Payanam (film)
Encyclopedia
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 Bharath Reddy amongst others. Produced by Prakash Raj himself, Payanam was released on 11 February 2011.
to Delhi
five passengers retrieve weapons hidden in the toilet and use them to hijack the plane. An engine is damaged during the struggle with the pilots so they make an emergency landing at Tirupati Airport
. Government authorities arrive. The hijackers demand 100 Crore
(c. US $22,000,000), release of their imprisoned leader Yusuf Khan, and a fresh aircraft for their escape.
National Security Guard Major Raveendra (played by Nagarjuna) recalls the loss of a valued comrade at the shootout when he captured Yusuf Khan, and regrets not killing the terrorist at the time. He urges the government to allow a commando
operation, but officials fear risking passengers' life, not trusting Raveendra's team. The major is frustrated when the government vacillates and it seems that Yusuf Khan might be released. Inside the flight the passengers fall into groups discussing their past lives and religion. One of the terrorists becomes sentimentally attached to Afshana, a little girl returning to Karachi
after her heart operation. Another passenger frequently irritates the terrorists with bitter questions about their motives, in which he is supported by Jagdeesh, a retired army colonel. Time passes and tensions rise, until one of the passengers (a drug addict) attempts an escape but is shot down by a terrorist who warns the authorities to act soon.
Raveendra's colleague Nawaz Khan discovers that the missing cleaner who prepared the toilet of the flight before its departure has been identified by Tamil Nadu
Police. Ravi and Nawaz go to find the cleaner in the hope of getting information about the nature of weapons that were left for the hijackers. After a chase in Red Hills they capture the man, who confesses his involvement in the plot and also gives vague information about the size of the weapon that he placed in the toilet. Ravi and Nawaz deduce that it must be a plastic explosive
.
On his return Ravi is told the government has decided to release Yusuf Khan. But Yusuf dies in an accident while being transported to the airport. Ravi asks the officials to be very confidential about this information so that they can plan an assault without the terrorists' knowledge. However, a reporter disguises himself as an assistant to a senior police official, and so gets close to the aircraft. He records footage of the flight through his pen camera and overhears two officials talking about the accident of Yusuf Khan in the restroom. The terrorists get alarmed. Despite attempts 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 an operation to rescue the victims and christens it as Operation Garuda. Through a cleaning lady he secretly sends a mobile phone onto the plane in a food packet, so he can exchange information with Colonel Jagadeesh. 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 four of the five terrorists are killed. The last terrorist who was affectionate to the little girl is killed with help of a young passenger. The plastic explosive is found in the girl's bag. Ravi throws it away which explodes. The operation ends with the Prime Minister appreciating Ravi and the passengers heading to their destination.
, after directing the family-oriented romance and drama films Azhagiya Theeye
, Mozhi
and Abhiyum Naanum
, decided to make a shift and produce an action thriller based on flight hijacking
. He approached actor-producer Prakash Raj
, a close friend and producer of all his earlier ventures, who agreed to fund this film as well, marking the fourth collaboration of the duo. Prakash Raj renamed his Duet Movies banner to Silent Movies, the logo and name of which were designed by Radha Mohan himself. Radha Mohan also decided to make it a bilingual venture, shooting the film in both Tamil and Telugu languages simultaneously, and was able to convince noted Telugu film producer Dil Raju
to produce the Telugu version, titled Gaganam, whilst roping in Nagarjuna
, who is a known name in both film industries, to enact the lead role of a NSG commando
. Speaking about his role, Nagarjuna revealed that the film turned out to be "one of the easiest" he had worked in as he didn't had 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 – how commandos behave and dress." Nagarjuna, starring in his first direct Tamil film after 13 years, was part of an ensemble cast that featured around 45 known artists from both Tamil and Telugu industries, with the cast being retained for both versions. Prakash Raj himself, who had also previously starred in all Radha Mohan films, was cast in a pivotal role.
