Gaganam
Encyclopedia
Gaganam is a 2011 Indian Telugu thriller – drama film written and directed by Radha Mohan
. Being made simultaneously in Tamil
as Payanam
, the film deals with a flight hijacking incident
. It stars Nagarjuna in the lead along with Prakash Raj
, Poonam Kaur
, Sana Khan
, Iqbal Yaqub, Brahmanandam
and Bharath Reddy amongst others. Produced by Dil Raju
was released on 11 February 2011. Upon release, this film received critical acclaim and became an average grosser at the box office.
arrive at the airport. The hijackers demand 100 Crore, release of their leader Yusuf Khan and a new flight for their escape.
National Security Guard Ravi (Nagarjuna) and his friend regret for not killing Yusuf Khan on a previous occasion. They make fun of an actor who played Yusuf Khan in a recent movie. Ravi insists for commando operation but officials fear risking passengers' life not trusting Ravi's team. Inside the flight one of the terrorist becomes sentimental with a little Muslim girl returning from medical treatment in India. One passenger frequently questions terrorists and one Christian priest requests to read Bible. Government agrees to release Yusuf Khan who dies in an accident while being transported to the airport. Despite attempt to contain the news, the media leak it and a terrorist kills a passenger seeking proof that Yusuf is alive, failing which one passenger will be killed every half-an-hour. Ravi arranges for a scared civilian to pose as Yusuf to make the terrorists believe that Yusuf is alive and getting treated at the hospital. Meanwhile Ravi plans operation 'Gaganam' to rescue the victims. He secretly sends a mobile phone in a food packet onto the plane and contacts Colonel Jagadish to know about the terrorists and their weapons. Ravi plans to shoot the terrorists during their transit to a new flight by asking the passengers to bend down when they get a signal. The firing succeeds and 4 of the 5 terrorists are killed. The last terrorist who was affectionate to the little girl is killed with help of the young guy. The plastic explosive is found in the girl's bag where the last terrorist put it. Ravi throws it away which explodes. Operation Gaganam ends with the Prime Minister appreciating Ravi and the passengers heading to their destination.
to produce the Telugu film after successfully approaching Prakash Raj
to fund the Tamil version. He roped in Nagarjuna
, a known name in both film industries, to enact the lead role of NSG commando
Ravi. Nagarjuna revealed that the film turned out to be "one of the easiest" he had worked in as he didn't have to prepare much for the role, since Radha Mohan and Prakash Raj had done "so much research", spoken to army officers and had "everything about the role on paper." He was part of an ensemble cast that featured around 45 known artists from Tamil and Telugu industries. Prakash Raj himself, who had also previously starred in all Radha Mohan films, was cast in a pivotal role.
Prakash Raj denied widespread reports that the film was based on the 1999 Kandahar hijacking incident
, stating that it was about a hijack that takes place at the Tirupati Airport
. A grand set resembling the Tirupati airport was erected at the Ramoji Film City
in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh by art director Kathir. The set was constructed in one month and reportedly cost 3 crores, which was almost 20% of the films' budget and included a runway, traffic, ATC room and two planes with "perfect interiors". The film was shot using RED camera, handled by cinematographer K. V. Guhan. Pravin Mani
worked on the film's background score.
Radha Mohan
Radha Mohan is a Tamil movie director. He has, till date, directed five films, out of which four of them are critically acclaimed and box-office hits. A good friend of actor-producer Prakash Raj, he has directed four films for Prakash Raj's Duet films: Azhagiya Theeye, Mozhi, Abhiyum Naanum and...
. Being made simultaneously in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
as Payanam
Payanam (film)
Payanam is a 2011 Indian Tamil drama thriller film written and directed by Radha Mohan. Being made simultaneously in Telugu as Gaganam, the film deals with a flight hijacking incident. It stars Nagarjuna in the lead along with Prakash Raj, Poonam Kaur, Sana Khan, Iqbal Yaqub, Brahmanandam and...
, the film deals with a flight hijacking incident
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
. It stars Nagarjuna in the lead along with Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
, Poonam Kaur
Poonam Kaur
Poonam Kaur is an Indian actress and model. She has frequently appeared in Telugu films apart from Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films.- Career :...
, Sana Khan
Sana Khan
Sana Khan is an Indian film actress and model. She is perhaps best known for her appearances in ad films, her item numbers in Indian films and for her performance as Janu in the 2008 Tamil film Silambattam.- Career :...
, Iqbal Yaqub, Brahmanandam
Brahmanandam
Brahmanandam Kanneganti is an Indian actor, commonly appearing in Telugu films. He was born into a Viswakarma gold smith family. He holds Guinness World Record for acting in the most number of films in a single language. He was starred in over 900 films till date. He is noted for Physical comedy...
and Bharath Reddy amongst others. Produced by Dil Raju
Dil Raju
Dil Raju |Dil]], Arya,Bhadra, Bommarillu,Kotha Bangaru Lokam and Brindavanam . His recent film Mr.Perfect.-Biography:...
was released on 11 February 2011. Upon release, this film received critical acclaim and became an average grosser at the box office.
