Who is Captain Devi Sharan? Check Details of IC 814 Flight Hijacking Here

On that fateful evening in late December, Indian Airlines Flight 814 departed Kathmandu carrying its many passengers, unaware of the harrowing days that lay ahead. Among the diverse travellers were newlyweds brimming with hope for their future, entrepreneurs seeking business deals, and vacationers looking forward to holiday festivities with loved ones. At the controls was the experienced Captain Devi Sharan, partnered by First Officer Rajinder Kumar and Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia. Five masked men with ties to the terrorist group Al Qaeda had sinister plans for the aircraft and its 188 souls. Over the coming week, the world watched with bated breath as the aircraft was involuntarily diverted from its intended destination. Through cunning manipulation and threats of violence, the hijackers held lives in their hands. This chilling saga would stand as one of the longest such incidents in aviation history.

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Who is Captain Devi Sharan on Whom a Netflix Series is Being Made?

Captain Devi Sharan looked forward to commencing a much-needed family getaway after piloting his final Christmas Eve flight before the new millennium took flight. Fate, however, had other plans in store. Over the harrowing eight-day hijacking ordeal, it is said that Captain Sharan retained an unflappable disposition, acutely mindful of the innumerable lives resting in his steady hands.

Indian Airlines Flight 814, bearing one hundred eighty-eight souls aboard, earned infamy as the longest aviation hostage scenario on record. The militants, with ties to Al Qaeda, had a singular aim: to secure the release of three notorious terrorists - Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar.

Captain Sharan, joined by Srinjoy Chowdhary, elaborated on the entire unsettling experience within the memoir Flight Into Fear, which later inspired director Anubhav Sinha's Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. In the book, Captain Sharan shares his ordeal, describing how he retained composure and strived to cultivate a placid environment amid the ongoing uncertainty.

Actor Vijay Varma, who portrays Captain Sharan in the Netflix series, recounted his first meeting with the real-life pilot in a heartfelt note on social media. He wrote, "Real and Reel Captain Sharan. When I first met the captain... I was taken in by his pleasant smile and his simplicity... and then I saw a scar on his neck.. I asked him about it... he simply and politely said, 'Woh hijackers ki gun 7 din tak yahi ragadti rahi toh wound ho gaya tha jo heal nahi hua.' I froze. He smiled. I knew I was talking to a real-life hero. It was such a huge honour to depict Captain Devi Sharan on screen. His efforts to save lives amidst chaos and dread are truly inspiring! A tale of resilience and honor.. of critical thinking and duty.. of patience and hope and most of all... bravery. We salute you, captain. 🫡 IC814 streaming on Netflix from 29th August."

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Details of IC 814 Flight Hijacking

On the evening of December 24th, 1999, Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 took off from Kathmandu, Nepal bound for New Delhi carrying 180 souls including crew and passengers. Among the travellers was Roberto Giori, owner at that time of De La Rue Giori, the dominant player in the global currency printing industry.

Shortly after becoming airborne, senior steward Anil Sharma was startled by a masked individual informing him the aircraft was being commandeered while claiming possession of an explosive. The hijackers directed Captain Devi Sharan to "proceed west", steering the flight into Pakistani airspace. However, Pakistani Air Traffic Control declined the plane's permission to land in Lahore when low on fuel. When informed of this by the hijackers, Captain Sharan was allowed to touch down in Amritsar, Punjab to refuel.

Later intelligence suggested the hijackers had purchased five tickets for the flight in Kathmandu—two directly in first class and three through a travel agency in the economy. Indian authorities believed notorious Indian gangster and globally wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, said to be residing in the Middle East, helped the hijackers gain access to the Kathmandu airport.

Passengers afterwards recounted the hijackers ordering the removal of the served meal and separating the men from the women and children, blindfolding them with threats of explosives if they did not obey.

Latest on IC 814 Webseries

The head of content for Netflix India has been summoned by the government following the widespread controversy over the web series "IC 814 - The Kandahar Hijack," which depicts the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, sources have revealed. The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued the summons to Netflix India chief Monika Shergill after numerous social media users accused the show's creators of intentionally altering the hijackers' names to "Bhola" and "Shankar." The series, directed by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava, is based on the book "Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story" by flight captain Devi Sharan and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury. It features performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma, and Pankaj Kapur in prominent roles.

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