Dreaded terrorist Rasheed is in the government's captivity and goes ha-ha-ha like a menacing Santa Claus, when not taking about taking over the world. In the control room of a special Counter Terrorist Department, Chief Rajesh Sharma is showing the usual AVs of terrorists to a roomful of bored people. A few scenes later, some tacky special effects show a nightclub being blown to smithereens. Newspapers the next day print this news on their front page with exclamatory headlines.

In pictures: Preview of Hijack

The next plan of the terrorists, led by a mysterious Abdullah, is to hijack a plane and negotiate Rasheed’s release. We glimpse a peek into the lives of the ill-fated flight’s passengers: there's an endearing Parsi couple well into their twilight years and still inseparable; two young college-going couples sneaking a holiday from their parents; a newly-married couple returning from their honeymoon.

Also on the plane is Chandigarh airport chief technician Vikram's (Ahuja) little girl Priya. Distraught with the news of the hijack, Vikram re-lives the trauma he faced some years ago when he was pilot on a flight that was similarly seized.

The plane stops at the Chandigarh airport for refueling and that is where Vikram attempts at rescuing his daughter. Hijack then follows his rescue plan on the plane with help from airhostess Saira (Deol). What add to the taut tension are relentless killings of the innocent passengers and some unexpected twists towards the end.

The stunts (though few) are eye-popping and you’ll enjoy them enough to avoid blinking. If you've seen the Jodie Foster-starrer Flightplan, you can estimate this to be along similar lines in terms of the drama and the superb airplane scenes.

Hijack's premise is same ol` same ol`, but a thriller can get away with it if its execution is strong. And the film scores on that aspect. The story-telling technique is unpretentious and focused. Apart from a song or two, the film doesn’t take a detour and stays put on the task at hand. Debut director Kunal Shivadasani (also co-writer and editor) sucks you into the center of the goings-on, so you remain involved with the story’s turns and twists, and feel sufficiently for Vikram’s situation. Parallel to the action runs the emotional track where you see Vikram's tender love for his daughter and their heart-warming bonding.

Hijack is a strong film performance-wise. Through the film you see Vikram transform from a regular airport employee to a worried father who turns heroic to save his daughter. Shiney Ahuja proves yet again his ability to play out each emotional range of a character impeccably.

Esha Deol disappoints and doesn't make an impact at all. Mona Ambegaonkar as assistant to the Home Minister gives a good, understated performance.

The film ends with written words informing us of the various plane hijacks over the years. It then adds "statistics reveal that flying is the safest mode of travel". One wonders if that was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Enjoy the film for its unabashed thrill quotient with just the right dash of emotion. Just don't schedule a flight soon after.

Verdict: 3 stars