Plot
The plot opens with passengers preparing to board a flight to Delhi. A married couple, a mimicry artiste, a little girl and her parents who have to return to Karachi after the little girl's operation in Chennai, a young software techie, a young doctor, a girl who ran away from home to attend her cousin's marriage, a married woman who ran away from home, a retired colonel, a movie actor, a fan who is crazy about the actor, and one man who injects drugs are among them. Inside the plane a group of terrorists go to the toilet and load weapons and hijack the plane. While struggling with the pilots, one of the engines is damaged and an emergency landing is made at Tirupathi Airport. Government authorities and National Security guards NSGNSG
NSG may stand for:*National Security Guards *National Street Gazetteer *Nippon Sheet Glass*NOD SCID gamma immunodeficient mouse strain*Nordic Polish Support Group*Nordic Sound Group*North Sea Gas*North Sydney Girls High School...
arrive at the airport. The hijackers demand 100 Crore, release of their leader Yusuf Khan and a new flight for their escape.
National Security Guard Ravi (Nagarjuna) and his friend regret for not killing Yusuf Khan on a previous occasion. They make fun of an actor who played Yusuf Khan in a recent movie. Ravi insists for commando operation but officials fear risking passengers' life not trusting Ravi's team. Inside the flight one of the terrorist becomes sentimental with a little Muslim girl returning from medical treatment in India. One passenger frequently questions terrorists and one Christian priest requests to read Bible. Government agrees to release Yusuf Khan who dies in an accident while being transported to the airport. Despite attempt to contain the news, the media leak it and a terrorist kills a passenger seeking proof that Yusuf is alive, failing which one passenger will be killed every half-an-hour. Ravi arranges for a scared civilian to pose as Yusuf to make the terrorists believe that Yusuf is alive and getting treated at the hospital. Meanwhile Ravi plans operation 'Gaganam' to rescue the victims. He secretly sends a mobile phone in a food packet onto the plane and contacts Colonel Jagadish to know about the terrorists and their weapons. Ravi plans to shoot the terrorists during their transit to a new flight by asking the passengers to bend down when they get a signal. The firing succeeds and 4 of the 5 terrorists are killed. The last terrorist who was affectionate to the little girl is killed with help of the young guy. The plastic explosive is found in the girl's bag where the last terrorist put it. Ravi throws it away which explodes. Operation Gaganam ends with the Prime Minister appreciating Ravi and the passengers heading to their destination.
Production
Radha Mohan decided to make it a bilingual venture, shooting the film in both Tamil and Telugu languages simultaneously. He convinced Dil RajuDil Raju
Dil Raju |Dil]], Arya,Bhadra, Bommarillu,Kotha Bangaru Lokam and Brindavanam . His recent film Mr.Perfect.-Biography:...
to produce the Telugu film after successfully approaching Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
to fund the Tamil version. He roped in Nagarjuna
Akkineni Nagarjuna
Akkineni Nagarjuna is an Indian film actor in Tollywood and Bollywood. He is a producer and one of the lead actors in Telugu cinema.- Early life :...
, a known name in both film industries, to enact the lead role of NSG commando
National Security Guards
The National Security Guard is a Special Response Unit in India that has primarily been utilized for counter-terrorism activities and was created by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of the Indian Parliament in 1986...
Ravi. Nagarjuna revealed that the film turned out to be "one of the easiest" he had worked in as he didn't have to prepare much for the role, since Radha Mohan and Prakash Raj had done "so much research", spoken to army officers and had "everything about the role on paper." He was part of an ensemble cast that featured around 45 known artists from Tamil and Telugu industries. Prakash Raj himself, who had also previously starred in all Radha Mohan films, was cast in a pivotal role.
Prakash Raj denied widespread reports that the film was based on the 1999 Kandahar hijacking incident
Indian Airlines Flight 814
Indian Airlines Flight 814 commonly known as IC 814 was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India on Friday, December 24, 1999, when it was hijacked...
, stating that it was about a hijack that takes place at the Tirupati Airport
Tirupati Airport
Tirupati Airport is located at Tirumala - Tirupati in Chittoor Dist in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The airport is situated at a distance of 14 km from Tirupati city. The night landing facility has been installed. The runway is going to be increased by another 900 metres...
. A grand set resembling the Tirupati airport was erected at the Ramoji Film City
Ramoji Film City
Ramoji Film City is one of the world’s largest integrated film studio complexes at over of land, situated in India near Hayathnagar and Peddamberpet on Hyderabad. It is also a popular tourism and recreation centre, containing both natural and artificial attractions including an amusement park...
in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh by art director Kathir. The set was constructed in one month and reportedly cost 3 crores, which was almost 20% of the films' budget and included a runway, traffic, ATC room and two planes with "perfect interiors". The film was shot using RED camera, handled by cinematographer K. V. Guhan. Pravin Mani
Pravin Mani
Pravin Mani is a musician who has been credited as singer and as music composer in Tamil and Telugu films in India. He has been a long term associate with noted music director, A. R. Rahman, with recent collaborations in Enthiran...
worked on the film's background score.