Neerja Bhanot worked as a purser for Pan Am in the mid 80s. Hers is a tale of fearlessness and valor, albeit a tragic one of a life nipped in the bud. Pan Am flight 73 was hijacked by the Abu Nidal Organization on Sept 5, 1986 while on ground in Karachi, Pakistan.
The flight was on its way to New York and originated from Sahar Airport in Mumbai, India. Neerja being the senior most member of the cabin crew, in an unparalleled display of courage, was instrumental in saving more than 300 lives and in the process gave up her own.
She was posthumously awarded India's highest peacetime bravery award, Ashok Chakra. Till date, she is the youngest recipient.
Now comes Neerja, the story of Neerja Bhanot on film, directed by Ram Madhvani. Sonam Kapoor plays the eponymous role and the film has created quite the pre-release buzz.
The poignancy is quite stark considering how many people were made aware of Neerja Bhanot's story only by the film's trailer that came out in December 2015. There was a sudden burst of information on Neerja Bhanot, who was also a part-time model, with her print ads and TV advertisements being shared widely in social media. Madhvani too is known best for his award winning commercials and this is his second feature film after Let's Talk in 2002, that was well received critically.
There are also high expectations from Sonam Kapoor who is known for her great choice of roles but not as well for her acting chops. It remains to be seen whether the filmmakers and the actor have done justice to this incredible story.