IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack actor Rajiv Thakur shares, 'Maine toh real hijack apni aankhon se dekha hai'- Exclusive

In Pic: Rajiv Thakur

Rajiv Thakur, the popular comedian, is currently enjoying the success of his recently released web series 'IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack'. Rajiv has been gaining the audience's love for his portrayal of the chief, one of the five terrorists involved in the longest hijacking in the history of India. In an exclusive chat with Midday.com, Rajiv was asked if he remembers reading about the news of the real hijacking or if he has any memory of it. To our surprise, Rajiv shared information that will shock you. The actor revealed that he had seen the hijacking with his own eyes.

Rajiv Thakur on witnessing the real IC 814 hijacking:

Yes, you read it right. Rajiv Thakur hails from Amritsar and was in college when the real hijackers took the IC 814 flight to the city. Rajiv recalled being asked to rush home and remembered seeing commandos taking over the situation. In conversation with us, he revealed, "I have seen it myself; I am from Amritsar, and we were in college. We were rehearsing for the youth festival, and back then, there were no mobile phones. I studied at Khalsa College, which was very close to the airport."

He continued, "Suddenly, we noticed that a plane was flying unusually low. I mean, the flight was flying much lower than necessary, and we were thinking that the plane looked very big. While pondering over this, we went outside for tea, and by the time we returned, everyone was shouting, 'Run, run, anything can happen here!' In the meantime, we saw commandos arriving, and someone informed us that the flight had been hijacked. That memory is still etched in my mind."

Recalling how he rushed home to share the information with his parents, Rajiv stated, "Within about 30 minutes, I reached home and told everyone that the flight had been hijacked. The family said it had been taken to Pakistan."

Rajiv Thakur says his childhood was spent amid terrorism:

Being from Amritsar, Rajiv not only witnessed the real hijacking of IC 814 but was also at home when the 1984 riots were happening. Reflecting on how his childhood was spent amid terrorism, he stated, "I am from Amritsar, so my entire childhood was spent amid terrorism. The events of '84 happened right in front of our eyes."

While sharing one terrifying memory from the riots, Rajiv stated, "One of the core memories in my mind is when I was on the roof. It was the day of Maha Shivratri, and there was an explosion about 4-5 kilometers away from my house, and the sound was so loud. Later, we found out that a blast had occurred in a Shiva temple. That time was terrifying."

About actor and comedian Rajiv Thakur:

Rajiv first made everyone laugh in 2008 when he appeared as a contestant on 'Comedy Circus'. Since then, he has appeared in many small and big roles, including an important role in SAB TV's show 'Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo'. He has always been associated with Kapil Sharma, from playing various roles on 'The Kapil Sharma Show' to playing the flight attendant at Kap's Cafe in 'The Great Indian Kapil Show'. While he is known for playing characters that make people laugh, this time he has proved that, as an actor, he has a lot to offer.

About Anubhav Sinha's web series IC 814:

Featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Arvind Swamy, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Dia Mirza, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aditya Srivastava, Kanwaljit Singh, and Patralekhaa in lead roles, the show is based on a real-life incident.