The ill fated Pan AM Flight 73 took of from Mumbai and was on its way to New York with hops in Karachi and Frankfurt. The passengers readied for a grueling 20+ hour journey, and settled into their seats for a nice rest as the plane approached Karachi.
Suddenly, people entered the plane firing bullets and laden with grenades. Neerja, the head purser for the flight alerted the cockpit crew. The pilot and co-pilot reacted swiftly and left the plane cockpit through the emergency hatch.
This one act by Neerja Bhanot grounded the plane at Karachi Airport and saved the lives of nearly 350 passengers on board.
Neerja (2016)
Director: Ram Madhvani
Stars: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani
After Airlift, Neerja is the second movie of this year based on a true story. A story of a brave girl who staunchly believed in her dharma as the flight purser and continued to do all that she was required through a tense, life-threatening 20 hours.
The attackers belonged to Abu Nadal organization, backed by coloner Gaddafi of Libya. According to various accounts their plan was to fly to Cyprus and exchange the passengers for freedom of captured terrorists.
But it all came to naught as the authorities didn’t give in to their demand and ultimately forced them to open fire on the passengers. Again, Neerja Bhanot at the risk of getting killed, opened the emergency doors in these final moments and directed the passengers to jump out of the plane.
This story is about this ordinary person who rose to the unseen challenges of her job and showed exemplary commitment to help her fellow human beings.
The movie is a bit of a slow starter. As for the biopic, the story tries to cover all the aspects of Neerja’s short but eventful life. A successful model, a failed marriage, and a happy person, you get a glimpse of her life that was.
However, the director fails to build the tension on the plane and at no time makes the audiences feel the urgency of the situation. This could be because of the dismal performances of the villains or it just could just be my fellow viewers who found humor in the most unlikely frames.
As much as it is slow in the first half, the audiences will be engrossed in the second half that seems much tighter than the initial hour.
Overall, as far as the Drama genre goes, I will say that Airlift is a much better movie than Neerja. It is almost impossible to determine how Neerja dealt with the terrorists on Pan AM Flight 73, or could function the way she did, helping the many passengers. The movie although shows this, it fails to communicate the essence of the situation in a forceful manner.
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