The government on Monday summoned the content head of Netflix India to Delhi amid online backlash over the streaming platform’s series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’, top sources told India Today.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill to appear before it on Tuesday, September 2, to offer an explanation on the allegedly contentious aspects of the web series.
‘IC 814’, which dramatises the infamous 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 by Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, sparked controversy on social media for allegedly altering the names of two hijackers to Hindu names.
Based on the real-life hijacking, the show chronicles the harrowing experience of hundreds of passengers and the challenges faced by the government as the flight was diverted to multiple locations before ending up in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The hijackers in the series are depicted with the codenames Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar. However, the use of the names Bhola and Shankar drew criticism, with some accusing the filmmakers of deliberately choosing Hindu names, thereby misrepresenting the facts and potentially inciting religious tensions.
The controversy ignited a heated debate online, with critics targeting the series’ director, Anubhav Sinha, for allegedly distorting facts.
The series is adapted from the book ‘Flight into Fear: The Captain’s Story’, written by journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury and Devi Sharan, the captain of the hijacked flight.
Starring Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Arvind Swami, Anupam Tripathi, Dia Mirza, Patralekhaa, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Kumud Mishra in key roles, ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ is under intense scrutiny as viewers and critics alike weigh in on the portrayal of one of India’s most alarming aviation crises.