The ministry of information and broadcasting has summoned Netflix’s content head for September 3 over the backlash surrounding the series ‘IC-814 -- The Kandahar Hijack,’ which has angered many on social media.
Using hashtags #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood and #IC814, many X users shared posts claiming the makers changed the names of the hijackers to 'Shankar' and 'Bhola' to allegedly protect the terrorists who belonged to a certain community.
However, casting director Mukesh Chhabra said on Sunday that the perpetrators used nicknames among themselves and that extensive research was carried out for the show.
The series directed by Anubhav Sinha is based on the December 24, 1999 hijacking of an Indian aircraft by five terrorists, which happened just 40 minutes after the plane took off from Kathmandu.
It began streaming on Netflix on August 29 and has surrounded the controversy following which many political leaders have also reacted.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took to X (formerly Twitter) on September 1, saying, “It’s really amusing to see the people who took movies like Kashmir Files as the gospel truth having a meltdown at the way the events of IC814 are depicted in the Netflix show. Now suddenly they want accuracy & nuance packaged in the script.”
Netizens have accused Anubhav Sinha of deliberately distorting the facts and labeled his work as “propaganda.”
{{/usCountry}}Netizens have accused Anubhav Sinha of deliberately distorting the facts and labeled his work as “propaganda.”
{{/usCountry}}" [I]t’s a vile attempt to rewrite history, downplay the terror inflicted by the actual hijackers, and subtly glorify their actions. By reducing the tragedy of IC 814 to a farcical narrative, Sinha has shown where his loyalties lie—not with the victims or the truth, but with an insidious agenda that seeks to whitewash the brutality of terrorism and vilify the Hindu community," a user wrote on X.
"Names of IC814 Hijackers changed to Shankar & Bhola by @anubhavsinha. This is how Bollywood let the TERRORISTS WIN: #BoycottBollywood #IC814TheKandaharHijack," wrote another.
"IC 814 Terrorists names - Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. In Movie - Shankar & Bhola!" read a post.
“I am reading so many tweets about the names of the hijackers. We did the proper research. They used to call each other by those names—nicknames or fake names, whatever you want to call them,” he wrote on X.
“And thank you, everyone, for loving the ensemble cast. A big thank you to my team, and especially to Anubhav Sinha for trusting us and giving me the freedom to explore. #IC814 #Netflix,” he added.
On December 24, 1999, five terrorists—Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, and Sayed Shakir—hijacked IC-814 during its flight from Kathmandu to Delhi.
At least 154 passengers and crew were held hostage for eight days. The standoff ended when hardcore terrorists Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar were released. Then external affairs minister Jaswant Singh transported them on a special plane to Kandahar.
‘The series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ boasts a star-studded cast, including Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Arvind Swamy, Dia Mirza, and Patralekhaa, among others.
The series is inspired by the book 'Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story,' authored by Devi Sharan, the flight's captain, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.
With PTI inputs