Despite widespread report that the film was based on the 1999 Kandahar hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814
, Prakash Raj had denied the reports, making clear 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, Andra Pradesh by art director Kathir. The airport set was constructed within one month and reportedly costed three crores, which was almost twenty per cent of the films' entire budget and included runway, traffic, ATC room and two planes with "perfect interiors". The film was shot using the RED camera, handled by cinematographer K. V. Guhan. Pravin Mani
was assigned as the film composer, who worked on the film's background score. The film would feature only one solo song, which too was composed by Pravin and was written by Vairamuthu
's son Madhan Karky. The trailer of the film was launched on 14 January 2011.
In contrast, the movie also received mixed and negative reviews. A critic from the Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 and said that "Radhamohan's 'Payanam' would have been a more engaging watch only if the journey was a littler shorter." Behindwoods gave it 2 out of 5 and said that "Although humour shares equal space with action and suspense, a slight swaying on the lighter side dilutes the serious effect a wee bit which could have been taken care of." One India commented "The film appears a little nagging and boring because the audiences continue to expect a big action scenes but the film continues to roll without any such incident."
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 Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
as Gaganam
Gaganam
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...
, 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 Prakash Raj himself, Payanam was released on 11 February 2011.
Plot
On a flight from ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
five passengers retrieve weapons hidden in the toilet and use them to hijack the plane. An engine is damaged during the struggle with the pilots so they make an emergency landing at 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...
. Government authorities arrive. The hijackers demand 100 Crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
(c. US $22,000,000), release of their imprisoned leader Yusuf Khan, and a fresh aircraft for their escape.
National Security Guard Major Raveendra (played by Nagarjuna) recalls the loss of a valued comrade at the shootout when he captured Yusuf Khan, and regrets not killing the terrorist at the time. He urges the government to allow a commando
Special Forces of India
The Special Forces of India are Indian Military units that have a training specializing in special operations.-Mumbai Police Force One:the Special Commando force created after 26/11 Mumbai attacks-Rajasthan Police SOG:...
operation, but officials fear risking passengers' life, not trusting Raveendra's team. The major is frustrated when the government vacillates and it seems that Yusuf Khan might be released. Inside the flight the passengers fall into groups discussing their past lives and religion. One of the terrorists becomes sentimentally attached to Afshana, a little girl returning to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
after her heart operation. Another passenger frequently irritates the terrorists with bitter questions about their motives, in which he is supported by Jagdeesh, a retired army colonel. Time passes and tensions rise, until one of the passengers (a drug addict) attempts an escape but is shot down by a terrorist who warns the authorities to act soon.
Raveendra's colleague Nawaz Khan discovers that the missing cleaner who prepared the toilet of the flight before its departure has been identified by Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
Police. Ravi and Nawaz go to find the cleaner in the hope of getting information about the nature of weapons that were left for the hijackers. After a chase in Red Hills they capture the man, who confesses his involvement in the plot and also gives vague information about the size of the weapon that he placed in the toilet. Ravi and Nawaz deduce that it must be a plastic explosive
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
.
On his return Ravi is told the government has decided to release Yusuf Khan. But Yusuf dies in an accident while being transported to the airport. Ravi asks the officials to be very confidential about this information so that they can plan an assault without the terrorists' knowledge. However, a reporter disguises himself as an assistant to a senior police official, and so gets close to the aircraft. He records footage of the flight through his pen camera and overhears two officials talking about the accident of Yusuf Khan in the restroom. The terrorists get alarmed. Despite attempts 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 an operation to rescue the victims and christens it as Operation Garuda. Through a cleaning lady he secretly sends a mobile phone onto the plane in a food packet, so he can exchange information with Colonel Jagadeesh. 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 four of the five terrorists are killed. The last terrorist who was affectionate to the little girl is killed with help of a young passenger. The plastic explosive is found in the girl's bag. Ravi throws it away which explodes. The operation ends with the Prime Minister appreciating Ravi and the passengers heading to their destination.
