'Neerja', the upcoming Sonam Kapoor starrer film, is based on a true story of the unsung heroine Neerja Bhanot. The story behind the movie brings a tear to one's eye, and shows us how brave one can be in the face of danger. Here are 5 facts about the incident and the braveheart.
The incident occurred in Karachi on September 5, 1986. Neerja was 25 hours away from her 23rd birthday when the tragic incident occurred. She had such compassion and self sacrificing abilities at the prime of her life, which shows us her noble character.
The Pan Am Flight 73 had landed in Karachi after leaving from Mumbai. It was headed towards Frankfurt and then New York. Neerja was the senior flight attendant of the plane. While the plane was in harbor, it was hijacked. The terrorists went unnoticed by airport staff since they were dressed as airport security guards. Once on the plane, they opened fire on the passengers.
Once the terrorists had hijacked the plane, Neerja alerted the cockpit. The cockpit crew immediately escaped through an overhead hatch, leaving Neerja and the other passengers to fend for themselves. Although, Neerja could have left as well, she stayed back to help the passengers.
Neerja realized the terrorists were only targeting American passengers, and thus she proceeded to hide and even discard many passports of the American passengers. Only 2 out of the total 41 Americans on board were killed.
After being on the runway for 17 hours, the terrorists decided to kill everyone on board and opened fire. Neerja helped many passengers escape, without any care for her own life. She was shot while shielding three children from the gunfire. The heroic act was recognized when the Ashok Chakra was awarded to Neerja for showing bravery in the face of danger.
Due to Neerja's efforts, only 20 out of the total 380 passengers on board were killed. The lives of so many were saved, while she gave up her own. It is an honor to watch her story on the big screen.
Neerja' comes to theaters on 19th February, 2016. Save the date!
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