Vadodara-based filmmaker Milan Sharma has announced plans to make a feature film on the Air India Flight AI-171 crash, describing it as a deeply personal mission and, he says, the final project of his career. Sharma, 38, lost his elder sister Anju Sharma, 56, in the disaster — one of India's deadliest aviation tragedies — and says the film is something he feels compelled to make.

A Decision Made Within Days of the Crash

The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating as Flight AI-171 crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area seconds after take-off on 12 June, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground — a total of 260 deaths. The London-bound aircraft had barely cleared the runway when it went down.

Sharma, originally from Kurukshetra in Haryana, said he resolved to make the film within a week of the crash, not during the first-anniversary commemorations. 'When the incident happened last year, and we received the news, within a week, after seeing everything that happened, I made up my mind that I would definitely make a film on it,' he said.

The Film's Focus: Families, Not Just the Crash

Sharma said the project will go beyond the mechanics of the disaster and centre on the lives permanently altered by it. He has already met 20 to 25 affected families and intends to reach as many of the approximately 260 bereaved families as possible — including those from Mumbai and Vadodara.

'I never approached them by saying I am making a film. I met them because I felt their pain was the same as ours. Sometimes grief needs to be shared,' he said.

He is collecting personal stories, photographs, memories, and accounts of victims' final hours, as well as testimonies from eyewitnesses. Among those he recalled speaking to was a young woman who had worked in the medical college canteen and narrowly escaped after briefly leaving to deliver medicine to her father. He noted that local residents used handcarts to help transport bodies from the wreckage in the immediate aftermath.

Waiting on the Investigation Report

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is still conducting its investigation, and a final report has not yet been released — more than a year after the crash. Sharma said the absence of findings has only deepened his resolve.

'One year has passed, and we are still waiting. The final report is very important for us. We want to know what happened. It is not only the people who died. Their families also died in a way,' he said.

He indicated he would wait for the AAIB's conclusions before finalising the script, though he stressed the film would be made regardless of the determined cause. 'If it were the human error, the film would be made. If it were a technical issue, the film would still be made. The film would be made irrespective of the outcome,' he said. Official permissions from relevant authorities will be sought before production begins.

A Personal Loss Behind the Camera

Anju Sharma had boarded AI-171 for a trip to London to visit her daughter. Shortly before departure, she video-called her second daughter, Honey Patel, from inside the aircraft to show the plane to her grandson, who enjoyed watching aeroplanes. 'She told us, this is Nani's plane. We still have that video and her voice,' Honey recalled during a visit to the crash site on the first anniversary.

The family rushed to Ahmedabad after news of the crash broke, initially hoping Anju had survived and been hospitalised. 'We searched every floor for Mamma. We went everywhere, but we could not find her,' Honey said. DNA testing was ultimately required to identify many victims. The family received Anju's remains three days after the crash.

For Sharma, the loss has also altered his relationship with air travel. 'Today I sent a last photograph to my family before take-off. I never used to think like that before,' he said.

He described his sister as more than a sibling: 'She was not just my sister; she was my mother,' he said, explaining that Anju had effectively raised him after he moved to Gujarat as a child.

The Filmmaker's Career and What Comes Next

Sharma first entered the entertainment industry in 2007 as an actor before transitioning to production and direction. He produced the Punjabi film 'Ishq Wala' in 2013 and the Gujarati project 'Ame Chhiye' in 2016. In 2019, he directed and produced the Gujarati film 'Babubhai Sentimental'. He is currently working on the Gujarati project 'Shreeleela' and the Hindi project 'Karrmleela', alongside the web series 'Slay 8'.

Sharma said the AI-171 film would be produced on a large scale with the support of production partners. 'This is going to be a very big project. It is only the beginning and it will take time,' he said, adding that release announcements would follow in due course. He called it his dream project and, he believes, his last. 'For me, this is not just a film. It is something I have to do,' he said.