Sonam Kapoor is playing the beautiful and valiant Neerja in a biopic of the same name.
Nonika Singh: Year 1986, September 5: A young and beautiful brave heart, all of 23, Neerja Bhanot, a flight purser with Pan Am Flight 73, falls to hijackers’ bullets while saving many lives aboard the hijacked plane at Karachi airport. Year 2015, May 25: In Mumbai Sonam enacts out a page from the life of the real-life fighter. But the spotlight doesn’t belong to Sonam alone. Rama Bhanot’s (Neerja’s mother) face has a special glow as pride and sadness alternately reflect on her old visage, which is overwhelmed by the honour bestowed on her and her beloved daughter who was lovingly called Laado. The proud mother breathed her last recently but she lived to see the making of a celluloid tribute to commemorate her daughter’s courage. The experience on the sets of Neerja, where she was introduced to every member of the cast and crew, touched her deeply. All she could say was, “She gave up her life and here they honour me for her selfless act of courage.” When asked if Sonam Kapoor was the right choice for playing her daughter, pat came the reply, “My daughter was more beautiful.” Spoken like a mother…. Only Rama Bhanot was no ordinary mother. For how many mothers have daughters who received Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest civilian honour. Neerja, incidentally, was the youngest and the first woman recipient of the award. And it’s this aspect of her personality that impressed the producer Atul Kasbekar the most. Of course, this isn’t the only reason why he decided to make a biopic on her. Or the fact that biopics are suddenly the toast of Bollywood. On a serious note, he shares, “When Saiwyn Quadras (writer of Mary Kom) shared the idea and a basic skeletal script, I was hooked. It was a story that simply had to be told.” In a way Neerja’s story is more inspirational than any other. Caught in an unenviable situation where the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer deserted the plane she stood her ground all through the 17-hour hijack drama and saved the lives of 360 passengers. The film captures it all through the eyes of passengers. The production house engaged a researcher who managed to get the sound bytes (on camera) of passengers who were willing to speak about the tragic incident. Adds Kasbekar, “The truth that emerges is the interpretation of all the data thus collected.” While one challenge in making a biopic is to be as truthful as possible the other is to ensure that sentiments of those involved, especially family, are not hurt. But the producers walked the thin line with caution and success. The family had been roped in from the word go and has been an active participant of the research process. Besides, the production team went out of the way to get the family’s no objection to the script. Neerja’s brother Aneesh Bhanot has no apprehensions whatsoever that her story will not be told honestly. He recalls the horrific night when the family lost its youngest and the bravest member. Huddled together, they watched the news about the hijack with shock. Her mother had announced it then only, “She won’t return.” A mother’s gut instinct knew that her daughter was a born fighter. As Kasbekar puts it, “It’s a story about heroism from someone you least expect. Neerja didn’t have the DNA of an army kid or was from any martial background.” She was a convent-educated girl from a Mumbai school and college, a model at that, a face that launched many products. She even had a brief stint in the advertising industry. The family remembers her as a fun-loving girl who enjoyed music. Says Kasbekar, “She was just another girl in a job which put her on an ill-fated flight that once. If she had saved her own life when she had the chance to, no one would have grudged that action. Instead a higher call of duty made her save so many lives. Her self-less action cost her her own life. It would be tragic if we didn’t remember.” The world may have forgotten her today; however, her valiant act did not go un-noticed. In 2005 her brother Aneesh went to Washington DC to receive the Justice for Crimes Award awarded posthumously to her as part of the ‘Annual Crime Rights Week’. In 2004, a stamp was released to commemorate her. In Mumbai a square was named after her and was inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan. Besides, the family has ensured that her name lives forever. A trust has been set up by her father Harish Bhanot in her name that honours two exceptional women each year at a function in Chandigarh. Last year Shabana Azmi was the chief guest. Was it a mere coincidence or deliberate thought-out choice, as she is now playing Neerja’s mother in the movie. Insiders reveal that so strong is her emotive act that even the most hardened veterans have cried during the canning of her scenes. In Chandigarh, of course, the family sits stoic. Tears have been shed, loss has been dealt with. What remains now are memories of a beautiful girl and immense pride in a member who has ensured glory for the entire family. A film in her name may not be an ultimate ode but is a significant tribute and yet another chance to keep her memory alive. “After all, public memory is short,” avers Aneesh. Kasbekar couldn’t agree more, “It’s shocking that people don’t know who Neerja is.” But now he is adamant that they will know who and what stern stuff she was made of. They chose Sonam for the lead role for “she fits the part and looks like her.” However, what is crucial is not the resemblance, but the essence and how to make the incident that happened 28 years ago relevant to today. Kasbekar insists, “An act of selfless bravery is relevant through time. Whether it’s the 300 Spartans that held the mighty Persians at bay or Bhagat Singh or Neerja Bhanot…it’s always relevant.” Keeping the interest of the viewers alive in a story whose end is already known can be tricky and risky. But Kasbekar reasons, “Well, Milkha will end up fourth, you knew that before going into the theatre. Bhagat Singh eventually has to hang at the end of the film. The Titanic will hit that iceberg. Yet, these movies moved you, you knew what was going to happen but you just had to see them.” Whether Neerja, the film, not the person will be counted in the same league or not, challenges are many. At the end of the day movie making is a commercial venture. So how do makers reconcile to this dichotomy while telling a tragic story of a beautiful life cut short? Kasbekar replies, “We have made a very honest film.” For the memory of Neerja, for her family which the film promises to make even more proud, let’s hope and pray that the claims made by the makers are true and true to a real yet incredible story of human grit. Neerja lives again on the silver screen to remind us what James Dean said, “If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he’s dead, then maybe he was a great man.” Only in Neerja’s case that was a woman. A rare one about whom the Ashok Chakra citation reads, “Her loyalties to the passengers of the aircraft in distress will forever be a lasting tribute to the finest qualities of the human spirit.” Time to raise a toast to Neerja’s heroism. Long live bravery! Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
