I am no film critic, but I had to write this, because there has been no film in the recent times that has moved me, inspired me, and touched me the way the movie "Neerja", starring Sonam Kapoor and directed by Ram Madhvani, did. The movie is based on the true story of Neerja Bhanot, one of the pursers on board the ill-fated Pan Am 73 aircraft that was hijacked by terrorists at the Karachi airport on September 5, 1986.
I was not aware of the whole hijack incident until I first saw the promo of this movie on TV. I asked my mother about it, and she hardly remembered the incident. She said she only had a very vague memory of having read about it in news. The trailer of the movie looked promising, so I decided to watch the movie the very next day after it released. Little did I know that I was in for a cinematic experience that would bring about a sea change in the way I looked at life.
The best thing about the movie is that despite being a biopic, it is neither preachy nor high on melodrama, and still manages to strike all the right chords in the hearts of its viewers. You will fall in love with the protagonist Neerja, portrayed beautifully by actress Sonam Kapoor, in her initial scene itself as she quotes one of Hindi Cinema's most loved dialogues - "Babu Moshai, Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin" from the timeless classic 'Anand'.
Beautiful, fun and full of life, she is the sweet heart of everyone in her family. The director gets straight into the main plot of the movie within minutes from the start of the movie. It is not long before the images of the happy family of Neerja give way to images of hapless passengers at the mercy of a few trigger happy terrorists. The Pan Am aircraft on which Neerja was flying as the head purser for the first time in her career gets hijacked at Karachi by armed terrorists. The pilots of the aircraft abandon the aircraft and escape to safety as Neerja alerts them about the hijack. This leaves her and other crew members of the flight and all the passengers of the aircraft at the mercy of the terrorists. The film maker succeeds in creating the sense of terror and fear in the minds of the viewers, which helps one relate to what the characters in the movie were going though. Initially just like everyone else on the plane, Neerja is terrified. The rest of the movie is about how she overcomes her fear, keeps a steady mind, thinks and acts wisely and eventually saves the lives of about 300 passengers on the plane.
Neerja was just a simple girl, with no extra ordinary powers or capabilities, but she did things that many of us would even shudder to think - facing armed terrorists with courage, negotiating with them, protecting over 300 total strangers from the wrath of the armed men compromising even her own safety. What made her do that? What is it that set her apart from others? There is a scene in the movie where Shabana Azmi who plays Rama Bhanot, Neerja's mother, asks herself this question as to what made Neerja act in the way that she did. Even when I got out of the theater after watching the movie, I kept asking myself, "What made her do it"? If I had to take a bullet for saving the life of a total stranger, would I have done it?
The answer lies in the highest and finest qualities of a human being - 'Selflessness'. Neerja is an epitome of this fine quality of selflessness. Such human beings are very rare, which is why the story of Neerja finds resonance in today's world. In a world where people would go to any extreme for their own benefits, including hurting others in the process of getting it, the story of the selfless act of Neerja is worth telling over and over again. Her's is a story that needs to be told so that those who are not aware of it come to know about it, and those who have forgotten about it are reminded it. Though Neerja Bhanot was awarded by the Indian, American and Pakistani Governments for her act of bravery and human kindness, there were many who were unaware of her story before the movie released, including me. This movie not only reminds us of the heroic act of Neerja, but also about the menace that is terrorism. Though the incident happened 29 years ago, the threat of terrorism looms large even now. It has taken the lives of innocent people before and it continues to take more lives even now.
Hats off to the entire team of the movie 'Neerja' for telling us the story of the braveheart. Thanks to the family of Neerja Bhanot for letting the world know about this incredible woman. Though the movie will leave you with moist eyes towards the closing credits, though the movie will leave you with a lump in the throat during certain scenes, though the movie will leave you with a strange sense of uneasiness, days after you have watched the movie, it is a "Must watch". The movie is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring movies of our times. It will serve to inspire us to be better human beings, it will inspire us to face life with courage and it will inspire us to be more selfless.
I would like to conclude this article with a quote by Swami Vivekananda - "They alone live, who live for others". Neerja Bhanot, you will continue to live on!
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