Kabir Khan to direct Netflix series on Kandahar hijacking post 83 release

After a long wait, Kabir Khan is finally gearing up for the release of 83. The film, based on India's first win at the Cricket World Cup in 1983, is set to hit the big screens on December 24, 2021. As per the latest reports, soon after 83's release, Khan will move on to his next project, which is a Netflix series based on the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, which concluded in Kandahar, Afghanistan. 

Speaking about the project, a source told PeepingMoon that the hijacking crisis in Kandahar brought India to its knees. It's a stain on Indian history, exposing the country's vulnerable underbelly and calling into question the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government's failure to handle the crisis.

The source further shared with the entertainment portal that Khan's show is based on the book Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story by IC-814 flight pilot Captain Devi Sharan, and chronicles the detailed account of this hostage crisis that kept India awake for seven fateful nights.

This Netflix series investigates everything related to the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, which forced India to release three Islamist terrorists in order to secure the flight's 176 passengers and crew. The source concluded by revealing to the publication that the series examines how the terrorists breached security checks, hijacked the plane, and forced the Indian government to fulfill their demands; what negotiations took place with the hijackers; and how the crisis management group in Delhi, comprised of top names, botched a rescue operation.

The hijack took place between December 24, 1999 to December 31, 1999. The terrorists hijacked between Kathmandu, Nepal and Delhi, India; landed in Amritsar, India; Lahore, Pakistan; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Kandahar, Afghanistan.

This is Khan's second OTT outing after Amazon Prime Video's The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye which streamed in 2020.