Life & Style

Neerja's last flight announcement will leave you in tears

Recently released clip is nothing short of heart-wrenching

Entertainment Desk February 17, 2016

Recently released clip is nothing short of heart-wrenching. PHOTO: THE QUINT

Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant from Mumbai who lost her life while trying to save three children on the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73, has been making headlines once again.

With the renewed interest in her life thanks to an upcoming biopic starring Sonam Kapoor, new bits of information about her life and her last moments are also coming to light.

Fox Star Hindi, production house of upcoming biopic Neerja, recently released the clip of her last flight announcement and it's nothing short of heart-wrenching.

Neerja’s story to remain unheard in Pakistan

The tragic tale of Neerja is known on both sides of the border, she was the senior flight purser on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73 flying from Mumbai to USA, which was hijacked by four armed men on September 5, 1986 when it was stopped at Karachi airport in Pakistan.

Having displayed true courage and bravery in the face of crisis, she won the Ashok Chakra, making her the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime military award for bravery. She was also awarded the Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat by the Pakistani government.

Here's how much Neerja's family charged for biopic starring Sonam Kapoor

Based on her life, film Neerja, aims to bring her story on the big screen. The film slated to release on February 19 stars Sonam Kapoor as Neerja Bhanot and Shabana Azmi essaying the role of her mother.

Watch the trailer here:

COMMENTS (26)

moeed | 8 years ago | Reply proud to say that pakistani commandos did a successful operation and saved many lives which matter the most salute to ssg and brig tariq mahmood

brar | 8 years ago | Reply @Point: So much hate is not good for health but it is not your fault when you are taught only one thing i.e. hate.

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Hassan | 8 years ago | Reply listen Indians, its our choice what we want to see and when to put a ban on, so please stay out of Pakistan and please maintain the distance with our citizens, we literally have no interest in India and Indians, but yeah keep making and watching movies like phantom,border,etc and keep living in a state of narcissism, else reality cannot be well digested by Indians of course, see your media always changes the ending of a serial or a movie when they feel it is against the wishes of the audience, so you keep showing them what like to see like the famous one man army kind of fairy tales, let it be neerja or anyone, why do u care if we ban it in our country, see we r no longer a part of that overcrowded, extremist, Hindu dominated India, we are an Independent nation and will always be, inshaa Allah. we really don't care what's going on in India so please mind ur very own business and do not poke ur nose in our internal affairs. live and let live or u keep interfering??? i know it is difficult to forget ur part but u have to, we were part of your country but not any more, admit it. if we ban anything u have no right to ask us why. u guys should understand this, God, its almost a century now.

mansoor | 8 years ago | Reply Truth, was banned to enter Pakistan in 1947, why change now? Showing our assets in bad light cannot be tolerated.

Khan | 8 years ago | Reply @jai:

All five hijackers were released.

No they were not released. Four of them were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment (min 25 yrs) and spend more than 20 years in prison but got escaped when it was attacked in 2008 .. the security situation was really worse and many such incidents had happened that year. I must say that they should have been hanged instead.

A-Pukhtoon | 8 years ago | Reply @Rahul So that's how much you know about her story? And then you wonder why Pakistan should allow the factually incorrect film! As expected!

A-Pukhtoon | 8 years ago | Reply The over-enthusiastic Indians at it again! First off, Bollywood is incapable of making movies even remotely worth the overstretched 3 hours of watching time. This factually incorrect and expectedly emotion-drenched film won't be any different. Secondly the Indians have got it wrong. The hijackers were Palestinians. Finally, seems like whatever reasoning capability the Pakistan-obsessed Indians previously had has further diminished since the BJP-RSS came to power in their country.

jai | 8 years ago | Reply All five hijackers were released. One of them was captured in Bangkok and taken to the US and given 160 years of prison. This proves that there was/is some sympathy towards the Palestinian terrorists. Religion has taken out all humanity from human beings.

Murali | 8 years ago | Reply @Rahul: Just by trying to belittle another country's citizen, you nowadays are showing extremist attitude. This mindset does not qualify for being patriotic at all. One should have heart to agree to disagree.

Pakistani | 8 years ago | Reply A Young Pakistani men of the crew was also shot and dead. Pakistan should make movie on him.

someone | 8 years ago | Reply @Hassan: "Indian" is a nationality not a species. Also, by not allowing a movie, which is based on facts and actual event and probably does not show Pakistan in a bad light, Pakistani authorities made it very clear who is brainless. Someone mentioned why India did not allow WAAR, well for the information, there was no "ban" on WAAR by any Indian authority. The plain fact that movies did not find any distributor in India. WAAR was a fictional work showing one of the agency of India in negative light that too when in reality , Pakistan has failed to provide single ounce of proof against that agency.

