Stream It Or Skip It: ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ on Netflix, A Detailed Retelling of the Al Qaeda-Affiliated Airplane Hijacking From the ‘90s

Hijacking stories are a fertile ground for storytelling — the high stakes and time- sensitive nature make them propulsive films and series, especially for those looking for fast-paced action. Netflix India’s latest release retells the story of the 1999 IC 814 flight, hijacked en route to Delhi. Does this six-part limited series deserve to be your next binge?

IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Real footage from the day sets the scene while a voiceover explains why Kathmandu was chosen as the starting point for the hijacking: its location in Nepal has made it a hot spot for spy operations for many countries, including the United States, Pakistan, and India.

The Gist: This limited series covers the moments before, during, and after the 1999 hijacking of IC 814, a flight headed from Kathmandu, Nepal to Delhi, India. In this fictionalized retelling, the Netflix series shows various points of views including the flight’s crew and passengers, the Indian intelligence community, and the media who are tasked with covering the news for the general population.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? There have been at least six other retellings of this incident on film and TV, including Yodha, a film released earlier this year. If you don’t want an exact retelling of the same story, Neerja is another plane hijack story centered on a heroic flight attendant.

Our Take: In 1999, a group of Al Qaeda-affiliated operatives took over a plane headed to India with the goal of forcing the Indian government to release prisoners linked to the Taliban. The Netflix miniseries takes its time in laying out the events, showcasing the viewpoints of everyone involved — those in the air and those on the ground.

The biggest boon to the series is the cast and crew behind the series. Helmed by Anubhav Sinha (Thappad, Article 15) and starring Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, and more household names, the strength of the performances keep the episode afloat as its introducing a slew of storylines. Occasionally the writing borders on cheesy: the banter between the news anchor and news editor (Amrita Puri and Dia Mirza, respectively) feels a bit forced, and Varma’s Captain makes an announcement to the flight that seemed to be written only to set up his heroism.

If anything, I question the necessity for telling this story again. There are at least six other TV and film adaptations of this story; one film about this exact event came out earlier this year. Without new insights into the motivations or new details about the perpetrators, it’s hard to justify revisiting this story so many times over. But the pacing of the series is pulsating enough to warrant tuning in if you’re new to the story.

Sex and Skin: With this type of subject matter, there is no sexual subplot to be found (which is for the best).

Parting Shot: The hijackers realize that the crew isn’t lying about how much fuel they have left, and it won’t be enough to reach Kabul. The credits roll across an image of the wayward flight cruising along in the sky, destination unknown.

Sleeper Star: Vijay Varma plays the Captain whose main job is to be the face of calmness amidst a tenuous scenario, and save for a corny line or two, he succeeds.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Such people should not be arrested. Catch them, shoot them, cut off the snake’s head. No more snake charmers or damn hijacks,” an intelligence officer plainly lays out.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Netflix India series is enthralling, even if it’s telling a story many Indians and its diaspora might already be aware of.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, ELLE, Teen Vogue, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.