| Gaganam | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Radha Mohan |
| Produced by | Dil Raju |
| Written by | Umarji Anuradha |
| Starring | Akkineni Nagarjuna Prakash Raj Poonam Kaur Sana Khan |
| Music by | Pravin Mani |
| Cinematography | K.V. Guhan |
| Studio | Matinee Entertainments |
| Release date(s) | 11 February 2011 |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Gaganam (Sky) 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.[1][2] 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.[3] Upon release, this film received critical acclaim and became an average grosser at the box office.
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 NSG 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.
Radha Mohan decided to make it a bilingual venture, shooting the film in both Tamil and Telugu languages simultaneously. He convinced Dil Raju to produce the Telugu film after successfully approaching Prakash Raj to fund the Tamil version.[4][5] He roped in Nagarjuna, a known name in both film industries, to enact the lead role of NSG commando Ravi.[6] 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."[6] He was part of an ensemble cast that featured around 45 known artists from Tamil and Telugu industries.[4] Prakash Raj himself, who had also previously starred in all Radha Mohan films, was cast in a pivotal role.[7]
Prakash Raj denied widespread reports that the film was based on the 1999 Kandahar hijacking incident,[8][9][10] stating that it was about a hijack that takes place at the Tirupati Airport.[11] A grand set resembling the Tirupati airport was erected at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh by art director Kathir.[12][4] The set was constructed in one month and reportedly cost 3 crores,[4] which was almost 20% of the films' budget and included a runway, traffic, ATC room and two planes with "perfect interiors".[13] The film was shot using RED camera, handled by cinematographer K. V. Guhan.[5] Pravin Mani worked on the film's background score.