This article contains spoilers.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Episode 1 Recap:
“IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack” opens with a narration about a plane hijack on 24 December 1999. The Indian Airlines flight was set to go from Kathmandu to Delhi when it was hijacked. Since Kathmandu is close to the borders of China and India, it was easy to cross them. Kathmandu has been known to be the hub for spy agencies, which is the reason it was chosen as the place for the hijack.
The situation became so complex that it took seven days to sort out the hijack problem. In Kathmandu, the First Officer of the Indian Embassy, Ram Chandra Yadav, has been following the movements of ISI agent Farhat Hashmi. Since Ram is suspicious of the activities, he places microphones in their room to hear the conversations. Ram informs RAW senior Kailash Chauhan that the Pakistanis are planning something big, although he is not taken seriously.
Where do the hijackers want to take the plane?
On the day of the hijack, in Kathmandu, Ram gets an Intel that Hashmi has given a red bag to someone working in air catering. Ram tries to call the airlines, informing them to stop IC814 as suspicious people are in it. However, the airlines didn’t receive an official confirmation, so they let IC814 take its course.
As soon as the flight takes off, the hijackers bring out their guns, asking the passengers to remain in their seats. When the passengers fail to listen, the hijackers hit a few of them and hurt the air hostess, Chhaya. One of the hijackers holds Captain Sharan at gunpoint, asking him to fly to Kabul. The pilots tell the hijackers that there isn’t enough fuel. But the hijackers are determined to fly to Kabul. Captain Sharan tries to relay a message. However, the hijacker informs the Varanasi ATC that IC814 has been hijacked, and they can tell whoever they want to.
What hurdle do the hijackers face?
Information about the hijacking comes from the Varanasi ATC to a reporter who is preparing to write the news for the next day’s paper. The information reaches the RAW head, V. K. Agarwal, who is annoyed that Ram’s Intel did not reach him sooner. However, no one answers the calls when the RAW tries to contact Kathmandu using secure lines. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) assesses the situation and thinks the reason for the hijack is apparent.
IB Director J. P. Kohli and Assistant Director Mukul Mohan think the hijackers want the release of Maulana Masood Azhar, who is popular among the Islamic jihad groups. Currently, Masood is moved to a high-security cell in Jammu. In the plane, one of the hijackers helps the air hostess, Chhaya, asking her to cooperate. If she does that, no one will be hurt. The hijacker asks Indrani and Chhaya to take care of the passengers. Soon, Captain Sharan asks the passengers to cooperate with the hijackers while he tries to get them to safety. Eventually, the hijackers realize that the pilots are not lying about the fuel problem and take a moment to decide on their next course of action.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Episode 2 Recap:
The episode begins with Sanjay Mehta, Assistant Director of IB, asking Masood if he knows anything about the hijack. Unfortunately, Masood doesn’t know anything about what’s going on. Cabinet Secretary and Head of CMG Vinay Kaul attend a crisis meeting with IB, RAW, MEA, and NSG. V. K. Agarwal gives Ram instructions to do whatever it takes to find out information about the hijacker’s movements before the actual attack from their driver.
The RAW officials find information that Ram had wired many days ago about Amjad Farooqui, aka Doctor, who was spotted in Kathmandu. The RAW officers guess that Amjad may be on IC814. However, they decide to hide the report from the others to avoid infuriating Kaul. Because of Ram’s tape recording of the hijacker’s conversation, everyone believes Amjad is on the flight. When the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government, Amjad supported the Taliban. Furthermore, Amjad is close to Osama Bin Laden as well. In Kathmandu, even though the ISI has a role to play in the hijacking, it is impossible for Amjab to join hands with the ISI.
Do the hijackers kill any passengers?
In the plane, Amjad asks Captain Sharan to connect to Lahore as the hijackers want to land there. However, Lahore does not permit the flight to land there, thanks to the officer’s intimation to Lahore. The only option is to land in Amritsar to refuel. The NSG is ready to attack the plane in Amritsar. There is terrible news for RAW and IB as the station head of Nepal Chauhan is on the flight, and yet there wasn’t a clue about the hijacking. Now, the NSG needs at least two hours to reach Amritsar. Therefore, they now rely on Punjab Police to take action.
The Punjab Police need the Chief Minister’s permission to attack. The hijackers only give the airport authorities 5 minutes to send the bowser to the plane. Meanwhile, in Kathmandu, Ram reaches the air caterer’s house. The caterer tries to escape, but Ram catches him asking for details about the items in the red bag.
