Netflix IC 814 Hijack of Kandahar: Explained: Controversy surrounding Netflix’s ‘IC 814: Hijack of Kandahar’
Directed by Anubhav Sinha, ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ releases on Netflix on August 29.
New Delhi:
Netflix’s latest web series, ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ has sparked a controversy. The show, which is based on the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by terrorists, has been accused of distorting facts, whitewashing terrorism and hurting public sentiment. The uproar led to the Indian government summoning Netflix India’s head of content.
Incident: Hijacking of IC 814
Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 was hijacked on December 24, 1999. Five terrorists hijacked the plane with 154 passengers and crew on board 40 minutes after it took off from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu to Delhi. The hijackers, identified as members of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), diverted the plane to Kandahar, Afghanistan, then under the control of the Taliban.
The crisis lasted for eight days, during which the terrorists demanded the release of three high-profile militants: Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. The Indian government, under intense pressure to save the lives of the hostages, eventually agreed to release the militants. The then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh personally escorted the terrorists to Kandahar, a move that remains controversial to this day.
Series: IC 814: Kandahar Hijack
Directed by Anubhav Sinha, ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack’ releases on 29th August on Netflix. The series is a dramatization of heist incidents, with a star-studded cast including Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor. The Others series has gained significant attention not only for its portrayal of robberies but also for the controversy surrounding its representation of terrorists.
Controversy erupted soon after the series’ release, with social media users accusing the filmmakers of distorting the events surrounding the heist. The central issue revolves around the portrayal of terrorists. The series uses the names “Shankar” and “Bhola” for the hijackers, which some viewers have interpreted as an attempt to obscure the real identity of the terrorists and their ties to Islamic extremist groups.
On platforms like X (formerly Twitter), hashtags like #BoycottNetflix and #BoycottBollywood started trending, with users accusing filmmakers of rewriting history and trivializing the terror perpetrated by actual boycotters. Some social media users have claimed that the series is a “sincere attempt” to whitewash terrorism and stigmatize the Hindu community by giving Hindu names to the terrorists.
Amid the growing controversy, the Center has taken note of public outrage. According to sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has summoned Netflix India’s head of content, Monika Shergill, to address the issue.
Statement by Union Home Minister (January 6, 2000)
Dr. immediately after the robbery in 1999 The Union Home Minister issued a detailed statementReveals important information about the incident and the involvement of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). A Home Ministry statement said four ISI operatives who were an integral part of the hijackers’ support cell were arrested.
The statement clearly stated that the hijackers – Sunny Ahmed Kazi, Shakir alias Rajesh Gopal Verma, Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, Shaheed Akhtar Saeed and Ibrahim Athar used nicknames like Bhola, Shankar, Doctor and Burger to address each other inside the plane.
“These robbers were known to the passengers at the place robbed respectively as (1) Pradhan, (2) Doctor, (3) Burger, (4) Bhola and (5) Shankar, by which names the robbers always addressed one. The other,” read the government statement. .
Although the film sparked a controversy, it has been one of the most watched series on Netflix since its release.
