Hijack (Movie Review)

Like most terrorism-themed films emerging out of Bollywood, “Hijack” too looks good. It’s got that whole attention to detail and realism feel to it. And like most terrorism-themed Hindi films, it somehow falls a wee bit short at being a great take on the subject. Brave attempt, but that’s all it is. Yet, another attempt like the most recent predecessor “Mumbai Meri Jaan”.

“Hijack” is the debut film of its director Kunal Shivdasani and he gets much credit for tackling a tale that even veteran filmmakers prefer to ignore.

The story is pretty straightforward. Vikram Madan (Shiney Ahuja) is a ground maintenance officer at Chandigarh airport. He’s the brooding loner sort and hangs out only with the airport’s security chief. “Hijack” begins when the aircraft in which Vikram’s daughter is travelling is hijacked and brought to Chandigarh for refuelling.

The aircraft is hijacked by a group of five terrorists who demand the immediate release of Maqsood, played by a near-perfect K.K.Raina, who was in Indian custody. The terrorists demand Maqsood’s release in exchange for the hostages.

When the aircraft is in Chandigarh, Vikram sneaks into the hijacked plane and starts plotting the rescue of his daughter and killing the terrorists with the help of an airhostess, Saira (Esha Deol). Despite a few innocent casualties along the way, Vikram and Saira find a way and save the day.

For the theme, it fails to pick up a rapid pace until much later in the film. It lacks the sense of suspense that even Hollywood’s “Speed” had, however, is served well by a commendable climax. Songs and spending extra time on insignificant characters have hampered what could otherwise have made for better viewing.

The script of “Hijack” certainly isn’t its strength, particularly given the plot. Scenes such as Shiney Ahuja taking on the terrorists on his own are stuff of 1970s filmmaking and should be forgotten. But, most importantly, there is absolutely no sense of fear or terror onboard the aircraft, which given the context seems terribly odd.

Hindi films are getting technically superb and “Hijack” is no exception. The runway scenes are well-executed and the treatment of the film’s cinematography scores extremely high. The music department fails to impress as does the majority of the acting.

Shiney Ahuja delivers his performance with the usual reliability that comes with him. Esha Deol delivers her role with the usual mediocrity that comes with her.

Emotionally “Hijack” fails to connect as much as it should have. However, it looks good, feels ok and might not be all that bad if you have lots of time to spare.

Cast: Shiney Ahuja, Esha Deol, K.K. Raina, Kaveri Jha

Director: Kunal Shivdasani

Music: Justin-Uday