The Israeli production and distribution company and the Indian media group will co-produce a feature film inspired by the September 30 incident, when the pilot, crew and passengers helped prevent a tragedy.
Dori Media Group and India-based Sphereorigins have announced the development and co-production of a feature film inspired by the attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv on September 30. The project will dramatize the events and pay tribute to the pilot and passengers whose actions helped avert a tragedy.
The announcement was made by Dori Media Group CEO Nadav Palti and Sphereorigins Chairman and Managing Director Sunjoy Waddhwa. According to the companies, the project also follows interest from Indian streaming platforms and broadcasters in bringing the story to the screen. The deal was brokered by Subhadarshi Tripathy.
“What happened on that flight was nothing short of a miracle,” said Palti. “We will approach this film by looking to tell the heroic story of the pilot and those brave passengers who helped save the lives of many aboard that historic flight.”
Waddhwa highlighted the collaboration between the two companies on the international project. “We are privileged to collaborate with Dori Media on this premium project. We have known and worked with them for a long time and, together with Subh (Subhadarshi Tripathy), felt they would be the ideal partner to produce a film of this caliber, ” he said.
According to the announcement, the incident occurred when the flight’s co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft after takeoff from Dubai International Airport. The plane, which was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members, plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the struggle in the cockpit.
Passengers and crew members managed to overpower the co-pilot, while two other Flydubai pilots traveling aboard the aircraft took control and safely landed the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot who was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot, managed to open the cockpit door from the inside despite his injuries, allowing others to intervene. During a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar recalled: “I was lying on the floor injured, but I told myself to make one last push to open the door from inside. I was, of course, fighting for my own life, but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die.”
The film adds to Dori Media Group’s ongoing activity in the international market. The company, which has offices in Zurich, Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv, has produced and distributed titles including Emmy Award-winning In Treatment, Rebelde Way, Lalola and AMIA, inspired by the attacks on the Israeli Embassy and the Jewish community in Argentina.
Sphereorigins, meanwhile, has more than two decades of experience in the Indian media and entertainment industry, with over 15,000 hours of programming across its portfolio.
Dori Media recently unveiled its largest-ever slate of unscripted programming ahead of the international television market Mipcom. The lineup includes new game shows, dating formats and docuseries for the global market, such as The Hive, You Should Know, My Hottest Years and New Love.
