On December 24, 1999, the Indian Airlines Flight 814, known as IC 814, en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was hijacked and flown to several locations before landing in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, director Anubhav Sinha’s new series released on Netflix over the weekend, is being panned on social media, with many even demanding a boycott. The show is based on the the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by terrorists.
While critics have got good reviews, many are upset over what they called “whitewashing” of the events and the names of the terrorists “being changed”.
ALSO READ | ‘Boycott IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack’: Netizens Upset With Anubhav Sinha, Here’s Why
Here’s all you need to know about the hijacking, the show, the actual names of the terrorists according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Sinha’s reaction.
THE 1999 KANDAHAR HIJACKING
On December 24, 1999, the Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was hijacked and flown to several locations before landing in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The motive was to secure the release of Pakistani terrorists held in prison in India – Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. The hostage crisis, which lasted for seven days, ended after India agreed to release the three terrorists. The three have since been implicated in other terrorist actions, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.
Can we just simply #BoycottIC814, The Kandahar Hijack?These people are whitewashing in broad daylight. How this is even possible? https://t.co/FOVjaYB9ld
— Rigorous Tony (@rigorous_tony) August 31, 2024
THE NETFLIX SHOW
IC-814 The Kandahar Hijack features Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy and Dia Mirza. The series has been well-received by critics.
News18 Showsha gave the series a 3.5/5 rating and wrote, “IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack is a gripping series elevated by its stellar cast. The performances of Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Patralekhaa, Kumud Mishra, and Arvind Swami add layers of complexity to an already tense storyline, making it a must-watch for those interested in historical dramas and real-life events.”
Names of IC814 Hijackers changed to Shankar & Bhola by @anubhavsinhaThis is how Bollywood let the TERRORISTS WIN:#BoycottBollywood#IC814TheKandaharHijack
IC814 Names inHijackers Webseries pic.twitter.com/lv0xeVgIJu
— Stranger (@amarDgreat) September 1, 2024
THE CONTROVERSY
In the series, the terrorists have been named Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger and Chief. The series seemingly hinted that the terrorists had codenames.
However, the hijackers were Muslims from Pakistan. This has irked many, who have called it “whitewashing”.
Kandahar flight hijackers' original names:* Ibrahim Athar* Shahid Akhtar* Sunny Ahmed* Zahoor Mistry* Shakir
Anubhav Sinha hijacker web series IC 814 depicted as: * Bhola* Shankar
This is how whitewashing done cinematically pic.twitter.com/8WPzJqExNO
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) August 31, 2024
While one user called it “unacceptable”, another went to the extent of calling it “allowing the terrorists to win”.
THE OFFICIAL TRUTH
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the hijackers were Ibrahim Athar, Bahawalpur; Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Gulshan Iqbal, Karachi; Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Defence Area, Karachi; Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, Akhtar Colony, Karachi; Shakir, Sukkur city.
According to the MEA website, “…to the passengers, 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…”
हाईजैकिंग में ‘भोला’ और ‘शंकर’ का सच #IC814 एक अच्छा काम है. @anubhavsinha ने कुछ चीज़ें बेहद सफ़ाई से बताई हैं.इसमें हाईजैकर्स के नाम को लेकर कुछ लोग बवाल कर रहे हैं. कह रहे हैं कि उनका असली नाम क्यों नहीं इस्तेमाल किया गया? ‘भोला’ और ‘शंकर’ कहकर बुलाना हिन्दू धर्म का अपमान… pic.twitter.com/pxk8veO61e
— Dr. Arunesh Kumar Yadav (डॉ अरुणेश यादव) (@YadavArunesh) September 1, 2024
SINHA’s REACTION
While Sinha is yet to give a reaction, he reposted an explanation given by another user, Dr Arunesh Kumar Yadav, on X (above). The post read: “Some people are creating a ruckus over the names of the hijackers. They are asking why their real names were not used? Calling them ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’ is an insult to Hinduism. The truth is that the hijackers entered the plane with this name. His real name also appears at the end of the series. For your convenience, I am also attaching that part of the government release. There must also be intelligence in the opposition. Via @Siddhantmt”
