The latest Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is based on the real events about the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999. On route from Kathmandu to Delhi, the flight was hijacked on December 24, and taken to Amritsar, India; Lahore Pakistan; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, within a few hours before finally landing in Taliban-controlled territory in Kandahar, Afghanistan; where it stayed for a week until December 31. It remains the longest hijacking in Indian aviation history.
The mini-series, consisting of six episodes, is directed by Anubhav Sinha and is adapted from the book Flight into Fear: A Captain’s Story by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury. It boasts of a stellar ensemble cast featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Arvind Swamy, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Dia Mirza, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aditya Srivastava, Kanwaljit Singh, and Patralekhaa.
However, another actor has managed to surprise everyone with his role as one of the five dreaded terrorists in the hijacked plane. In a case of casting against type, the famous comedian Rajiv Thakur is seen playing the terrorist named Chief in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
Seeing Rajiv Thakur as a terrorist in the recent Netflix release, various netizens shared their surprising reactions on X (formerly Twitter). One of them wrote, "Hats off to Rajiv Thakur, from Kapil's Comedy to Chief villain on #IC814, superb stuff", while another added, "Binge-watching #IC814TheKandaharHijack on @Netflix, in episode 5, I realised Chief is portrayed by Rajiv Thakur, the comedian! What different role he’s portraying & that too convincingly. He’s unrecognisable but his tone gives him away, good acting as well by other actors too."
Rajiv Thakur has been a part of Kapil Sharma's troupe since The Kapil Sharma Show, that ran on Sony Entertainment Television from 2016 to 2023. He played various characters in the show. Rajiv was also seen as Kap's cafe attendant in The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix earlier this year. The Great Indian Kapil Show is set to return on Netflix with a second season soon.
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