For
a
Bollywood
follower,
the
name
Kunal
Shivdasani
may
sound
a
little
unfamiliar.
But
quiz
an
industry
insider
and
you
would
realize
that
Kunal
is
a
man
behind
close
to
300
commercials
as
a
director
for
some
of
the
most
notable
brands
in
the
country.
With
close
to
20
years
of
experience
behind
him,
the
35
year
old
(yes,
you
read
it
right)
director
is
now
making
an
obvious
transition
to
the
world
of
movies
with
Shiney
Ahuja
starrer
Hijack.
"I
won't
deny
that
movie
making
was
something
I
was
eventually
looking
at
getting
into," divulges
Kunal,
"It's
an
obvious
transition.
I
knew
I
had
to
be
in
this
business
and
working
on
hundreds
of
advertisements
kept
bringing
me
closer
to
the
big
screen
medium."
Hijack
is
an
action
thriller.
It
is
about
an
airplane,
which
is
hijacked
by
a
group
of
terrorists.
One
of
the
passengers
is
a
young
girl
who
happens
to
be
Shiney's
daughter.
In
the
film's
climax,
Shiney
gets
into
the
plane,
foils
the
hijack
and
saves
not
just
his
daughter
but
also
other
passengers
with
his
presence
of
mind
and
some
dare
devilry.
"You
would
see
Shiney
in
a
role
like
never
before.
Also,
the
overall
narration
and
look
of
the
film
has
been
done
in
Hollywoodish
style.
I
can
proudly
say
that
Hijack
bridges
the
gap
between
Bollywood
and
Hollywood.
Set
in
a
Die
Hard
mode,
Hijack
marries
style
and
technique
with
a
sensible
script,
which
is
the
heart
and
soul
of
the
film,"
says
Kunal
excitedly.
"If
you
look
at
any
of
the
Die
Hard
films,
you
would
observe
that
the
narration
is
always
centered
on
the
plot
and
never
looses
its
way.
There
are
no
unnecessary
tangents
and
even
though
there
is
action
all
around,
an
undercurrent
of
emotions
is
always
prevalent."
He
adds,
"Also,
it
is
not
about
super
heroes
or
super
humans.
It
is
about
sheer
courage,
presence
of
mind,
high
intelligence
and
some
common
sense
that
the
hero
possesses.
It's
the
same
in
case
of
Hijack
too
where
Shiney's
character
follows
these
qualities."
"Shiney
has
surprised
everyone,"
reveals
Kunal,
"He
has
done
all
his
stunts
himself.
Action
choreographer
Allan
Amin
has
gone
all
out
to
get
some
phenomenal
action
happening
in
the
film.
There
are
stunts
like
two
choppers
flying
one
over
another
and
that
too
at
the
speed
of
100
kmph.
It
is
not
a
child's
play
and
though
we
could
have
probably
got
somewhat
similar
effects
with
CG,
the
team
insisted
on
doing
it
all
in
real.
I
am
glad
I
had
such
a
committed
crew
in
place."
Hijack
is
looking
at
releasing
on
May
2nd
or
9th.
While
Esha
Deol
is
the
leading
lady
in
the
film,
K
K
Raina,
Mona
Ambegaonkar
and
Kaveri
Jha
form
the
rest
of
the
cast.
Produced
by
Kunal
Shivdasani
himself
along
with
Dinesh
Vijan,
Hijack
is
presented
by
EROS
entertainment.
Story first published: Friday, February 29, 2008, 9:36 [IST]