The movie deals with the stance of the government officials on such a serious issue and how a belated decision will make a situation worse, in an already edgy circumstance.
Taut and thrilling, this hijack drama delves into the complex sequence of events that unfold when a flight from Chennai to Delhi is hijacked, and its passengers held to effect the release of their leader, Yusuf Khan. Now, the passengers' only hope is Major Ravindra from the National Security Guards who along with his team, Major Nawaz Khan and Major Menon, captured Yusuf Khan two years ago. Will the brave security team succeed in foiling the terrorists' plans and ensure that their leader remains imprisoned?—Shrinivas G. Kulkarni
On a flight from Chennai to Delhi, five passengers retrieve weapons from the toilet and use them to hijack the aircraft. During a struggle with the pilots to divert the plane to Rawalpindi, an engine is damaged so they make an emergency landing at Tirupati Airport. Government authorities arrive. The hijackers demand 1,000,000,000 rupees, the release of their imprisoned leader Yusuf Khan, and a fresh aircraft for their escape.
A team is put together, led by Home Secretary K Vishwanath, to tackle the situation. National Security Guard Major N. Raveendra "Ravi" , who captured Yusuf Khan, recalls the death of a colleague at the shootout and regrets not killing Khan at the time. He urges the Government of India to allow a Special Forces commando operation but officials fear risking passengers' lives and do not trust Raveendra's team. Ravi is frustrated when the government vacillates, and it seems Khan might be released.
Inside the aircraft, the passengers gather in groups to discuss their past lives and religion. One of the terrorists becomes sentimentally attached to Afshana, a young girl who is returning to Karachi after a heart operation. The terrorist's associates, however, warn him not to become too attached to the girl because his main duty is to carry out the operation, which includes killing the passengers. Another passenger, who is Jagadheesh, a retired army colonel, frequently irritates the terrorists with questions about their motives. Tensions rise until Praveen, one of the passengers who is a drug addict, attempts an escape but is shot by a terrorist, who warns the authorities to act quickly.
Raveendra's colleague Nawaz Khan discovers Tamil Nadu Police have identified a missing cleaner who prepared the toilet of the flight before its departure. Ravi and Nawaz go to find the cleaner, hoping to get information about the nature of the weapons that were left for the hijackers. After a chase in Red Hills, they capture the cleaner, who admits his involvement in the plot and gives vague information about the size of the weapon he placed in the toilet. Ravi and Nawaz deduce the weapon is a plastic explosive.
On his return, Ravi is told the government has decided to release Khan but while being transported to the airport, Khan dies in an accident. Ravi asks officials to be very confident about this information so they can plan an assault without the terrorists' knowledge. A reporter disguises himself as an assistant to a senior police official; he closely approaches the aircraft, records video of the aircraft using a pen camera and overhears two officials in a restroom discussing Khan's accident. The terrorists become alarmed. Despite attempts to contain the news, the media leak it. One of the terrorists kills a passenger named Subash, and threatens to kill one passenger every 30 minutes unless it is proved Khan is alive. Ravi arranges for actor Ranganathan, who portrayed Khan in a film Bharat Maata, to make the terrorists believe Khan is alive and being treated at a hospital.
Ravi plans an operation to rescue the victims and names it Operation Garuda. Through a female cleaner, he secretly sends a mobile phone hidden in a food packet onto the plane so he can exchange information with Colonel Jagadheesh. Ravi plans to shoot the hijackers while they transit to a new flight by asking the passengers to bend down when they get a signal. The plan succeeds, and four of the five hijackers are killed. The last terrorist is killed with the help of two passengers. The plastic explosive is found in Afshana's bag. Ravi throws it away and the bag explodes. The operation ends, the Prime Minister appreciates Ravi and the passengers continue to their destination.
The passengers happily leave the flight, farewell each other and agree to meet again. The terrorists' names are revealed to be Yasin (the leader), Munna, Omar, Anwar and Abdul.
