The biopic ‘Neerja’ salutes the brave flight purser who went far beyond the call of duty.
Neerja Bhanot was born on September 7, 1963 in Chandigarh and moved to Mumbai when she was 11. She began modelling during her college days and was later selected by the American airliner Pan Am as flight purser.
Neerja was aboard the Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight which was hijacked by four armed terrorists on September 5, 1986. 
The plane was parked on the tarmac of the Karachi airport with 361 passengers on board. Neerja immediately alerted the pilots who escaped through an overhead hatch in the cockpit as per the emergency protocol. This is done to preempt any attempt to forcefully fly the aeroplane to the destination demanded by the terrorists.
Neerja, who was to celebrate her 24th birthday two days later, was now the senior-most crew member on board. One of the terrorists asked the cabin crew to collect passports of all the passengers. When Neerja realised that the American passengers were the real target of the hijackers, she hid their passports, even discarding some through a garbage chute so that the travellers could not be identified by their nationality.
The hostage drama continued for 17 hours. Eventually, the plane ran out of its power supply and was covered in darkness. The frustrated terrorists opened fire and set off explosives. Neerja quickly opened the emergency exit.
However, instead of sliding down the chute herself, she stayed back to help others. She was shot at point blank range while trying to shield three small children in the line of fire.
The young braveheart had not only foiled the hijacking by preventing the plane from taking off, she also saved the lives of many hostages.
Neerja was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra — India’s highest gallantry award for bravery in the face of the enemy during peace time.
Her parents instituted two annual awards in Neerja’s name — one for an Indian woman who displays exemplary courage when subjected to social injustice, and the other for a flight crew member who goes beyond the call of duty in a difficult situation.