NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has summoned the content head of OTT platform Netflix seeking an explanation over controversy of depicting hijackers in the series IC-814 – The Kandahar Hijack.
The web series starring Vijay Varma, is an account of the harrowing experiences of hundreds of passengers in the Indian Airlines flight that hijacked in 1999 and was diverted to multiple locations before ending up in Taliban-controlled Kandahar in Afghanistan.
The series has been accused of distorting facts and contentious depiction of characters. The series based on the infamous hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, is being streamed on Netflix.
The series came under serious scrutiny after criticisms surfaced of the makers deliberately changing the names of the hijackers, associated with the Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, to ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’ which are Hindu names.
“In the name of creativity, no one can play with the sentiments of the country,” said officials.
“No one should play with the sentiments of the country, sentiments should be respected. We are not that liberal. Films should be produced but no institution in the country should be abused or god be given a name. Our cultural values shouldn’t be taken for granted. It is serious,” said a representative of the ministry.
He further indicated that the OTT platform might be suggested to make changes. “OTT doesn’t come under censorship but the series is under scrutiny. Let’s see what they say,” he added.
One of the reasons for the uproar was the names of five hijackers. In the show directed by Anubhav Sinha, they are referred to as Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola and Shankar. The controversy started as several social media users pointed out the Hindu names of the hijackers - ‘Bhola and Shankar’ - while they were all Muslims. Many also objected to the ‘humane’ side of the perpetrators.
In one episode, one of the hijackers named ‘Burger’ was seen telling the air hostess to take care of herself. People were also agitated as the hijackers and hostages in the plane were shown playing Antakshari.
Criticising the filmmaker for not revealing the true identity of the hijackers, the Chief of the Information and Technology (IT) department of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Amit Malviya said the hijackers of IC-814 were dreaded terrorists, who acquired aliases to hide their Muslim identities.
"Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, legitimised their criminal intent, by furthering their non-Muslim names. Decades later, people will think Hindus highjacked IC-814," Malviya posted on X.
"Left's agenda to whitewash the crimes of Pakistani terrorists, all Muslims, served. This is the power of cinema, which the Communists have been using aggressively, since the 70s. Perhaps even earlier. This will not just weaken / put in question India's security apparatus in the long run, but also shift the blame away from the religious cohort, that is responsible for all the bloodshed," Malviya said.
Responding to the controversy, casting director Mukesh Chhabra said that the perpetrators had used nicknames among themselves and that extensive research was carried out for the series.
The Vice President of National Conference and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, had drawn an analogy between the Netflix series and The Kashmir Files, a film based on the mass exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the valley.
“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,” he posted.
The series is a book adaption of ‘Flight into Fear: The Captain’s Story’ written by journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury and the captain of the hijacked flight, Devi Sharan.