Hassan | 8 years ago | Reply @cbing: u have no idea of the history,just being an Indian doesn't mean that u start accusing Pakistan without any proofs, The hijackers were part of the terrorist Abu Nidal Organization and were backed by Libya. u please don't prove that Indians are brainless species.

omar | 8 years ago | Reply well versed with heroic moves of air hostesses, happy and safe flying.

Shaiban | 8 years ago | Reply @ Rahul Also please get your facts right, the hijackers were Libyan and not Pakistani. This is where you guys totally have lost it and have been loosing it forever. Mate, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Shaiban | 8 years ago | Reply @ Rahul Please make no mistake, I am supportive of Neerja only because its based on facts but films like Phantom are solely work of fiction. For that matter I can argue that why don't you guys show Pakistani film WAAR in India. Your obvious answer would be, how come we show something anti-India in India. The same goes for Phantom and so many other movies that you have produced. Now lets not get into politics where we can spend ages pulling each other's leg for the rest of our lives. Let us stay positive and support work and initiatives that warrant appreciation not only in our countries but across the globe.

whatever | 8 years ago | Reply She was awarded the Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat by the Pakistani government and that was too forced by US. Pakistan is afraid that it will reveal the fact that terrorist were thriving in Pakistan before the afghan war. It has banned a movie in the era of internet where world is interconnected and a global village.

Pakistani | 8 years ago | Reply @Everyone Please do some research that no Pakistani was involved but foreigners did it and Pakistani SSG did the assault in the end to save the passengers. .

Rahul | 8 years ago | Reply @Shaiban: Maybe because it shows a plane being hijacked in Pakistan by Pakistani hijackers. That probably doesn't sit well with the ministry. That's the reason why Phantom wasn't shown in Pakistan.

someone | 8 years ago | Reply @Point: Do you know how many Pakistani lives she saved?

Korn | 8 years ago | Reply @Point: After India itself, Pakistan is where most Bollywood movies are watched in the world. So maybe you are not interested in Indian entertainment news but other are. People like you want to impose your own opinions & likes/dislikes on others but that's not right. Learn to ignore the things that don't interest you.

Pakhtunkhwa | 8 years ago | Reply @Point: Fortunately, our print media is independent unlike some people in our society who would rather want their heads buried in the sand thinking every thing is so rosy. This flight was hijacked from Karachi and if you do not know that is one of our city hence the whole episode is related to us directly regardless of the fact whether the flight was from India or not. Secondly, the country your mentioned having problem with us is because we are creating problems every now and then. We live in a world where no more state can distort facts to its liking like pre 2000 era. If for a change we start focusing on our huge population and its welfare instead of a few illiterate savages running the country and dictation our foreign policy only then we can see a better and prosperous Pakistan untill then we will keep cheating this country either on pretext of religion or false security concerns while filling our own pockets.

Shaiban | 8 years ago | Reply I am still baffled why the movie will not be screening in Pakistan. I am a patriotic Pakistani but the decision to screen should rest with the Censor Board and not the Ministry. She was a brave person, a fact that Pakistan has already acknowledged, then why are we not letting our countrymen understand what happened that day. We should shed this self imposed cover of religion and nation from our eyes and with a big heart acknowledge the facts and appreciate the stories that inspires everyone. Again, I think the movie should have been allowed in Pakistan only after a Censor Board review.

hope | 8 years ago | Reply I just wish there was more humanity in this world. Why are we harsh and inhumane when it comes it perceived enemies? When our time comes and we lie on our death beds, there won't be enough time to hate. But then there won't be enough time to love the people and the good things in life either. Let's appreciate what's nice in this world and the gestures and kind words that people have expressed. I think in this case this lady was a human being to the core. A human being. Nothing less. Nothing more.

cbing | 8 years ago | Reply @Point Okay lets say this way. The story of a young girl who was killed by four Pakistani terrorists, but she managed to save hundreds of people before being killed. Is Pakistan relevant in the story now? A human is one with emotions and empathy, others are just animals walking in hind limbs up straight. Which is you?

Salman Hasan | 8 years ago | Reply @ Point. This is not about any country. This is about a woman, who showed unimaginable courage in an extremely adverse situation. Women like her, Rachel Corrie, Jane Harrison etc. are role models for all of us. Whatever coverage or news they get is still not enough for what they achieved in their lives. I am a Pakistani and I salute Neerja Bhanot.

Point | 8 years ago | Reply No one is making headlines about her here, except you. Why you always have to be biased, there are millions of people out there around the world who have saved billions. It's a request to tribune kindly if you could also bring news from about 170 other nations around the world instead of bringing news from a country who always have a problem with Pakistan.

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