IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024) s01e05 Episode Script

1
INDIAN AIRLINES
Just the doctors and their support staff.
Take away the stairs.
It does not stay there
without my permission.
Sir, the boss wants
to talk to you urgently.
We'll call from here.
Mishra, there's a red bag
in the baggage area.
It has explosives. 17 kilos.
-Seventeen kilos?
-RDX.
Kandahar featured in world news
because of Osama bin Laden.
Following the explosions
at the American embassies in Africa,
and having declared war on America,
Osama bin Laden hid in Kandahar.
Mullah Omar gave him safe haven
on the condition
that he would not attack America again.
But Osama did not honor
this condition for very long.
Kandahar was ruled by two forces,
the Taliban
and the army who controlled
Afghanistan's opium trade.
They had more money and more power.
This army showed greater loyalty to Osama.
So now, both Mullah Omar and the Taliban
were present in Kandahar,
and so was Osama bin Laden.
They were there together,
but not entirely.
Mr. Muttawakil, we sincerely regret
that Afghanistan
is unnecessarily getting involved in this.
We know that you don't like it,
and we appreciate it.
We also understand
that not everything is under your control.
Or your armed forces would not
be wearing different uniforms.
Mr. Barkazai, this stair?
Roof.
So my people can go and smoke?
We can speak Urdu.
That's wonderful. Very good.
This is not a secure line.
Others must be listening.
But they don't have the guts to talk.
Hello. This is Mukul Mohan speaking.
Who am I talking to?
You can call me Chief.
I see.
Okay, so Chief ji,
I wish to speak to the Captain first.
Captain Sharan Dev this side.
Captain Sharan? This is Mukul Mohan here.
On behalf of the government of India,
I'll be negotiating with them.
But first things first,
thank you for staying strong.
The country is proud of you.
We'll get you all home very soon.
Is everyone okay?
Yes, sir, they've been…
They've been kind to us.
Good to hear that.
Just one thing.
The widow of our passenger Rupesh
isn't well.
-So if she could--
-We won't release anyone.
And if need be,
we'll kill more passengers.
Here's my advice.
Go ahead and kill them.
You have 160 of our people.
Kill them all.
I have 5000 of your men,
I'll kill them. Okay?
The negotiations will get
nowhere like this. I assure you.
Chief,
I'm being most respectful.
Let's talk.
Think it over. We'll talk tomorrow.
You sound tired.
Mukul, you were very harsh.
One has to be harsh, sir,
with the hijackers and the locals.
Hope the toilet is clean?
It's clean.
But…
it's Indian style. You'll have to squat.
-Excuse me.
-Ma'am?
Yes, ma'am?
She hasn't had a thing to eat or drink.
Can you get her salt and sugar water?
I'll make her drink it,
or else she'll fall sick.
Yes, ma'am. I'll get it.
Seventeen kilos of explosives.
Enough to blow the plane to shreds.
Toilet repair.
They're cleaning the toilet.
Everything is fine.
Look at the mess that they've made.
It's quite a mess.
What the hell is this?
What the hell did they eat?
This shit is overflowing.
Is this shit or some sludge?
They'll give us their demands at 4:00.
Come on, Mr. Muttawakil.
Were they not aware of their demands
before the hijack?
Obviously, they're following
someone else's orders.
We know it's not yours,
but it's your country, your reputation.
Mullah Omar should never allow this.
Amir al-mu'minin.
Sir.
4:00 p.m.
I've been sitting here for five days now.
I come from business class.
I'm sitting next to this fucking shit.
And I'm… tired.
I want to go now. I want to move.
Sir, I'm sorry.
But I'm tired
and I'm feeling fucking crazy.
It's stinking here.
Can he just shift ahead, please?
Mr. Moretti stays there.
You requested for special treatment,
we're giving you one.
Burger, please.
Captain, please, one minute. Please.
Captain, the other toilet
isn't working either.
The flush is working,
but it is fully clogged.
Please do something.
And Moretti is screaming at Chhaya.
I'll do something.
Burger… Brother.
