Saw the first show of the film and saw it again in the evening. Very satisfied and our main objective of letting the story of our girl made into cinema was clear & what we saw on the big screen was honest and inspiring!
To everyone who never came to know about Neerja’s sacrifice, the film is a reminder. It is a befitting tribute to our ‘Laado’ Neerja for sure. We’re really proud.
People should know about her and her bravery. There couldn’t have been a better way than cinema and the whole thing has been done so beautifully that our entire family is overwhelmed. It wasn’t Sonam on the screen. All we watched throughout was Neerja! What a brilliant job she has done.
People who were born after 1986 had forgotten about Neerja and what she did on that day…now they won’t, all thanks to the film.
Atul Kasbekar, who has produced the film, was never really into production. It was just a casual conversation that Atul was having with a gang of friends and ‘Neerja Bhanot’ was just a topic. Atul revealed that he knew about Neerja but distinctively he couldn’t remember anything more.
Fox Star Studios
So, he kind of had this in the back of his mind that like he had forgotten about Neerja, others too might have. For Atul, ‘Neerja’ became a story that definitely ‘had to be told’ and it’s where it all started.
Neerja Bhanot
We met them for the first time and Sonam and everyone met our mother. She was ecstatic to see all of it happen. We knew it then and there that all this has to happen just to keep the memory of Neerja alive.
I don’t know Neerja from the prism of those 17 hours, I have her entire 23 years in front of me. She was fun-loving, very lively..jise Punjabi mein kehte hain na “Mast Maula”. She was an ordinary girl and we belonged to a middle-class family where love and spreading happiness was of utmost importance.
And all I remember about her now is the love and affection she used to spread in our family…I remember her for all that.
Akhil Bhanot
It’s more than a commercial venture for our family. From Shabana Ji, who has done a fantastic role to Ram Madhavani and the dialogues, this movie is more than gripping. The actor who played the terrorist did a wonderful job. It’s a very powerful movie. And the message we wanted to convey has been beautifully put across through the medium of cinema.
We had just one condition, we wanted them to get the script approved by us and we are so glad that they haven’t deviated from it.
Akhil Bhanot with Sonam Kapoor | (picture courtesy: Akhil Bhanot’s FB account)
We call the cast of Neerja ‘our extended family’ now.
Please go and watch the film!
(As told to Isha Sharma)
