Missing link in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack had one “very important” European passenger — one the Netflix show surprisingly didn’t highlight

Netflix recently released Anubhav Sinha’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, a show based on true events detailed in Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury’s book Flight into Fear: A Captain’s Story. It's suffice to say that the show has garnered quite a bit of attention, considering it is a chilling reminder of the harrowing, 8-day-long Indian Airlines flight hijack that eventually ended in the Taliban-controlled territory of Kandahar.

The star-studded cast, which included Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Aravind Swamy and Dia Mirza, the supporting cast and the show's makers did a phenomenal job in stitching together a gripping narrative around what went on during the 1999 hijack. We get to see a representation of the brave captain, five disconcerting hijackers and the only casualty from the hijack, Rupin Katyal, as Rupesh, among others.

The hijackers addressed one another as Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola and Shankar, as per the Union home minister's statement, published on January 6, 2006. The same names have been used in the series that has sparked a fresh controversy now with some netizens accusing the makers of hiding the real names of the terrorists: Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter and Sayed Shakir. Amid all this controversy, one key detail that the show missed has failed to get any spotlight!

Omission by choice?

For those who remember the entire hijack episode when it happened, the show IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack may feel incomplete as it failed to highlight one key element. On the show, there was one white passenger who demanded to be seated in the business class even as the armed men threatened to harm him and were later subjected to plenty of torment by the hijackers.

While the show didn’t name him as such, it did lead us to wonder if that character was a reference to Roberto Giori — a special passenger on IC 814 who might’ve played a huge role in mounting international pressure on the Indian government’s to release three prisoners from Indian jails.

Roberto Giori was a Swiss-Italian businessman whose influence in global finance added a crucial dimension to the crisis. Giori, the then owner of De La Rue Giori, controlled 90% of the world’s currency-printing business, making him a high-profile hostage. Giori was returning from a holiday in Kathmandu with his companion, Cristina Calabresi, when the plane was hijacked by five armed men from the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorist group, TIME reported in 2000.

“At one point during the eight-day hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the abductors demanded $200 million from the Indian government. Little did they know that one of the hostages could have effortlessly written them a check for that amount,” said the TIME.

A high-profile hostage

The flight’s descent into chaos saw all passengers experience extreme duress, including threats to their lives, substandard living conditions and constant psychological pressure. And despite his stature, Giori wasn’t treated any differently. It is suspected that the hijackers weren’t aware of his position either.

But what made Giori’s presence on the flight particularly intriguing was the response it elicited from the Swiss government. Switzerland, fully aware of Giori’s influence, reportedly dispatched a special envoy to Kandahar and is said to have quietly pressured the Indian government to ensure his safe release. This diplomatic intervention was not widely publicised at the time, but it likely added another layer of urgency to the already intense negotiations.

After seven days of tense standoff, the Indian government made the difficult decision to release three high-profile militants, including Maulana Masood Azhar, to secure the safe return of all hostages. The experience left a lasting impact on Giori, who later reflected on the ordeal as a life-changing event. He noted that the determination and preparedness of the hijackers were a stark reminder of the real and present dangers in the world.

He also remarked on how what he experienced on the plane had changed him forever. “I don’t know what it is: Hinduism, the so-called fatalism of Indians. But the way the passengers stayed so calm throughout, even the children, was exemplary. I told myself, if the plane had been full of Italians or French, it would have been very different,” he was quoted as saying.

The Netflix series, as it receives praise for its gripping depiction of the hijacking, surprisingly missed the opportunity to explore this fascinating angle. Giori’s presence on the flight was not just a footnote; it is said to be a pivotal element that underscores the global ramifications of the event. His story is a reminder of how international diplomacy, wealth and power intersect in the most unexpected ways, even in situations as harrowing as an aircraft hijacking.