Stellar performances, but political undertones weigh down Anubhav Sinha's 'IC 814'

After delivering some box office disasters like Anek (2022) and Bheed (2023), director Anubhav Sinha takes the OTT route to recreate the Kandahar hijack of 1999, in which an Indian Airlines plane bound for Delhi from Kathmandu, was taken hostage enroute.

The hijack drama, lasting eight days and extending to halts at Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai and finally Kandahar in Afghanistan, became a laborious task to solve for our Government and its bureaucrats. Unlike what you would expect from today's 'New India', the then State meekly agreed to free some dreaded jailed terrorists in return for the passengers.

Vijay Varma as Captain Dev Sharan, is outstanding. The ensemble cast comprising stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa and Kanwaljit Singh are all super competent. It is nice to see Patralekha Paul in a central role of an airhostess after long. She leaves a mighty mark. So does Roja (1992) fame Arvind Swamy as the Secretary to MEA. Overall, the cast and performances are first rate.

Sinha handles his crucial hijack scenes expertly. Note the exhilarating forced landing sequence at Lahore in the third episode. It is superb!! The technical aspects are also worth a nod and the series doesn't drag beyond the crisp six episodes of approximately forty five minutes each. Ideal for a binge watch!!

IC 814 falters only when Sinha tries to needlessly cater to his political ideology. The hijackers are shown to be quite considerate towards the passengers, which is difficult to digest. Two of the terrorists are named Bhola and Shankar, dunno why?!!! Such kind of fake secular twists rob the realism of the narrative. Strictly by comparison, the hijackers in Ram Madhvani's Neerja (2016) biopic appeared much more convincing and real!!

Finally, IC 814 ends up a watch-worthy series on Netflix, though it could've been far more insightful, had Anubhav Sinha stuck to pure facts and stayed away from his added fiction....

Ratings on some key aspects* :
1. Acting : 4/5
2. Direction : 2/5
3. Music : 3/5
4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 2.5/5
5. Cinematography : 4/5
6. Editing : 3/5
7. Costume Design : 3.5/5
8. Special Effects and VFX : 3.5/5
9. Action : NA
10. Production Quality : 3.5/5

#SNRating for #IC814 : 3 stars (just about) out of 5.

- Sumeet Nadkarni

* - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others.

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#SNRatings barometer:
1 star = Poor
1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable
2 stars = Average
2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it
3 stars = Good enough/ Endurable
3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a watch
4 stars = Very good
5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.

2024 SNRatings. 

About Sumeet Nadkarni:

Sumeet Nadkarni is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a self-styled film critic by passion. He reviews Bollywood movies and OTT releases on his popular personal blog #SNRatings. His film-related articles have appeared in leading publications in India. With a keen eye for cinematic detail and a knack for insightful critiques, Sumeet brings a unique perspective to the world of Indian cinema. Follow him for the latest Bollywood insights and unbiased film reviews. #FilmCritique #BollywoodReviewer