Directed by Anubhav Sinha, this thrilling series is based on the December 24, 1999, hijack of Indian Airlines IC-814 aircraft by five terrorists – Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, and Sayed Shakir. The aircraft was hijacked with at least 154 passengers and crew onboard just 40 minutes after it took off from Kathmandu for Delhi.
Recalling this saddening incident, Patralekhaa shared that these memories became fresh when the show was first offered to her. “More than feeling (pressure), I was looking forward to it. I remember the hijacking incident from my childhood and the dramatic images from the news, of men with big guns. That was my first memory of Kandahar,” Patralekhaa recalled adding that the show would remain a ‘sweet part’ of her career trajectory.
Revisiting the shooting experience, the actress revealed that it took her some time to adapt to the set as she felt ‘very claustrophobic’. “We were inside a plane set with a large team — technicians, junior actors, actors’ staff. The physical space and the situation naturally brought me to the emotional state needed,” Patralekhaa opined.
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