In summary,
- Anubhav Sinha’s film “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” which is based on a 1999 hijacking, came under fire for the code names of the hijackers and a Netflix executive was called in.
- Netflix has changed the series’ opening disclaimer amid backlash.
Netflix has made changes to the opening credits of “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack” due to backlash regarding the way terrorists are portrayed in the web series. The true names of two hijackers, whose “Hindu” codenames provoked harsh criticism, will now appear in the amended credits.
“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 Monika Shergill, Vice-President, Content, in a statement made public on Tuesday. The series’ code names correspond to those that were in use at the time of the real incident.
Shergill stated that the series has not undergone any additional changes except from the disclaimer.
Shergill went on to say that the platform is committed to accurately portraying the veracity of their narratives.” India has a rich culture of storytelling, and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation,” she said.
Hours after she had discussed her position on the matter with representatives of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, she made the remark.
“IC 814,” a dramatized account of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, was directed by Anubhav Sinha. The airplane from Kathmandu, Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport to Delhi was taken over by five terrorists. Before the then-BJP-led government finally gave in to the demands and freed three prominent terrorists, the situation raged for seven days.
A segment of the spectators charged the filmmakers with ‘whitewashing terrorism’ since they omitted the terrorists’ true names. The terrorists in the show go by their codenames for the hijacking operation, which are “Chief,” “Doctor,” “Shankar,” “Bhola,” and “Burger.”
Their true names were Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir, according to official records. They belonged to the terrorist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), which is based in Pakistan.
The hashtag #BoycottNetflix became popular on social media as a result of several people complaining that ‘IC 814’ tries to denigrate the Hindu community by portraying the terrorists as Hindus.
Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Pankaj Kapur, Amrita Puri, Manoj Pahwa, Patralekhaa, Kumud Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, and Aravind Swamy are among the stars of “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.” Netflix is still offering the episodes to view.
Leave a Reply