Airlift director Raja Krishna Menon salutes Capt Smit Machchhar for “tremendous presence of mind” during FlyDubai hijack incident
Filmmaker Raja Krishna Menon has praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage and presence of mind during the recent FlyDubai hijack incident. Menon, who directed the 2016 film Airlift, took to social media to acknowledge the pilot’s actions and highlight the responsibility that comes with commanding an aircraft during a crisis.
Sharing his thoughts on Instagram, Menon praised Capt Machchhar for what he described as his “tremendous presence of mind, selflessness, and incredible bravery.” “Tremendous presence of mind, selflessness, and incredible bravery shows us once again that being a pilot is so much more than just flying a plane!” Menon wrote.
He concluded his post with a direct message of appreciation to the captain, writing, “We salute you Capt Smit Machchhar!”
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Raja Krishna Menon draws attention to a pilot’s responsibility
Menon’s comments focused on the human element involved in handling a crisis in the air. Rather than limiting the role of a pilot to operating an aircraft, the filmmaker highlighted the importance of decision-making, composure and responsibility during challenging situations.
His reaction also comes from a filmmaker whose work has previously explored extraordinary events involving aviation and civilian safety. Menon directed Airlift, which was inspired by the evacuation of Indian citizens from Kuwait during the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait crisis.
The film, starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur, was released in 2016 and centred on the large-scale evacuation effort.
Raja Krishna Menon’s upcoming Tamil directorial
On the work front, Menon is set to make his Tamil directorial debut with an upcoming psychological thriller. The film stars Trisha Krishnan, Aparna Balamurali and Radhika Sarathkumar.
While further details about the project are awaited, the film marks Menon’s move into Tamil cinema after directing projects across Hindi cinema.
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