Captain Smit Machchhar praised by Bollywood:R Madhavan, Vijay Deverakonda and others salute his bravery

Several Bollywood celebrities have praised Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who helped save 174 passengers after his co-pilot allegedly attacked him on a flydubai flight. Writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar has called for Captain Smit to be honoured with the Mahavir Chakra, the country’s second-highest wartime gallantry award. Meanwhile, actors including Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Ravi Kishan, Vijay Deverakonda and R Madhavan have shared posts on social media praising the captain’s courage and presence of mind. Javed Akhtar says Smit deserves the Mahavir Chakra Javed Akhtar wrote on X that Captain Smit Machchhar’s bravery was unparalleled and said he deserved a major honour such as the Mahavir Chakra. Shamita Shetty and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni have also praised Captain Smit’s courage. Note: Since the flight incident is still being reported as an alleged attack by the co-pilot, it is safer to use “allegedly attacked” rather than stating the attack as an established fact. Paresh Rawal Referenced the Film ‘Krantiveer’ Actor Paresh Rawal took a dig at the captain’s surname, ‘Machhar’, by referencing his popular 1994 film ‘Krantiveer’. He wrote on social media that Nana Patekar’s famous dialogue, “One mosquito can bring a man…!” had come to mind. Meanwhile, actress Raveena Tandon shared several posts on her Instagram Stories, calling Captain Smit a real hero. Reactions from Ravi Kishan, R Madhavan and Vijay Deverakonda Actor and MP Ravi Kishan wrote that Captain Smit Machhar is an example of unwavering devotion to duty and indomitable courage. Protecting others even after being seriously injured himself is a matter of pride for every Indian. South star Vijay Deverakonda and Bollywood actor R Madhavan shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement. Madhavan wrote that he was praying for the speedy recovery of this true hero of the country. Vijay Deverakonda, meanwhile, wrote that what the captain did was unbelievable. What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073 Flydubai’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft was carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv. While the plane was flying over Saudi Arabia, the Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Smit with a knife in the cockpit. Despite being seriously injured, Captain Smit opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and overpower the attacker. The plane was then landed safely in Tabuk. PM Modi also made a video call Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Captain Smit Machhar over a video call and enquired about his wellbeing. The Prime Minister wrote on X that Captain Smit is a hero. Despite serious danger and injuries, he displayed immense courage. His bravery saved hundreds of lives and averted a major accident. The entire country is proud of Captain Smit. Captain Smit worked as a pilot with SpiceJet for 11 years Before joining flydubai, Smit worked at SpiceJet for more than 11 years. During this period, he logged more than 9,500 hours of flying, including over 6,400 hours as the aircraft’s main pilot, or pilot-in-command. He joined flydubai in June 2022. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has more than 13 years of experience flying commercial aircraft. He has logged around 9,750 hours flying Boeing 737 aircraft.