I&B Ministry summons Netflix amidst row over Anubhav Sinha's 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack': Report

Anubhav Sinha's web series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, featuring Vijay Varma in the lead role, has sparked a major debate after the hijackers were named 'Bhola' and 'Shankar' on the show. Now the streaming giant Netflix is facing scrutiny following the controversy.

In response to the concerns raised, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has summoned Netflix's content head to appear on Tuesday, September 3, to address the issue, as reported by ANI.

The series, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is based on the real-life hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, where terrorists hijacked the plane and demanded the release of militants in exchange for the passengers' safety. The actual hijackers were identified as Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir.

However, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has stirred controversy by depicting the terrorists with fictional names such as 'Bhola' and 'Shankar,' with one even referring to himself as 'Burger.' This deviation from historical facts has sparked considerable backlash on social media, with many viewers accusing the show of distorting reality and potentially misleading its audience.

On the other hand, the writer Neelesh Misra, who wrote the book that inspired 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack', had reacted to the backlash over the ‘changed’ names of the terrorists in the series.

Writer Neelesh Misra wrote on X, “Shankar” “Bhola” “Burger” “Doctor” and the “Chief”, the brother of then-jailed Masood Azhar himself. All the hijackers assumed false names. That is how they referred to each other and how the passengers referred to them throughout the hijacking" .The filmmaker Anubhav reshared the post.

The show also features Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Patralekhaa, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy, and others. It was premiered on the OTT platform on August 29.