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IC-814 The Kandahar Hijack actor Rajiv Thakur says ‘I had no time to prep for my role’

Actor Rajiv Thakur talks about his turn as the antagonist in the show IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack.

Published on: Sep 4, 2024, 15:02:12 IST
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Actor-comedian Rajiv Thakur left viewers surprised with his recent role of the antagonist, named Chief, in filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack. While the web series gave him a chance to break out of his image as a comic, the raging controversy might just overshadow it all.

Rajiv Thakur
Rajiv Thakur

The series has been hit with allegations of distortion of facts about the real identities of the hijackers and has drawn criticism for naming the two terrorists Bhola and Shankar, instead of using their real names, while the other three are referred to as Chief, Doctor and Burger.

Also read: After uproar, Netflix to add disclaimer on real, code names in IC 814

Thakur admits that he didn’t get much time to prepare for his role and doesn’t “have much knowledge about the controversy”: “It was such a big show and I should have done some prep. When I met the other actors who played the hijackers, they had read books. I am thankful that Anubhav Sinha sir, the associate director and the writers explained my character to me. In the series, I was only associated with Vijay Varma (actor) and (the character) Doctor.”

Thakur, 40, who played the mastermind behind the 1999 hijacking, is certain that his work will be noticed: “When someone does good work, it can’t be buried. I’ve got such good reactions for my role. My friends and Insta followers are sending me messages. Some said I was unrecognisable.”

  • Rishabh Suri
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rishabh Suri

    Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More