Anil Kapoor hails pilot Smit Machchhar's 'extraordinary' courage after cockpit attack

On September 30th, a Boeing 737 carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv encountered something few pilots ever face: violence in the cockpit. Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot mid-flight. The aircraft began a rapid descent. In those moments, with injuries mounting, Machchhar made a choice that would define the flight's outcome: he forced open the cockpit door, breaching the reinforced barrier that separates the flight deck from the cabin. That act of will allowed crew members and passengers to enter and restrain the attacker. The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

The incident has since become a study in presence of mind under catastrophic pressure. Anil Kapoor, the Bollywood actor, took to social media to mark what Machchhar had done. Kapoor shared a photograph of the pilot in the cockpit and wrote about a conversation with a friend named Jalal, who had known Machchhar since their days at flying school. According to Kapoor's account, Jalal had always recognized something in Machchhar—a quality of courage that made him the kind of person you'd want beside you when everything falls apart. "When this happened, Jalal told me he knows Smit since flying school and had always known him to be someone he'd want by his side in a difficult situation," Kapoor wrote. "It made me think about how much courage Smit must have had, right from the beginning, for the people around him to recognise it so early on."

Capoor's message carried the weight of someone reflecting on what it takes to act when fear is the rational response. "What Smit did in that moment was nothing short of extraordinary," he wrote. "It takes immense courage to stay strong and put others first when you're facing something so terrifying yourself. Sending him all my respect and wishing him a speedy recovery."

The pilot's actions have drawn recognition from across India's political and entertainment landscape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar from his hospital bed to commend his courage and composure. A roster of Bollywood figures—R. Madhavan, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Deverakonda, Sonam Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Jackie Shroff, and Kangana Ranaut—have all publicly expressed their admiration for what he did.

Machchhar was initially treated at a hospital in Tabuk, where he was reported to be in stable condition despite his injuries. He was later transferred to Abu Dhabi for ongoing medical care. The incident itself remains under investigation, but the outline is clear: a man in a position of responsibility, facing a threat that could have killed everyone aboard, chose to act in a way that saved them. That choice, made in seconds under conditions most of us will never experience, is what has drawn such widespread recognition.