At the airport, Punjab Police are ready to attack but await the Chief Minister’s permission. The bowser takes too long, so the hijackers attack one man and slit the other’s throat. Hearing the news, Captain Sharan pressures the airport authorities to send the bowser. However, when the bowser arrives, the hijackers ask the Captain to take off as they feel something is suspicious. The Punjab Police is behind the bowser, and Captain Sharan is trying to convince the hijackers to refuel. At this time, the team could not connect with the Prime Minister or the Home Minister, making the situation worse for everyone on the plane.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Episode 3 Recap:
The episode begins with IC814 taking off from the Amritsar airport while the situation of the injured in the plane gets worse. The coalition government is blamed for delayed decision-making in such a dire situation. India must now negotiate with Pakistan as the flight moves towards Lahore. However, in May 1999, Pakistan attacked India in Kargil, during which Pakistan General Musharraf claimed the attack was not by the Pakistan army but by the tribals.
Two months later, Indian agencies tapped General Musharraf’s phone in China, proving that the Kargil attack was indeed an act by the Pakistan Army. At this time, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif informed Washington that the attack had been carried out without Nawaz Sharif’s knowledge. In October, Musharraf overthrew Nawaz Sharif’s government. The hijack occurred precisely two months after Musharraf’s government had been established.
Who does the Indian government make the scapegoat in this situation?
In the meeting, Kaul is casual about making Captain Sharan the scapegoat in this situation. At first, Lahore Airport did not allow IC814 to land. At the same time, the fuel is getting low in IC814. So Captain Sharan tries to land in the safest spot. At this moment, Lahore cleared for IC814 to land on their airstrip. Inside the plane, the passenger with a slit throat must be hospitalized immediately.
At the Lahore airport, the bowser refuels the plane, and they take off, heading towards Kabul. The news and the government blame Captain Sharan for not staying a little longer in Amritsar airport. Unfortunately, Kabul has no night landing facility, and planes can only be on air for up to four hours. Now, the aircraft flies towards Dubai for another round of refueling.
Meanwhile, Ram finds out that there is another bag in the luggage room, which Amjad has placed himself. With a lot of difficulty, India convinces Dubai to convince the hijackers to let women and children go before they fly again. During this time, the USA and India were not on good terms because of the Pokhran nuclear test. Dubai needs the USA’s permission to let IC814 land on its airstrip.
It seems India convinced its counterparts that IC814 would be allowed to land in Dubai. However, Dubai does not clear its airport but lets the plane land at Al Minhad Air Base. In Dubai, Captain Sharan manages to give information in code that one passenger is dead to Dubai airport authorities. The bowser arrives for refueling. The Dubai officials ask the hijackers to let women, children, and injured go. The hijackers, however, don’t accept these demands.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Episode 4 Recap:
The episode begins with a Pakistani airport authority in Dubai convincing Amjad to let women and children go by reminding him about what being a good Muslim is. After that, Amjad and the hijackers let women and children go. Among them are also injured and the old. However, the wife of the deceased does not know her husband is dead and chooses to remain on the flight.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Mehta tries to ask Masood again about the hijack. In return, Masood preaches to Sanjay Mehta, saying he does not know what bloodshed really is. So Sanjay Mehta reminds Masood that Masood is in jail because of causing bloodshed. In 1996, Mullah Omar took over Afghanistan, wanting to build an empire with the Muslim nations. However, because of the Taliban’s previous record, most nations withdrew their diplomatic relations with the Taliban. IC814 takes off from Dubai and lands in Kandahar. There, the hijackers arranged for food and water for all the passengers.
Will the Indian government negotiate with the hijackers?
The Prime Minister of India tells the press that the hijackers have not made any demands and that India will not negotiate. The situation on the plane goes from bad to worse after the news of India’s unwillingness to negotiate with the hijackers. Amjad angrily decides to fly back to Delhi and crash the plane into the parliament. Meanwhile, the minister tries to talk to the UN to put pressure on the hijackers.
In Kandahar, fuel has arrived. Now, Captain Sharan has an idea to stop the plane from flying. He knows that many lives will be at stake if they head back to Delhi. When the fuel is almost filled, Captain Sharan releases the valves to flush the fuel out of the plane. This act makes Amjad furious. At that moment, a flight from the UN arrives at Kandahar. Captain Sharan tells the hijackers that the country is ready for negotiations. Meanwhile, the families of the passengers initiated a nationwide protest against the government.
