“A Wound That Will Never Heal”: Raveena Tandon, Zeenat Aman Mourn Victims of Ahmedabad Air India Crash
Days after the nation was left in shock by the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, a wave of grief continues to ripple across the country. Among those moved by the tragedy are veteran Bollywood actresses Raveena Tandon and Zeenat Aman, who expressed their sorrow and solidarity with the victims while travelling on Air India flights in recent days.
Raveena Tandon, 52, took to Instagram on Monday to share an emotional note after boarding an Air India flight, just days after the June 12 disaster that claimed 242 lives. In a heartfelt post accompanied by somber selfies from the aircraft cabin, she described the mood onboard:
“The atmosphere was solemn, and the crew’s welcoming smiles were tinted with sadness. The silent passengers and crew are bonding with unspoken condolences and subtle confidence. Condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones.”
Calling the catastrophe a “wound that will never heal,” Tandon extended her heartfelt support to the national carrier and its grieving staff, many of whom have lost colleagues and friends in the tragedy. Her words capture the quiet solidarity shared among passengers and crew, each carrying their weight of sadness but continuing with resilience.
Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London. The aircraft, carrying 242 souls on board—including two pilots and ten cabin crew—went down near the densely populated Meghaninagar area. All on board perished.
Among the deceased were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an experienced pilot with over 8,200 flight hours, assisted by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had logged 1,100 hours.
Veteran actress Zeenat Aman also shared her emotional response to flying with Air India in the aftermath of the tragedy. Over the weekend, she posted a deeply moving note on Instagram:
“Boarded an Air India flight this morning and found myself overwhelmed with emotion as I buckled my seat. May our collective grief offer some solace to those who lost their loved ones.”
The somber mood within the airline is palpable, reflected not just in the eyes of its crew but in the shared silence between strangers flying under the shadow of an unimaginable loss.
On the professional front, Raveena Tandon was last seen in Ghudchadi, a romantic drama directed by Binoy Gandhi, starring alongside Sanjay Dutt, Parth Samthaan, Khushalii Kumar, and Aruna Irani. She is next set to appear in Avinash Das’s upcoming film Inn Galiyon Mein.
But beyond the silver screen, both Raveena and Zeenat have reminded the nation that grief knows no boundaries—that in times of tragedy, empathy and unity become the most powerful scripts we can follow.
