Sonam Kapoor essays the character of the brave airhostess Neerja in the biopic directed by Ram Madhvani.
Braveheart Neerja Bhanot’s family will be watching Ram Madhvani’s biopic Neerja today in their home-town, Chandigarh.
Neerja Bhanot’s mother Rama Bhanot passed away in December, days before the trailer of the film was released. Shabana Azmi, who plays Rama Bhanot, regrets that the mother won’t be able to watch the film. “I had the good fortune of meeting her a year before the film was offered to me. The Bhanot family had invited me to Chandigarh to present the Neerja Bhanot award for bravery. I took an immediate shine to Ramaji and was struck by her spiritedness and her warmth.”
Shabana feels putting across Neerja Bhanot’s story is a big responsibility. “We are very grateful that Ramaji trusted us with telling Neerja’s story. She gave us her blessings on the first day of the shoot. She passed away five days before our trailer launch. I wish she could have seen the film.”
The actress avoided trying to imitate Rama Bhanot. “I wasn’t required to look or talk like her but I do hope I’ve been able to convey her spirit. Our director Ram Madhvani keeps saying that the foreground of the film is the hijack but the soul is the mother daughter-relationship.”