Cast
- Nagarjuna Akkineni as Major Raveendra
- Bharath Reddy as Captain Nawaz Khan
- Prakash RajPrakash RajPrakash 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...
as N. Viswanath,National Security Advisor - Sana KhanSana KhanSana 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 :...
as Sandhya - RishiRishi (actor)Rishi is an Indian film and television actor. After appearing in several television soaps, his breakthrough came through Sun TV's Deala No Deala.-Early life:...
as Vinod - Sricharan as Yusuf Khan and Ranganathan
- Poonam KaurPoonam KaurPoonam Kaur is an Indian actress and model. She has frequently appeared in Telugu films apart from Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films.- Career :...
as Air Hostess Vimala Gupta - Iqbal Yaqub
- Ravi Prakash
- BrahmanandamBrahmanandamBrahmanandam 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...
as director Rajesh Kapur - M. S. Bhaskar as Rev. Fr. Alphonse
- ManobalaManobalaManobala is a Tamil director and comedian actor who prominently plays supporting roles.-Career:Manobala has directed 40 films, 16 television serials and 3 tele-films during his career as a director. As an actor, he had appeared in 175 films as of July 2009...
as Narayana Shastry - Babloo PrithvirajBabloo PrithvirajBabloo, also known as Prithviraj, is an actor concentrating in Tamil and Telugu films. He started his career in Malayalam language films in late 80's. Later he shifted his base to Chennai. Now he is a busy Tamil television actor and show anchor...
as Shining Star Chandrakanth - Thalaivasal VijayThalaivasal VijayThalaivasal Vijay is a Tamil film actor. He is noted for his character roles, especially in R. Sukumaran's 2010 Malayalam film Yugapurushan as Narayana Guru...
as Col. Jagadeesh - Elango KumaravelElango KumaravelElango Kumaravel is a Tamil film and stage actor and script writer. He is also a co-founder of the Chennai based theatre group "Magic Lantern". He is an alumnus of Pondicherry University's Sankaradas Swamigal School of Performing Arts and the Chennai based theatre workshop koothuppattarai. He has...
as Subash - Badava Gopi as Gopinath
- Mohan Ram as Venkatraman
- Jayashree as Dhivya
- Nitheesh
- Chaams as Balaji
Production
Radha MohanRadha 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...
, after directing the family-oriented romance and drama films Azhagiya Theeye
Azhagiya Theeye
Azhagiya Theeye is a 2004 Indian Tamil romantic comedy film written and directed by Radha Mohan that stars Prasanna and Navya Nair in lead roles. The film was produced by Prakash Raj, who also played a significant character in the film, while Ramesh Vinayagam composed the music...
, Mozhi
Mozhi
Mozhi is a 2007 Tamil film produced by Prakash Raj and directed by Radha Mohan. The film stars Prithviraj, Jyothika, Prakash Raj and Swarnamalya in pivotal roles. The theme is similar to the Hollywood film Children of a Lesser God...
and Abhiyum Naanum
Abhiyum Naanum
Abhiyum Naanum is a 2008 Tamil feature film produced by Prakash Raj and directed by Radha Mohan. The movie, which has a critically acclaimed storyline, stars Prakash Raj in the central character with Trisha Krishnan in the lead role as his daughter while Prithviraj makes a special appearance....
, decided to make a shift and produce an action thriller based on flight hijacking
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...
. He approached actor-producer 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...
, a close friend and producer of all his earlier ventures, who agreed to fund this film as well, marking the fourth collaboration of the duo. Prakash Raj renamed his Duet Movies banner to Silent Movies, the logo and name of which were designed by Radha Mohan himself. Radha Mohan also decided to make it a bilingual venture, shooting the film in both Tamil and Telugu languages simultaneously, and was able to convince noted Telugu film producer Dil Raju
Dil Raju
Dil Raju |Dil]], Arya,Bhadra, Bommarillu,Kotha Bangaru Lokam and Brindavanam . His recent film Mr.Perfect.-Biography:...
to produce the Telugu version, titled Gaganam, whilst roping 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 :...
