The film Neerja hits the theater today (February 19, 2016) and gets thumbs up from audience. Neerja is a 2016 Hindi aviation drama biographical film written by Saiwyn Quadras, and directed by Ram Madhvani starring Sonam Kapoor as Neerja Bhanot, while Shabana Azmi and Shekhar Ravjiani played supporting roles. The film revolves around the Abu Nidal Organization’s hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan on 5 September 1986, specifically focusing on flight attendant Neerja Bhanot who ensured the failure of the hijacking by preventing the plane from getting off the ground, she also saved the lives of 359 hostages in those long hours of incarceration.
Bhanot was shot dead by the Libyan terrorists while shielding three children from a hail of bullets. For her bravery, the Government of India posthumously awarded her the Ashoka Chakra Award and Bhanot became its youngest recipient.
