Netflix IC814 Series: Netflix made changes to the controversial series IC 814- The Kandahar Hijack on Tuesday, September 3. Now the real and code names of the hijackers will be visible in the opening disclaimer of the series.
Actually, there was a controversy over the Hindu names of terrorists in IC 814- The Kandahar Hijack and there was a demand to ban it. On this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sent a notice to Netflix and sought clarification. After this, Netflix’s India content head Monica Shergill reached the ministry today.
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The names of the terrorists in the series are ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’
In the series, the terrorists who hijacked the Indian Airlines flight were seen using code names like Burger, Chief, Shankar and Bhola instead of their real names during the entire incident. People on social media objected to the Hindu names of the hijackers in ‘IC 814’. It was alleged that this is an attempt to hide the real names of the terrorists. The IC 814 series was released on Netflix on August 29.
Netflix said – we showed only those names which were there
In an official statement, Netflix said, ‘We will include the real and code names of the hijackers in the opening disclaimer of the series for the audience. Right now the code names in the series are the names used during the real incident. We are committed to the original representation of every story.’
The ministry had said, ‘No one has the right to hurt the sentiments of Indians.’
The ministry said on September 2, ‘No one has the right to hurt the sentiments of the people of the country. Respect for India’s culture and civilization is always paramount. You should think before showing anything in a wrong way. The government is very strict about this.’
Controversy over the series, 3 points
1. Petition for ban in High Court
On Monday, a PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court demanding a ban on the OTT series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’. The petitioner accused the filmmaker of distorting facts. This petition has been filed by Surjeet Singh Yadav, president of Hindu Sena.
2. Hindu names of terrorists
Surjit Singh said that the series shows the Hindu names of the terrorists, which include other names of Lord Shiva ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’, while their real names were something else. The petition states that this has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. The names of the hijackers were Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar, Sunny Ahmed, Zahoor Mistry and Shakir, but in the webseries their names have been changed to Bhola, Shankar, Chief, Doctor and Burger.
3. BJP said – Leftist agenda to hide wrongdoings
After the release of the series, recently BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya had objected to its content. He said on the social media platform X that director Anubhav Sinha resorted to the agenda of the leftists to hide the wrongdoings. The hijackers of IC 814 were dreaded terrorists. They had adopted fictitious names to hide their Muslim identity.
What is the story of the series?
The story of this series is based on the true incident of 24 December 1999. When five terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 while flying from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport to New Delhi. In which 176 passengers were traveling.
The terrorists take the plane to Kandahar via Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai. The passengers were held hostage for seven days. What happens to the passengers inside the plane during this time. What happens to their families. What conditions are put before the government to release these passengers. All this is shown in this series.
Netflix IC814 Series: The story is taken from the book Flight into Fear
The story of this series is taken from the book ‘Flight into Fear – The Captain’s Story’ by senior journalist Srinjoy Chaudhary and Devi Sharan. The director of the series is Anubhav Sinha. Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Vijay Verma, Dia Mirza, Patralekha, Arvind Swami and Kumud Mishra have played Lead roles in this 6-episode series.
OTT Review – IC814 The Kandahar Hijack: Gripping story, stellar performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Verma, and Pankaj Kapoor, but lacks some real facts
The story of this series is based on a true incident of 24 December 1999. When five terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 while flying from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport to New Delhi. In which 176 passengers were travelling.
The terrorists take the plane to Kandahar via Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai. The passengers were held hostage for seven days. What happens to the passengers inside the plane during this time. What happens to their families. What conditions are put before the government to release these passengers. How the government is forced to accept the conditions of the terrorists. All this is shown in this series.
How is the acting of the star cast?
The series has amazing performances by veteran actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Arvind Swami, Kumud Mishra, Divyendu Bhattacharya. Vijay Verma’s style is amazing in this series. He has acted brilliantly in the role of a pilot, while Patralekha has looked amazing in the role of an airhostess. Dia Mirza has played the role of an editor. Her chemistry with Amrita Puri, who plays a sharp journalist, is very good.
How is the direction?
This series is based on a true incident. Everyone knows what happened during the Kandahar hijack. Still, director Anubhav Sinha has presented this series in such a way that even after decades, the curiosity to know what happened next and how remains. Anubhav Sinha has been completely successful in making the series tight. He takes the audience to such a thrilling world that the audience is forced to watch this series till the end. One thing that is a bit disturbing in this series is that the interference of the United Nations on the release of foreign passengers has not been shown.
How is the music of the series?
There is no scope for songs in this series. So, you cannot expect any songs. But the background of the series is good. The background matches the story.
Final Verdict, Watch or Not?
Based on a true incident, the story and strong characters of this series take the audience into a world of adventure. This series is worth binge watching.
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