IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack – Episode 3 Recap & Review

Episode 3

Episode 3 of IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack starts with the plane abruptly taking off from Amritsar. The passenger whose throat was slit bleeds out and is close to dying. Vijaybhan tells Vinay that he is disappointed that none of the government representatives could give the order to the commandos to start the operation in due time.

Vinay states that the constitution had bound them. Ranjan and Mukul state how the pilot should have tried to stall the plane some more. Vijaybhan agrees to take full responsibility for the incident. The officers learn that the plane can only fly for another 10 minutes.

The narrator states how the relations between India and Pakistan were not doing great during this time because Pakistan was under Miltary’s Rule. General Musharraf planned a recent attack on India which was later exposed and caused the soldier great embarrassment as well as great loss to Indian lives.

The episode moves back to the present day and Vijaybhan asks DRS to get him in touch with Pakistan. DRS claims that the pilot – Sharan was being blamed for the failure of the mission. Vinay claims that someone has to take responsibility for the situation and the pilot is an easy scapegoat. The plane is flying low and arrives in Pakistan.

Vijaybhan tries to talk to the new government in Pakistan and asks him to allow the plane to land. The plane is connected to the ATC in Lahore. Lahore refuses to let the hijacked plane land in Pakistan and turns off its runway lights as well. This comes as a shock to the hijackers and the pilots but the ATC Lahore officials ask the plane to vacate the Lahore Airspace.

Sharan is left with no option but to land the plane in a dark spot close by. Sharan manages to somehow land the plane. Lahore sends in a fuel bowser and the plane is refuelled.

Meanwhile, the passenger with a slit throat is dying. Sharan asks for the two victims to be deplaned in Lahore so they can get the medical assistance they need but the hijackers refuse. The plane takes off for the third time and the passenger with the slit throat dies. Sharan’s wife is questioned by the media about his “mistake” that could cost the nation a lot.

Sharan asks for the plane to be landed in Kabul but the Kabul ATC asks them to return 7 hours later as Kabul does not have a night landing facility. Sharan and the other two pilots argue that the plane will need to be landed again as they could only fly for 4 more hours with a refuelled plane. Ram contacts V K Agarwal and tells him that there is not one but 2 red bags on the plane and one possibly has some very dangerous ammunition.

The hijackers started getting aggressive with the passengers while the ministers tried to see if the UAE would allow the plane to land in Dubai. Vijaybhan talks to the Washington government and tries to apologise for the recent nuclear testings from 1998 that had soured India’s relationship with the USA.

Vijaybhan calls in a favour and asks the Sheikhs in Dubai to order the hijackers to allow women and children to be deplaned in Dubai. At the same time, the media calls Sharan a traitor who made the mistake of taking off too soon. Nandini writes an alternate piece defending Sharan.

The plane lands another time, now in the domestic airport in Dubai. The hijackers suspect another ploy and refuse to open the door of the plane. Sharan talks to ATC in Dubai and tries to convey that a passenger has died. The UAE Sheikh asks Sharan to convey the message to the hijackers, asking the women and children to be deplaned as the episode ends.

The Episode Review

This episode is so well shot and we can see the contrast between the lives of the ministers compared to that of Sharan and the other crew members and passengers on the plane. While it is easy for the leaders and ministers to blame Sharan for flying the plane despite the orders, it is clear that Sharan was only doing what was for the benefit of the passengers.

The ministers and directors who are sitting in their offices and enjoying their beverages have no idea what the captain on the hijacked plane is going through. It is sad to see how one passenger died so easily due to the frustrated action of the terrorist. Now that this episode closes with the plane in Delhi, there seems to be some hope for the passengers, all thanks to the intervention of the Sheikh.