Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan was scheduled to begin the shoot of his next Ekkis starring Varun Dhawan in 2020, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the film has been put on a backburner. The film as per reports will now go on floors in September 2021. Now as per reports in Peepingmoon.com, the filmmaker will mark his directorial debut in the web space. This web series is said to be based on Kandahar hijacking which took place in 1999.
The filmmaker along with his team has begun research on this topic and is also preparing a script for the same. The web series will be shot after Sriram wraps up Varun’s delayed movie. The source speaking about this venture of the filmmaker mentioned about the crisis faced by the ruling government of India, he said, “The Kandahar hijacking crisis brought India on its knees. A blot on Indian history, it exposed India's vulnerable underbelly and questioned the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government that failed to handle the crisis.”
The source added, “How the terrorists breached the security checks, hijacked the plane and forced the Indian government to fulfill their demands, what negotiations happened with hijackers and how the Crisis management group in Delhi comprising top names goofed up a rescue operation — Sriram Raghavan's web-series chronicles the detailed account of this hostage crisis that kept India awake for seven fateful nights.”
Kandahar hijacking had Pakistani terrorist clan Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin demanding the release of three Islamist terrorists in order to leave Airlines Flight AC-814 passenger unharmed which carried 176 passengers. After the plane was hijacked after entering the Indian airspace, five hijackers had compelled the pilot to land at several locations from Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai and before it landed in Kandahar in Afganistan. ALSO READ: Varun Dhawan's Ekkis Is Not Shelved; Shoot To Begin In September-October 2021, Reveals Director Sriram Raghavan - EXCLUSIVE
This crisis ended on December 31, followed by the Indian government agreeing to release the gangsters Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Masood Azhar. 27 passengers were released and several were wounded out of 176 passengers. ALSO READ: Saif Ali Khan In Sriram Raghavan's Next Thriller?
Image Source: Instagram/sriramraghavanofficial