IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack's Rajiv Thakur reveals he witnessed the real-life hijack while in college; 'The plane looked very big...'

Rajiv Thakur, known for his role in The Great Indian Kapil Show, has shared his personal experience of witnessing the IC 814 hijacking in Amritsar in 1999. Read to know more!

Published on Sep 10, 2024  |  03:02 PM IST |  51.4K
Image: Rajiv Thakur Instagram handle
Image: Rajiv Thakur Instagram handle

Rajiv Thakur, known from The Great Indian Kapil Show, surprised fans with his role in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The comedian-turned-actor played Chief and received praise from his co-stars. In a recent interview, Rajiv revealed that he witnessed the real IC 814 hijacking in Amritsar back in 1999 while he was in college.

The web series, which also features Vijay Varma, is based on the events of December 24, 1999, when Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked while traveling from Kathmandu to Delhi. The plane was forced to land in Amritsar and stayed there for three hours.

Rajiv, who is from Amritsar, was in college when the IC 814 flight was hijacked and taken to his city. He recalled being told to rush home and witnessing commandos taking control of the situation. 

In a conversation with Mid Day, he said, “Suddenly, we noticed that a plane was flying unusually low. I mean, the flight was flying much lower than necessary, and we were thinking that the plane looked very big.”


He continued, “While pondering over this, we went outside for tea, and by the time we returned, everyone was shouting, 'Run, run, anything can happen here!' That memory is still etched in his mind.”

Rajiv Thakur shared that during the incident, he saw commandos arriving and was informed that the flight had been hijacked. Within about 30 minutes, he reached home and told his family about the hijacking. They were initially told that the flight had been taken to Pakistan.

Advertisement

For those unaware, Rajiv Thakur will be returning to The Great Indian Kapil Show for its second season, which is set to stream on Netflix in September 2024. Meanwhile, the six-episode hijack drama, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, featuring Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Amrita Puri, Pooja Gor, and Manoj Pahwa, is currently available for streaming on Netflix. 

ALSO READ: IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack's Rajiv Thakur makes SHOCKING revelation: 'Anubhav Sinha was upset and scolded Mukesh Chhabra for casting me'

Pinkvilla Pulse
Subscribe to our newsletter for entertainment exclusives, star interviews, and the latest lifestyle trends. Look No Further!
Subscribe
About The Author

Journalism grad with a knack for spicing up words. Former employee of India News, The Economic Times, and Zomato.

...

Advertisement

Latest Articles