Thriller sans Thrill : My quick take on web series “IC814 -the Kandahaar hijack” (Netflix)
Oh, where do I begin with this latest "thriller"? Picture this: a 6-episode ride on the hijacked IC 814 that took me three sittings to finally get, well, hijacked. Anubhav Sinha, the maestro of anti-establishment tales like Thappad, Mulk and Bheed,decided to take a detour into the perilous skies of historical blunders. And let me tell you, I was intrigued. Could this be a crash landing into political controversy, or would it soar to new heights of human drama?
To my surprise, Sinha dodged the political turbulence like a seasoned pilot, steering us instead through the stormy skies of human emotion. Bravo! But here's the rub: when we all know the plot, why bother with the alias game? Jaswant Singh, Brijesh Mishra—and our hijackers were all conveniently given pseudonyms. Why, I ask, when the script practically wrote itself?
The week-long nightmare that was the hijack—thanks to bureaucratic molasses and communication blunders—was stretched thin, like the last bit of toothpaste in the tube. Six episodes? A tad too long, if you ask me. But don’t let that ground your enthusiasm just yet.
The real stars of this turbulent journey were the stellar cast, crisp editing, and that sepia-soaked cinematography. It was as if Sinha’s camera dipped each frame in nostalgia, giving it a gritty, lived-in feel. The clever blend of real-life footage was a masterstroke, almost as if we were eavesdropping on history itself. Watching Pankaj Kapur, the ever-jaded Naseeruddin Shah, Kumud Mishra, Kawaljeet, Arvind Swamy, Manoj Pahwa, and the charismatic Vijay Varma was like sneaking into an NSD workshop—pure theatrical bliss. And Vijay Varma as the pilot? The man didn’t just steer the plane; he *piloted* the entire series to safety. Hats off!
Sure, a few subplots on media and Nepal could have been trimmed—maybe the editor took a long coffee break? And that poetic justice ending in Nepal? A bit of a gimmick, methinks, to squeeze out some extra applause.
All in all, this series is a well-crafted watch. The technical finesse and top-notch VFX alone are worth the journey. But if you’re hoping for some hard-hitting truths or a clear naming of villains, you might be left waiting at the gate. So, buckle up for a one-time watch—IC 814 may not hijack your heart, but it’ll certainly keep you in your seat.
Or should I say, IC equals UC? 😜
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