week of the past millennium would set the tone of terrorism in the new one.

Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it's not always as appetizing, fast-paced, and well-rounded like a thriller. Anubhav has previously pleaded guilty to adding cheese – a layer of narrative exigencies – to spruce up the proceedings of a hard-hitting socio-political drama.