, who is a known name in both film industries, to enact the lead role of a 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...
. Speaking about his role, Nagarjuna revealed that the film turned out to be "one of the easiest" he had worked in as he didn't had 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 – how commandos behave and dress." Nagarjuna, starring in his first direct Tamil film after 13 years, was part of an ensemble cast that featured around 45 known artists from both Tamil and Telugu industries, with the cast being retained for both versions. Prakash Raj himself, who had also previously starred in all Radha Mohan films, was cast in a pivotal role.
Despite widespread report that the film was based on the 1999 Kandahar hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814
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...
, Prakash Raj had denied the reports, making clear 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, Andra Pradesh by art director Kathir. The airport set was constructed within one month and reportedly costed three crores, which was almost twenty per cent of the films' entire budget and included runway, traffic, ATC room and two planes with "perfect interiors". The film was shot using the 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...
was assigned as the film composer, who worked on the film's background score. The film would feature only one solo song, which too was composed by Pravin and was written by Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
's son Madhan Karky. The trailer of the film was launched on 14 January 2011.
Reception
The movie opened to mainly positive reviews. The story and screenplay by Radhamohan were well appreciated. Rediff.com gave the film 3.5 out of 5 and stated that "The sequences are logical, even while allowing for dashes of humour, soul-searching and feel-good factors; the whole setting has a realistic feel that draws you in." Nowrunning.com also gave 3.5 out of 5 and wrote "Payanam has come out as something new for Tamil cinema. It's worth watching." Southdreamz expressed that "Payanam is a movie that can be watched for a different experience." Indiaglitz also praised the movie stating "Kudos to Payanam for a great successful journey." Another review website gave 3.5 out of 5 stated "The movie has the necessary elements which can be called the director's touch." National Award winning critic Baradwaj Rangan wrote "You could call Payanam a cross between a disaster movie (say, Airport) and a Mouli stage play. There’s such an air of bonhomous familiarity to those who grew up in the seventies and the eighties, reading Vikatan jokes about actresses named Kalasri." Sify.com stated that "The films supporting cast is what makes it work. On the whole, Radha Mohan’s Payanam is an enjoyable ride." Chennai Online praised the attempt for inserting comedy in the action sequences saying "A big plus is the comedy in the script with the various characters from all backgrounds from a star to an astrologer, all thrown together in the aircraft." The Hindu noted that "The film grabs audience attention from the word go —you're worried about the plight of the passengers one minute, chuckling the very next at the wry humour, and before long, gripped by the suspense." admiring the art director stating "The aircraft and airport are apparently a set. Really? Art director Kathir, take a bow!" and further cited that "As the end credits roll, you only wish there had been a Major Raveendran who had his way in December 1999 at Amritsar!"In contrast, the movie also received mixed and negative reviews. A critic from the Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 and said that "Radhamohan's 'Payanam' would have been a more engaging watch only if the journey was a littler shorter." Behindwoods gave it 2 out of 5 and said that "Although humour shares equal space with action and suspense, a slight swaying on the lighter side dilutes the serious effect a wee bit which could have been taken care of." One India commented "The film appears a little nagging and boring because the audiences continue to expect a big action scenes but the film continues to roll without any such incident."
Box office
The film collected 97 lakhs in Chennai in the first week and had an average opening.See also
- GaganamGaganamGaganam 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...
, the TeluguTelugu languageTelugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
version of the movie, also directed by Radha MohanRadha MohanRadha 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...
and released on the same date. - Kandahar (2010 film), a Malayalam film also dealing with a flight hijacking incidentAircraft hijackingAircraft 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...
, but a different story.