Can I try to clean the toilet?
You will clean the toilet?
I can do it…
I want to check if there's
a mechanical failure below.
By below, I mean inside the aircraft.
Not outside.
In the luggage hold.
The pipe connections are there.
I'm tired of this fucking shit!
Clean the fucking toilet
and do your fucking job.
I'm tired of this fucking shit.
Chhaya, come out. What are you doing?
Chhaya, please.
Chhaya, please.
Chhaya…
Chhaya, water.
Yes, Ram?
Sir, ISI has gone very aggressive.
They've killed one of my assets,
and the other hasn't answered
his phone for six hours.
Do what you have to. But be careful.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Chandrakant from
Indian Embassy in Islamabad.
-You know him?
-Who?
Chandrakant.
Indian Embassy?
Good afternoon, sir.
Sir…
Sorry.
First Officer Chandrakant
in Islamabad, sir.
Sir, I met you once at the Lahore signing.
Yes. You just got here?
Yes. I drove all night.
Afghan government officials escorted me.
What's the ISI up to?
They killed two of Ram's assets
in the last three days.
Fuck. Tell Ram not to spare Hashmi.
Give them our demands.
What have they dropped?
-We didn't ask for this.
-This is not what they want.
Demands.
I'm not sure if you can see behind me,
but the hijackers
of Indian Airlines flight IC 814
have just dropped their demands.
And a member of the Indian delegation
has stepped onto the tarmac to collect it.
Chief Sahib!
We've read your demands.
It took you five days?
Look, mister.
Do exactly
as you've been told.
I'll do what I need to do.
No need to advise me.
Mind your head here.
So?
Thirty-five men,
Sajjad Afghani's corpse,
and $200 million.
We buried Sajjad Afghani six months ago.
It was an impure burial on impure land.
We'll give our martyred brother
a proper burial. Get it?
A glorious burial.
We'll send him off.
Tell me,
it's your people who keep fighting
over that impure land.
Your government has made
our Kashmir impure.
Do they also teach you
how to fix toilets, Captain?
Burger bhai, when you love your job,
nothing feels like work.
You feel responsible.
So I learned.
And these $200 million?
How much is that, sir?
43.6.
Connect me, quickly.
Yes, sir.
Hello. Sir?
Most of the names are silly.
Just for the sake of negotiations.
I somehow think, sir…
I somehow think the locals
can help us close this deal.
Let me figure this out, sir. Yes, sir.
That's many million rupees
you're asking for.
Almost a billion.
Indian rupees.
How much in Pakistani rupees?
We want 200 million American dollars.
You won't be spending it in dollars.
How much in Pakistani currency?
Listen, if it's money you wanted,
you could've robbed a bank.
You wouldn't have needed
to take so much trouble.
Actually, you don't know
how much money you want.
Someone else is dictating the demands.
Tell them to speak to us directly.
They must be listening to us anyway.
Brothers!
Let's talk face-to-face.
Sajjad bhai, $200 million and our men.
That's it. End of story.
We'll see about the men.
We'll have to talk internally.
Shall we talk tomorrow?
Yes. Of course.
Okay. All good otherwise?
Tell us if you need anything. Some tea?
Just worry about yourself.
We're managing fine. Understand?
Yes. Of course.
$200 million!
Cut from the same cloth.
Sir, here are the details of 29 inmates.
These men are being located,
and three are our assets.
One is in Pakistan
and the other is in Birmingham.
Only Ranjan knows the whereabouts
of the third asset.
They don't really want 35 men,
they only want about four or five.
Look at number 24.
He has a human rights case going on
in court.
Ghosh put a gun to his head
and called me for permission to shoot.
I said, "No, just arrest him."
I made a mistake.
It would've saved legal costs
and this tanta.
Sorry. "Tanta."
Haven't heard the word for ages.
What does tanta mean?
Tanta is like…
Tell him.
Sorry.
He uses the most unusual words!
Chatte, batte, tanta…
I don't get it.
Masood is obvious,
the other names are ridiculous.