The government criticized and negotiations took shape
The foreign affairs minister of Afghanistan gets mad at a reporter as she rightly points out asking how the Afghan government could arrange food and water within a short duration of the plane landing. While the media blames Captain Sharan, only journalist Nandini questions the government and explains that what Captain Sharan did was the right thing to protect the passengers.
In a flashback, we see both RAW and IB members hesitant to negotiate with the hijackers, hoping the other could do it so as not to take the blame in case something goes wrong. Eventually, Mukul Mohan from IB was chosen as the negotiator. The team also decides to take 20 commandos if the Taliban lets them. Inside the plane, air hostess Indrani asks Amjad to call her father to check if he is okay, and Amjad cooperates with Indrani. During this crucial time, Ram gets information that the bag in the plane contains 17 kilos of RDX, which Amjad ordered to be kept there.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Episode 5 Recap:
The episode begins with the officers on the ground getting to know about the explosives on the plane. In Africa, after the attack on the American embassy, Osama Bin Laden hid in Kandahar. Here, Mullah Omar let Osama stay only if he promised not to wage war on America again. However, Osama Bin Laden did not keep the promise for too long. Two forces ruled Afghanistan, first the Taliban and the Afghan people who controlled the opium trade. The second group was much more loyal to Osama than the first.
The negotiations begin when Mukul Mohan talks to the Chief inside the plane. At first, Mukul thanks Captain Sharan for being brave. The hijackers start to threaten Mukul, saying they will kill the passengers when Captain Sharan asks to let the widow leave the plane. Mukul asks the Chief to do it, taking the hijackers by surprise. Later, Mukul requests to discuss the demands the following morning.
What are the hijacker’s demands?
Inside the plane, the washrooms are clogged, so a passenger creates a fuss. Meanwhile, the negotiators try to talk to Muttawakil, who is the bridge between the world and Mullah Omar. Since the passenger troubles Chhaya, she decides to clean it. In the process, she starts throwing up. Amidst all this, Burger seems to be the only one with human compassion. So Captain Sharan takes Burger to fix the pipes in the luggage compartment. Soon, the washroom is fixed, making the passengers happy.
In Kathmandu, ISI gets aggressive as they slowly kill Ram’s assets in the country. Finally, the hijackers give their demands. After deliberation, Mukul toyed around with the Chief as he knew the demands were not coming from the hijackers inside. In the end, Mukul asks for another day’s time to discuss and negotiate. It is obvious to everyone in the Indian Bureaucracy that the hijackers only want Masood, and the rest are just random names.
A journalist’s dilemma and the government’s crucial decisions
Meanwhile, journalist Nandini is in Kathmandu and now has the complete passenger list, which includes Kailash Chauhan. Nandini wants to publish the news. However, the editor reminds Nandini that this will give an advantage to the hijackers on the plane. In the jail, Sanjay Mehta lies to Masood, saying that his name has been taken off the demand list, and slaps him for not revealing any information. Now, Mukul asks the Chief to give one crucial name the hijackers want, but Amjad asks for time.
The government decide to let Masood Azhar go, which creates a debate between the families of the passengers and ex-soldiers. After conversing with Muttawakil, Muttawakil chooses to cooperate with the Indians to make sure no anti-Islamic actions are taken on Afghan soil. Unfortunately, the bad news is the team now learns that Osama Bin Laden is involved in this case. Just after Muttawakil gives a press interview about maintaining peace, Mukul provokes Muttawakil, asking to shoot the hijackers. This infuriates Muttawakil, and he prepares his army to surround the plane, ready to attack at any moment.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Finale Episode 6 Recap:
The episode begins with Ram meeting V.K.Agarwal and informing them about the explosives on the plane. According to Ram, the hijackers will use this as the last resort if all negotiations fail. Finally, Ram heads back to Kathmandu to settle scores with the ISI. The negotiators received information that Osama Bin Laden was involved because Osama had a respectable relationship with Masood’s father, Maulana Allah Bakhsh. Eighteen months before, Maulana Allah Bakhsh had asked Osama to free his son, giving this job to Amjad. However, Masood’s brother Ibrahim insisted on hijacking the plane, so Amjad also had to join. Mukul still wants to kill the hijackers, so DRS asks why he didn’t do it in Amritsar.
