Actress Sonam Kapoor Pens Down Words in Honour of Neerja Bhanot
Actress Sonam Kapoor remembered braveheart Neerja Bhanot and penned down touching words in honour of her birth anniversary.
Actress Sonam Kapoor remembered braveheart Neerja Bhanot and penned down touching words in honour of her birth anniversary.
Neerja was the famous flight purser who sacrificed her life while saving hundreds of passengers on-board Pan Am Flight 73 that was hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan on September 5, 1986. Sonam Kapoor played her brave character in the 2016 film ‘Neerja.’
Sonam wrote, “Celebrating Neerja’s courage, charm and outlandish love for life - on her birth anniversary. Playing her was a life-altering experience for me, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to have honoured her legacy in my own way. Every time I talk about Neerja, I just go on and on, and rightfully so - for her story till date, continues to inspire millions around the world!
Every year Sonam Kapoor honours Neerja by penning down words in memory of the courageous soul.
Bhanot was born in Chandigarh although she was raised and educated in Mumbai. She graduated from St. Xavier’s College, Bombay.
When Pan Am decided to have an Indian cabin crew for its Frankfurt-Indian route, Neerja decided to apply for a job as a flight attendant however she ended up as Flight Purser after her training in Miami, Florida. She simultaneously took up several modelling assignments while pursuing her career as a Flight Purser.
On that fateful day when the hijackers entered the Pan Am Flight 73, she was the senior flight purser on the flight. The plane had taken off from Bombay and was heading to America. It however got hijacked in Karachi by four armed men who were part of a Palestinian terrorist group- Abu Nidal Organization. Their motive was to fly to Cyprus and free the Palestinian prisoners there.
As soon as Neerja discovered that the men were hijackers, she quickly alerted the cockpit crew who escaped the plane from an overhead hatch. She was also the person behind the plane not taking off from the apron.
She was not only an epitome of bravery during those fearful hours inside the plane; she also exhibited her presence of mind when she hid the passports of Americans under her seat after she was asked to collect them by the hijackers. Americans were the prime targets of the hijackers.
After 17 exhausting hours, the armed men began opening fire. Neerja then opened one of the exit doors and even though she could have easily been the first person to jump off the plane, she chose to stay and guide the passengers one by one towards the exit. She never fled the dangerous situation even though she got the chance which makes her an immensely courageous woman and a real-life hero.
It was while she was protecting three children who had no one accompanying them when one of the hijackers grabbed her by her hair and shot her point-blank. Out of the 44 passengers, 2 passengers lost their lives.
Bhanot received numerous bravery awards posthumously for her act of immense bravery including the Ashoka Chakra Award- India’s highest gallantry award for bravery. She also got numerous awards from the American government and the Tamgha-e-Pakistan award for showing great human kindness from the Pakistan government.
A young child aged 7 who was on Pan Am Flight 73 is now a captain of a major airline. He admitted that the person behind his inspiration is Neerja Bhanot and he owes every single day of his life to this brave woman…..