Neerja

What stands out first about Neerja is the confidence with which Ram Madhvani establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Neerja asks Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Neerja is established with useful clarity: The story of courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986 when it was hijacked by a terrorist organization. That direct approach lets Neerja use its 2h 2m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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In Neerja, Ram Madhvani directs with a manner that is confident enough to trust quiet moments rather than eager to prove itself. Scenes in Neerja gain weight when Ram Madhvani holds attention on a decision instead of hurrying toward its result. The result feels considered rather than manufactured for Neerja, since the film keeps returning to its clearest dramatic priorities. The caveat is that Neerja occasionally reveals how the finish occasionally makes its careful design visible, which slightly weakens the build.

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Sonam Kapoor approaches Neerja with a useful mixture of commitment and restraint, making the role feel inhabited. Shabana Azmi provides Neerja with an effective change of temperature whenever their character enters the scene. Even in limited space, Yogendra Tikku gives Neerja another recognisable personality rather than a simple plot function. Ram Madhvani maintains a shared performance language across Neerja, which matters when tone or pace begins to shift.

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Neerja uses its thriller framework to consider trust, manipulation and the anxiety of acting without the full picture. For the character played by Sonam Kapoor, that idea gives Neerja stakes beyond the next immediate obstacle. The recurring pressure of Pan Am Flight prevents the theme in Neerja from feeling like decoration added after the story. Ram Madhvani makes Neerja more thoughtful whenever the implications remain inside action and reaction.

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Neerja demonstrates the value of editing that steadily tightens pressure by making a technical decision feel inseparable from dramatic intention. For Bling Unplugged, the production of Neerja balances editing that steadily tightens pressure with enough restraint to keep performances visible. The India roots of Neerja lend useful character to restricted viewpoints across the central locations. What makes the finish of Neerja convincing is the willingness of its sound and image to step back when a quieter reaction matters more.

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Neerja finds its clearest story engine when Neerja Bhanot comes into conflict with Pan Am Flight. That engine gives Sonam Kapoor something concrete to pursue and protects Neerja from empty movement. In the hands of Saiwyn Quadras, the central character becomes a useful complication rather than a detached twist within Neerja. The final use of an important relationship is familiar, but Neerja has already established enough context for the turn to matter.

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Taken as a whole, Neerja is a rewarding and confident piece of filmmaking for thriller fans who enjoy steady escalation and psychological pressure. Neerja leaves its strongest impression through editing that steadily tightens pressure, the work of Sonam Kapoor and a clear understanding of tone. The limitations around how the finish occasionally makes its careful design visible should be acknowledged, but they do not erase what Neerja does well. I would return to Neerja for its personality and its willingness to connect genre pleasure with recognisable feeling.