Burger plays antakshari (musical game) inside the plane with the passengers. Meanwhile, Mukul tries to talk to the Chief, but no one is in the cabin. The staff plans to kill the hijackers themselves as they are unsure what the government is planning to do. They put a brake on this idea when they realize the captain will not allow it. Muttawakil brings a message to the hijackers and the Indian government as well. The order is for the hijackers to drop their demand for the money and the dead body. The hijackers also need to continue the negotiations. If both parties do not come to a decision, then Muttawakil will fill the fuel to the plane, and the hijackers can take the aircraft where they want.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Finale Episode 6 Ending Explained:
Will the release of terrorists prove to be a grave mistake?
The hijackers make the final offer to release Maulana Masood Azhar, Omar Saeed Sheik, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. Among them, two of them are in Kashmir jail, and the Chief Minister will never sign off the deal. So V.K.Agarwal meets the Chief Minister of Kashmir to make this happen. The government is left with no choice but to let the terrorists go to save the passengers and the crew.
The crew informs the passengers that they will leave soon. Burger asks Chhaya to have a good life before leaving. Captain Sharan breaks down as he sees the state of the plane. DRS has one final request for Muttawakil: to ensure the RDX is removed from the plane. The negotiators have a bittersweet moment as they know even though the passengers are safe, terrorists are let free.
After the Taliban’s orders, Amjad removes the RDX from the plane. But that night in Kathmandu, because of a tip, the same bag was found in Hashmi’s house; because of this, Hashmi was deported from Nepal. However, Ram claims he had nothing to do with it. It seems the hijackers celebrated with Osama Bin Laden that night.
How did the release of the terrorists ultimately prove to be a strategic mistake for India?
After the release of Masood, he addressed a large crowd in Karachi and founded Jaish-E-Mohammed (JeM). The JeM is responsible for the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai as well as the Pulwama attacks. When Al-Qaeda grew, Omar Saeed Sheik joined the war. Omar Saeed Sheik was the mastermind behind the beheading of an American Journalist in 2002. Meanwhile, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar continues to support organizations that wage war against India in Kashmir. In 2022, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar was declared a terrorist.
In the end, the passengers and crew were freed with one casualty. However, it wasn’t necessarily a win for India, as three dangerous criminals were let loose once again and have caused havoc ever since. It is in these situations that international relations play a significant role. However, the delayed government decisions in the country played a major role in the hijacking getting worse. Following the protocols is fine, but quick decision-making, especially when many lives are at stake, makes a good leader.
Even though the government had to release the terrorists, the series shows a small clip of the debate between a civilian and an ex-soldier. It is a tough choice as all lives are valuable, and freeing the passengers is very important. Nevertheless, once the terrorists were released, so many more lives were lost. What is the right decision, then? Mukul is seen expressing that they will be blamed for letting the terrorists go, but who is answerable for the lives of the civilians if the demands are not met? These questions will always remain in the minds of the government and civilians whenever they are faced with a similar catch-22 situation.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Review:
IC814: The Kandahar Hijack is a true story that skillfully integrates real-life footage with the series, adding authenticity to the narrative. However, the scenes depicting the interactions between Masood and Sanjay Mehta in jail are marred by odd coloring, which detracts from the gravity of the situation, making it feel more like a distant, narrated tale. Despite this, the series successfully balances curiosity with tension, particularly in scenes involving bureaucratic decisions.
Beyond portraying the hijacking, the creators intelligently weave in parallel stories that provoke thought. For example, the debate over whether saving the passengers’ lives outweighs honoring a soldier who died apprehending a dangerous criminal. The series also highlights the aftermath, showing what the released terrorists did, prompting viewers to question morality and whether there is a definitive right or wrong. Unlike typical hijacking stories, this one humanizes the hijackers, portraying them as people with real emotions. Burger, for instance, shows care for the crew and passengers, while even the supposedly dangerous Amjad softens when the crew or passengers need something.
The actors deliver strong performances, particularly the portrayal of Captain Sharan, capturing the emotions a real-life pilot might have felt in such a situation. Mukul also stands out, especially in scenes where he negotiates with the Chief. The show doesn’t just present Mukul as a skilled negotiator but also reveals his vulnerabilities, particularly in tense moments where he is enraged and considers killing the hijackers—a hasty decision driven by the pressure and fear for innocent lives. Overall, the limited series is tightly woven, avoiding unnecessary dramatization, and keeps the audience engaged by staying as close to reality as possible.
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