The Netflix docuseries IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is facing criticism from social media users over its portrayal of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814. The series, based on real events, dramatises the hijacking by the Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
The controversy stems from the decision to use aliases such as ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’ for the terrorists involved, rather than their real names.
In response to the backlash, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting summoned a Netflix content head on Monday.
BJP leader Amit Malviya took to X to express discontent with Anubhav Sinha using the aliases over the real names of the terrorists. “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. Result? Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-814,” the BJP leader wrote.
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.
The Union home minister's statement, published on January 6, 2006, confirms the aliases used by the terrorists. “To the passengers of the hijacked place these hijackers came to be known respectively as (1) Chief, (2) Doctor, (3) Burger, (4) Bhola and (5) Shankar, the names by which the hijackers invariably addressed one another,” the press release read.
On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines Flight 814, an Airbus A300 en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, was hijacked by five masked men shortly after entering Indian airspace. The aircraft was diverted to Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai, and finally to Kandahar in Afghanistan, which was under Taliban control.
In Dubai, the hijackers released 27 passengers but fatally injured one and wounded several others. The Taliban surrounded the plane to prevent an Indian military intervention, while ISI officers were found on the ground, indicating possible Pakistani support. Then chief negotiator Ajit Doval had confirmed this arrangement after he and his team landed in Afghanistan's Kandahar.
The hijacking aimed to secure the release of three Pakistani terrorists—Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. After a seven-day standoff, India agreed to release the terrorists, who have since been linked to various other terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack features a stellar cast, including Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Arvind Swamy, Dia Mirza, and Patralekhaa. The series draws inspiration from Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story, a book co-authored by Devi Sharan, the captain of the hijacked flight, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.
