Ahmedabad, June 15: A filmmaker who lost his elder sister in the Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad has announced plans to create a feature film based on this tragedy. He described it as a personal mission and stated that it might be his final project.
Milan Sharma, 38, residing in Vadodara and originally from Kurukshetra, Haryana, decided to make the film shortly after the crash that occurred on June 12 last year. His decision came after witnessing the grief of families who lost loved ones in one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.
The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bound for London, crashed just seconds after takeoff, colliding with a hostel complex of BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad. Out of 242 people on board, 241 lost their lives, along with 19 individuals on the ground, totaling 260 fatalities.
Milan lost his 56-year-old sister, Anju Sharma, in this tragic incident. Reflecting on the year since the accident, he revealed that the idea for the film came not during the memorial events but immediately after the crash.
He shared, “When the accident happened last year, I decided within a week that I would definitely make a film about it.” He is already working on the project and is determined to see it through.
The absence of a final investigation report has intensified his resolve to document the impact of the disaster on the victims’ families. He stated, “A year has passed, and we are still waiting. The final report is crucial for us. We want to know what happened. It wasn’t just those who died; their families were also devastated.”
According to Sharma, the project will not only focus on the crash but also on the lives of those forever changed by the tragedy. He has already met with 20 to 25 affected families and aims to connect with as many families as possible from the nearly 260 who lost loved ones.
He emphasized, “I never approached them saying I was making a film. I met them because I felt their grief was similar to ours. Sometimes, sharing sorrow is necessary.”
Sharma is gathering personal stories, memories, photographs, and accounts of the victims’ last moments. He is also recording experiences from eyewitnesses of the accident.
He recalled conversations with local residents, including a young woman working in the medical college canteen, who narrowly escaped because she stepped out to get medicine for her father.
Sharma noted that locals played a crucial role in managing the aftermath, using handcarts to remove bodies from the wreckage.
He said, “There are thousands of perspectives on what happened. I want to collect those views and present them through a film.”
The filmmaker plans to wait for the final report before completing the script, as the investigators’ findings will influence how the story is told.
He affirmed, “Whether it was human error or technical failure, the film will be made. No matter the outcome, this film will happen.”
Sharma mentioned that this project will be produced on a large scale with the help of his production partners and collaborators. It is set to be a significant undertaking, and he acknowledges that it will take time.
He added, “Even if no one from my family were involved, I would still make this film. But perhaps I wouldn’t have the same passion.”
This tragedy has also altered his perspective on air travel. Sharma admitted that he now feels anxious whenever he boards a plane. He shared, “Today, before takeoff, I sent a photo to my family. I never used to think like that before.”
The filmmaker entered the entertainment industry in 2007 as an actor before transitioning into production and direction. He produced the Punjabi film ‘Ishq Wala’ in 2013 and the Gujarati project ‘Ame Chhiye’ in 2016.
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