The entire Bollywood fraternity has united to salute Captain Smit Machchhar, the heroic Indian pilot who successfully averted a massive mid-air catastrophe. On September 30, 2026, while commanding Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Captain Machchhar was allegedly attacked and stabbed inside the cockpit by his co-pilot. Despite sustaining severe injuries, his quick thinking and extraordinary courage allowed him to alert air traffic control with hijack codes and unlock the cockpit door, enabling crew and passengers to overpower the attacker and safely land the plane with 174 lives saved.
Salman Khan took to his X handle to pen a direct message, stating, “Kamaal kar diya pilot ji, hum sab aap ko salute karte hain will be a pleasure to fly with u.. Well done bro.. Capt Smit Machchhar.”
Ranveer Singh hailed the pilot on his social media, sharing a picture of him and calling him “Captain courageous.”
Javed Akhtar the veteran lyricist and writer formally called for Captain Smit to be honoured with the Mahavir Chakra, India’s second-highest wartime gallantry award.
Shraddha Kapoor shared a powerful image of Lord Hanuman, writing, “More power to Captain Smit. Such outstanding examples of bravery keep the collective courage alive! Jai Hanuman.”
Sonam Kapoor expressed immense gratitude, a gesture that resonated heavily with fans since she famously portrayed real-life aviation hero Neerja Bhanot in the 2016 biographical film Neerja.
Anil Kapoor shared a deeply personal note, revealing that his business manager, Jalal, knew Smit from flying school and had always spoken of him as someone you’d want by your side in a crisis.
Dozens of other high-profile personalities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Vicky Kaushal, Sunny Deol, Kangana Ranaut, Raveena Tandon, R. Madhavan, and Vijay Deverakonda, have flooded social media with messages praising his presence of mind and wishing him a speedy recovery from his hospital ward.