All this for one man?
Yes.
Negotiations are about to begin.
They are waiting for us to decide.
We have to decide quickly, sir.
Where are you now?
I'll be there shortly.
All fixed.
Everything can be fixed if you try.
The flush suction was broken.
Once the waste tank is connected,
the blockage will get cleared.
After that the toilets can be used.
The tanker will soon be here.
It'll soon be here.
Great.
As you can hear, the Captain has repaired
the exhaust system.
The toilets will soon be usable.
We need some volunteers to clean them.
Thank you.
Please don't clap.
We're all so embarrassed.
We're doing whatever we can.
The toilets will start working soon.
Thank you.
Ma'am, Nandini on line four.
-Nandini, what the…
-Kathmandu.
Kathmandu? Why?
The story started in this city,
but we have no presence here.
I came here by road.
All good?
Good and explosive.
Go on.
I have the original passenger list
of IC 814.
The list we were given has a name missing.
Kailash Chauhan. First Officer,
Indian High Commission, Kathmandu.
Kailash Chauhan is on the hijacked plane.
-Nandini, we can't print this right now.
-But…
The hijackers will find out, 100%.
It could compromise negotiations.
Our officer could be harmed.
People need to know, Shalini.
Of course, but at the right time.
Who decides what's the right time?
The agencies or us?
Me! I decide.
This news cannot be printed.
Good morning, Masood.
I have some bad news for you.
Your name has been removed
from the demand list.
But… who put it there in the first place?
ISI doesn't give a damn about you.
Who is it?
Mr. Mehta, I've never kept any secrets
from you. Always been honest…
Tell me! Or I'll shoot you right now.
Understand?
I've always shown you respect.
Who is it?
Who is trying to free you?
The soldiers of my community.
All my Muslim brothers in the world
who heed me. They want me freed.
Omar Saeed. I did not even know him.
But he came all the way from London
to free me and got arrested.
Sajjad Afghani was martyred
six months ago, trying to get me out.
Many others want me free.
How many names must I give you?
Even my father never raised
a hand against me.
Chief sahab, did you all sleep well?
Yes.
Look, let the women and children go
while we're considering your demands.
Now that we're talking,
we'll find a way through.
We will not release anyone.
Give us the name of at least one man
you want to free, above all.
Say we want them all freed.
We want them all, mister.
Getting everyone
will take a long time, Chief.
India is a big country.
There's a system that must be followed.
And what will you do with the whole lot?
Even we don't know what to do with them,
now that we have them.
Every deal has to start somewhere.
We must win each other's trust.
Give us one name
that's the most important to you.
They're ready to free my brother Masood.
-Let's tell them to go ahead.
-Ask for more time.
We'll talk at 5:00.
I came to get my brother out.
I don't know what you're up to.
Call whoever you need to.
But I want my brother at any cost.
Right, sir. Okay, sir.
Yes, I understand. Right away, sir.
One name is final.
We can let Masood Azhar go. PM's decision.
Call you later.
Masood Azhar's life is not worth more
than our people's lives.
-Here's the order.
-I'll call Ranjan.
JP, will you fax this to Kandahar, please?
It's dangerous and difficult
for our soldiers
to arrest these criminals.
So, this is not an easy decision.
But we're trying our best,
so please have patience.
Sir, I'm a retired Colonel.
Himanshu Singh.
My son was martyred in '83 in
a terrorist encounter in the Punjab.
Her husband. Squadron Leader Kapoor.
He lost his life too.
They have a two-year-old daughter, sir.
If you let these terrorists go,
then what's the value
of the soldier's lives?
Sir, have our families on board no value?
Must we abandon 170 passengers?
What about the morale of the forces?
How many lose their lives
arresting terrorists?
Who knows that better than you, sir?
Once free, what'll they do?
They will kill more people.
We will sacrifice more officers
to arrest them.
And then what, sir?
We let them go free again?
If we let these terrorists go,
then all our children will be in danger.
What are you saying?
We want our relatives back!
Why can't we sacrifice
the lives of 150 people?
