There is speculation that Ram Madhvani’s Neerja, running at 122 minutes is all about family more than the incident itself, the plight of the passengers, the crew and above all it’s too Neerja Bhanot cantered.
The film revolves around the Libya backed Abu Nidal Organization’s hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan on 5 September 1986, specifically focusing on head purser Neerja Bhanot who thwarted the hijack attempt by preventing the plane from taking off, which resulted in the lives of 360 hostages being saved.
Sonam Kapoor essays the central protagonist’s role and there is no doubt that this has been her best thus far; this being endorsed by hundreds of fans and critics alike on Social Media. The question then arises will she be able to edge out the others and continue the trend or will just be another fading shooting star?
Like any biopic, Neerja has a powerful story to tell particularly if the ‘hero’ is merely 23 and has given her live in the line of duty and service; the mass appeal will certainly follow. Add to this the glamour of the sanctification of the sacrifice, which by no means I intend to underestimate, and what we have added is 50 crores to the booty in the first week of release.
Neerja has been an instant hit and I have no doubt it will be one of the top earners this year, unlike Aligarh another starrer this week, which might sink without a trace given the sensitivity of its subject and the homophobia we suffer from.
What happened on the fateful Pan Am Flight 73 and how did the passengers actually cope with the tension, death before them, a blood-soiled aircraft and their subsequent escape- these are deeper emotions which can never be captured true to spirit, yet those hundreds of nameless actors in those little sequences of the film, did a remarkable job getting the essence of the sentiment as death stood before each one.
I would not think of comparing Neerja with Argo (2012), a class in itself but keep wondering if the tension, thrill and excitement could be the same. Perhaps on these lines Neerja fails- it tells the story we already know and merely plays a grand tribute to one of India’s finest daughters.
The film captures the reactions of various people across the board- Neerja’s family: Mother (Shabana), Father (Yogendra Tiku) and in a special cameo Jaideep (Shekhar); Pan Am’s cabin crew and passengers, the terrorists and the likes of it. Yet it does not dwell much on the negotiations, the parley and the break-down of communication between terrorists and the administration. I am a little disappointed here.
In sum, Neerja is a family entertainer, one that leaves you with a feel-good factor and makes you feel proud on the accomplishments of a young woman that could have saved her life but choose to get out of the craft after she got the others out.
4/5