Neerja

Awards

• No award information available.

Trivia

Album

• The film was based on the real events surrounding the hijacking of the Pan Am Flight 73 from Bombay to New York in 1986. The flight had made a scheduled stopover at Karachi, Pakistan when it was hijacked by four Palestinian terrorists from the Abu Nidal Organization. The hijacking ended with the terrorists' capture but not before they had killed 22 and injured about 150 people. The film's central character, Neerja Bhanot, was a member of the cabin crew. Bhanot died of bullet injuries she received while trying to shield three children from the terrorists. She became the youngest person and the first woman to receive the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime award for gallantry.[1][2]
• This was director Ram Madhvani's first Hindi film. Prior to this, he had directed the English language film "Let's Talk" (2002), starring Boman Irani.[3]
• Music director Shekhar Ravjiani - one half of the Vishal - Shekhar duo - had a small but significant role in the film. He also sang a song for the film. Shekhar's only film appearance before this was in a cameo role in "Home Delivery : Aap Ko... Ghar Tak" (2005).[4]
• The film was banned in Pakistan since the authorities believed that it showed the country as well as Muslims in poor light.[5]
• Neerja Bhanot's family had signed an agreement with Atul Kasbekar's Bling Entertainment for the rights to her story. According to the agreement, they were to receive a fixed fee of Rs. 7.5 lakhs and 10 percent of the film's net profit. Bling went on to partner with Fox Star Studios under an agreement that gave Fox Star 80 percent and Bling the remaining 20 percent of the profits. Bling offered the Bhanot family 10 percent of their share of the profits - Rs. 24.57 lakhs. However, the family refused to accept the compensation and filed a case of criminal conspiracy against Bling Entertainment and Fox Star Studios. They contended that they ought to receive 10 percent of the overall profit and not 10 percent of Bling's share of the profit. Bling issued a statement saying that it had been made clear to the Bhanots that they would be partnering with another studio and that the agreement was only between Bling and the Bhanot family. It is not clear how this matter was eventually resolved. There may have been an out-of-court settlement.[6]
• Nupoor Abrol, one of the flight attendants on the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73, wrote a post on Facebook criticising the film for singling out Neerja Bhanot for praise. She named other attendants on the flight and claimed they were "the real heroes of the day". According to Abrol, the film gave Bhanot "undeserved adulation".[7]

1. ^ Inside a hijack: The unheard stories of the Pan Am 73 crew
2. ^ Neerja Bhanot, the braveheart flight attendant was never one to run away from a crisis
3. ^ Let's Talk (2002)
4. ^ Home Delivery : Aap Ko... Ghar Tak (2005)
5. ^ Neerja: Sonam Kapoor's film banned in Pakistan
6. ^ Neerja Bhanot's family moves court against Neerja producers for criminal conspiracy
7. ^ Producer Atul Kasbekar rubbishes Neerja's colleague's accusation