Unbelievable!
Please, please. Have patience.
We're trying our best.
I need your help.
Yes. So what have you decided?
Look, Chief. The money will be
of no use to you, nor the dead body.
If there's someone close to you
you want freed, tell me.
Afghanistan needs schools,
colleges, hospitals.
There are many bright people like you.
They all need careers,
a future, development.
But, these kind of demands
being made on your soil?
A dead body, money.
Isn't this anti-Islamic?
The press asks me every day.
The Indian press, western, American.
How can they allow this?
They want my opinion on it.
What do I say?
But you and I,
Mr. Muttawakil,
we can make a new beginning.
Sir, they're all special.
Keep insisting on all of them,
you won't get a single man.
Inshallah.
Tomorrow we will take-off
and we'll crash the plane
wherever we want to. Understand?
I was being polite with you
until now, Mr. Ibrahim.
Mr. Ibrahim?
We are not amateurs.
We know who is on that plane with you.
We know how to cause them harm.
All right.
Take this as our final conversation.
Do whatever you feel like,
we'll do what we feel like.
This is our last offer.
Masood and four men of our choice.
Or Masood and two men of your choice.
Mr. Ibrahim?
Chief?
Mr. Ibrahim?
Chief?
Mr. Ibrahim?
He's gone.
-Kumar.
-Sir?
Tell DRS to talk to Muttawakil.
If the Taliban looks the other way
for 30 minutes,
we can get our commandos into the plane
and shoot them.
If we lose a few of our people, so be it.
Sir, ask him yourself.
But, personally, here?
I wouldn't advise that.
The Amir has called everyone
for a meeting today.
Everyone?
Meaning? Who all, Mr. Muttawakil?
We will do our best.
Nothing anti-Islamic takes place
on this land.
Promise?
Promise.
As the Foreign Minister,
I carry with me
the personal assurance of the Amir.
We are a poor nation,
but our hearts are big.
We have taken very good care
of the passengers of the plane
with whatever we have.
Our hospitality extends
to the negotiators as well.
Behind me you see
a very simplified version
of a traditional Kandahari iftar.
It is a holy month for us,
but we do not find it appropriate
to celebrate,
while innocents remain trapped.
Sir, Muttawakil will get the cash
and the dead body off the demand list.
He wants a new beginning.
The Amir has called for a meeting.
There isn't going to be any meeting, DRS.
Talk to Muttawakil. Let's storm the plane.
What?
-Sir, that'll be a disaster.
-Disaster is inevitable either way.
They're threatening to take off
and crash the plane.
Sir, that's just talk.
They don't have fuel.
They're being very difficult.
Sir, I've just talked to him
about cooperation.
I cannot go back to him.
-I don't mind. I can talk.
-Sir?
Try it.
Don't push him.
Drop a hint. See how he reacts.
Mullah Omar does not want
any of this to happen
in Afghanistan at this point of time.
What the hell are you saying?
I just made a statement to the press.
And you'll start shooting here?
Hear me out.
I don't need to.
-I request you--
-What is it, sir?
They want to storm the plane.
You'll start shooting on our land?
I'll show you how to shoot!
Ahmed. Mohammad. Omar.
Let's show them what bloodshed is.
These guys enjoy shooting.
We'll show them how it's done.
Surround the plane!
Move it!
We'll show them today what happens
if they disobey us.
Hurry!
Surround the plane!
Hurry!
How bad is this? Can it be managed?
It could've been.
Muttawakil was going
to talk on our behalf.
But now I'm not so sure.
But we have a bigger problem.
I just got a call.
-The Amir's meeting is in Tarnak Qila.
-Tarnak Qila?
Osama bin Laden?
Yup. I think he's involved
in the decision-making.
Of course. If the meeting is there,
then Osama is involved.
We'll know in a few hours.
How?
Abhijeet and Chandrakant
have left for the city.
They're going around Tarnak Qila.
If they see any activity, then we'll know.
Sir, Osama lives in Tarnak Qila.
None of the agency guys
go near that place.
It's suicide.