When Air India Flight AI-171 crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, 34-year-old filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala was nowhere near the passenger list. Yet he became one of the tragedy’s victims.
Mahesh was riding his scooter home after a meeting when the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghaninagar. Passing through the area at the time, he was caught in the devastating impact and fire that followed.
Family searched for him for nine painful days
As news of the crash spread, Mahesh’s family grew increasingly worried when he failed to return home. His phone became unreachable and repeated attempts to contact him went unanswered.
With no confirmation about his whereabouts, relatives desperately searched hospitals, hoping he had survived. Investigators later discovered his scooter near the crash site, while CCTV footage and mobile location records confirmed he had travelled through the area shortly before the aircraft crashed.
Because many victims were burnt beyond recognition, authorities relied on DNA testing for identification. For nine agonising days, the family waited between hope and heartbreak before forensic experts confirmed that the remains belonged to Mahesh.
The promise he could not keep — but still fulfilled
The tragedy was especially cruel because Mahesh had recently promised to take care of his family after his father suffered a heart attack.
Burdened by debts of nearly ₹15 lakh and living in a rented home, the family depended heavily on him. He had assured his father that he would clear their debts and buy a house before Diwali.
Following the crash, compensation received from Air India, the Tata Group and the Gujarat government helped the family repay their debts and purchase a two-bedroom flat in Naroda.
Today, his parents live in that home — the very dream Mahesh had hoped to fulfil himself.
A son remembered every day
“My son fulfilled his promise even after his death,” his father Girdharbhai said.
Nearly a year after the Ahmedabad air disaster, Mahesh is remembered not only as a filmmaker, but as a son whose love and responsibility continue to shelter his family long after he is gone