Who brought down Air India 182, and how?

There are many reasons Canadian director Sturla Gunnarsson’s documentary Air India 182 is one of the must-watch films being screened at the Bengaluru international film festival (BIFFES 2011).

It is a non-fiction thriller about the Vancouver-based conspiracy to bomb Air India 182 and the intelligence operation that failed to thwart it. Gunnarsson’s film is the first real account of the tragedy—the 9/11 of Canada—which shook India too.

The plane, named after Emperor Kanishka and operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route, was blown up by a bomb on June 23, 1985. It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, leaving 329 dead—27 British, 22 Indians, and 280 Canadians, most of whom were of Indian origin.

Filmmaker Gunnarsson is in the city as part of the BIFFES jury, and Air India 182 has been screening to packed audiences here. He spoke about why he had to make the film.

“It was something Canadians were in denial about for a very long time. They didn’t want to see it as a Canadian tragedy though it was the largest mass murder in modern Canadian history,” Gunhe said.

Right after the crash, the Canadian government sent its condolences to the Indian government. “They wanted to see it as a foreign tragedy. This created divisions within Canada, as though most of the dead were of Indian and foreign origin, they were Canadians, and the people felt let down.”

Intelligence failure
The investigation and trial into the tragedy lasted almost 20 years, and was the most expensive trial in Canadian history, costing nearly Canadian $130 million.

“Once the trial was over, I was able to get intelligence reports, wiretaps and other evidence like the last recorded sound from the aircraft—a chilling cockpit recording. The intelligence reports clearly showed how they had information about the conspiracy, yet failed to prevent the tragedy.”

So that’s how 23 years after the crash, Gunnarsson felt compelled to make the film.

“The families of the victims needed to talk because they were twice hit. First by the tragedy itself, and second, by the silence that came after when nobody talked of it. Somebody had to make the film. Everything in it is factual. Who did it, how they did it, we put it out there on film for the first time.”

Apprehensions of the Sikhs
In Canada, the film was a watershed event as it created a moment of public mourning, which never happened in the years that went by. This happened even among the Sikh community in Vancouver, who feared they might be typecast as villains.

When Gunnarsson planned to recreate the Khalistan movement in the film, nobody from the Sikh community was initially willing to participate. They were afraid the film would portray their community as terrorists. But after much convincing, people came forward, and once the film was completed and released, “everyone felt we did justice to the subject. It was absolute truth that we made.”

Harrowing accounts
The importance of the film in Canada as well as India is that, “It was testimonial. Everyone in the film needed to talk about it. People spoke in incredible detail. Every interview was harrowing. They simply needed to testify,” Gunnarsson said.

He has directed more than 50 productions, which have earned Emmy, Genie and Gemini Awards and an Academy Award nomination.