Netflix India has unveiled the first trailer for its upcoming series 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack'.
The hijacking occurred in December 1999 when gunmen seized an Air India flight as it was flying from Kathmandu to New Delhi. The plane made several landings, including in Amritsar, India; Lahore, Pakistan; Dubai; and Kandahar, Afghanistan. The crisis lasted seven days.
Adapted from the book “Flight into Fear” by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chaudhary, the drama series explores the crisis from multiple angles, offering a multi-faceted view of the incident, highlighting the tense negotiations in the Delhi war room, the high-stakes diplomacy in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, and the terrifying ordeal faced by the passengers and crew on board the hijacked plane.
The series features an ensemble cast that includes Vijay Varma (“Dahaad”), Patralekha (“Aar Ya Paar”), veterans Pankaj Kapur (“Bheed”), Naseeruddin Shah (“Minimum”), Arvind Swami (“Custody”), Diya Mirza (“Bed”), Amrita Puri (“Niyat”), Anupam Tripathi (“Squid Game”), Kumud Mishra (“Tiger 3”), Manoj Pahwa (“Pawal”), Kanwaljit Singh (“The Lady”), Dibyendu Bhattacharya (“The Hunter”), Sushant Singh (“The Independent”), Aditya Srivastava (“Bakshak”), Rajeev Thakur and Yashpal Sharma (“Chandu Hero”).
The series is written by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava (“Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga”), and directed by Sinha. The story is written by Adrian Levy and Trishant Srivastava. It is produced by Matchbox Shots and Benaras Mediaworks, with Sarita Patel and Sanjay Routray as producers.
Sinha's films that deal with social and political issues include Bheed (2023), Anek (2022), Article 15 (2019), and Mulk (2018). He is returning to television serials after a gap of 27 years, after working in DD Metro's Sea Hawks.
“Netflix and Matchbox Shots came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse, to tell the story of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” Sinha said. “Trishant, the writer, and I dived into the work thinking that most of the information was available online. Documentaries and videos had been made, articles had been written, so we wanted to delve deeper into the subject to come up with a more engaging story.”
“We met with officials involved in the rescue mission from Delhi, and the passengers and crew told us the story inside the plane,” Sinha added. “Adrian Levy, a prominent London journalist, author and filmmaker, boarded the plane, and a whole new international landscape unfolded before us. What happened over those seven days turned out to be a compelling story that cut through the terrifying and dramatic tactical and diplomatic maneuvering that had to be told. Viewers should know this story, which has never been told before, from the inside out, with a cast that I don’t know if I could ever assemble again.”
“With Anubhav Sinha’s brilliant direction and Netflix’s global reach, we are confident that the series will move viewers across the world to appreciate the courage and resilience of Indians who showed tremendous bravery during the Kandahar Hijacking,” added Sanjay Routray of Matchbox Shots, the production company behind Netflix India’s recent hits “Monica, O My Darling” and “Scoop.”
“The series does not just tell the story; it immerses you in the emotional rollercoaster of a nation gripped by fear, hope and despair. The powerful narrative, coupled with stunning visuals and incredible performances by the stellar cast, makes this a must-watch,” said Monica Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India.
The series will air on August 29.
Watch the trailer here:
