The web series sparked controversy as viewers criticized its sympathetic portrayal of terrorists and the use of Hindu names instead of the real one.
On Tuesday, Netflix India made a public announcement stating they’ve now included the real names and also the code names of the hijackers involved in the dramatised Indian Airlines plane hijacking incident. This decision was taken following the pressure from the government for their web series titled ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack’.
The OTT series stirred up discord as a section of the audience expressed unease over the show empathizing with terrorists and the use of Hindu aliases for them. Critics highlighted that such misrepresentation of the hijackers’ true identities amounted to history distortion. In response to this, Sanjay Jaju, the Information and Broadcasting Secretary, communicated the government’s stern disapproval of specific parts of the series, directing his concerns to Monika Shergill, who leads content at Netflix India.
“For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers,” stated Vice President Shergill at Netflix India. He then assured that the content emphasised on the fact that India is a treasure trove of varied storytelling traditions. It also brought attention to their commitment to depict these stories with the utmost precision and genuineness. On September 3, the content lead at Netflix was summoned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with the purpose of addressing the criticism that had erupted around a particular series.
What Exactly is the controversy in IC814: The Kandahar Hijack?
Numerous X/Twitter users voiced their disapproval on social media platforms through hashtags like #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood, and #IC814. Their concern lies in the reported name shift done by the movie’s creators. They switched the hijackers’ names to ‘Shankar’ and ‘Bhola’, an alteration perceived as a means to protect terrorists belonging to a particular community.
Helmed by Anubhav Sinha’s the show is, based on the dramatic hijacking of Indian Airlines IC-814 by five terrorists post take-off from Kathmandu on December 24th, 1999, sparked quite a buzz when it first aired on Netflix on August 29th. The show has since turned into a hot topic, sparking a mix of responses from political figures. However, not everyone was a fan. Some viewers expressed their displeasure online, accusing Sinha of tweaking the truth and labeling his work as nothing more than propaganda.
On the Christmas Eve of 1999, a terrifying incident unfolded when IC-814, midway in its journey from Kathmandu to Delhi, fell into the hands of five extremists. These individuals, known by names as Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, and Sayed Shakir, unfurled a reign of terror on the unsuspecting passengers.
For eight long days, 154 hostages comprising passengers and crew members held their breath in captivity. The suspense finally lifted with the liberation of the terrorists – Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar. These notorious figures were served their freedom on a silver platter, airlifted to Kandahar on an aircraft under the supervision of none other than the former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh.