IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is a Netflix six-episode mini-series created by Anubhav Sinha that features an ensemble cast of some of the best actors in the field. For the unaware, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is based on the real-life hijacking of the Indian Airlines Kathmandu-New Delhi flight IC-814 in 1999 by a group of Islamist terrorists and taken to Kandahar in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan for about eight days. While the hijacking is seen as a black spot in Indian aviation as well as for the politics of India, the Netflix series tries its best to be true to the events, which, of course, means there is always a chance for it to court controversy. Which is what is happening on X for the show. ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ Review: Anubhav Sinha’s Netflix Series Uses Its Brilliant Cast To Give a Gripping Reality Check.

Some netizens are annoyed that two of the terrorists on the show are named 'Bhola' and 'Shankar'. They feel that Anubhav Sinha, known for making hard-hitting dramas but controversial on social vices like Mulk, Article 15, Thappad and Anek, is playing with the sentiments of people in India by naming the terrorists after two names of Lord Shiva.

They are even trending #BoycottNetflix on X to make their ire heard.

See Some of The Reactions on 'IC 814':

'Whitewashing'

'Boycott Netflix'

'In Movie'?

'Hinduphobic Film'?

'Uninstalled Netflix'

It certainly looks like some netizens aren't even aware that IC 814 is actually a series and not a movie and are just jumping on the bandwagon of boycotting the show that they aren't going to watch anyway.

So what's the truth? Did Anubhav Sinha really give two of the IC 814 terrorists Hindu names? Find out what happened!

The Real Names of IC 814 Terrorists and Their Code-Names

So, if you have seen the Netflix series, you would know that there is hardly any doubt that the five terrorists on board the plane are Islamist terrorists from Pakistan. While the show takes liberties at changing the real names - which is beneficial for the characters based out of India to protect the identities of the victims and also to avoid showing some of our real-life politicians and administrators in a poor light, it has also proved a double-edged sword for Anubhav Sinha's series as well. Save for the brother of the released terrorist Masood Azhar, the show doesn't offer much details about the other hijackers. ‘IC 814–The Kandahar Hijack’ Review: Critics Praise Netflix Series Starring Vijay Varma for ‘Top-Notch Performances’ and ‘Gripping Narrative’.

Even the end credits name the hijackers by what they call each other, or the hijacked passengers call them, as you can see below.

Cast Names in the End-Credits of IC 814

However, 'Bhola' and 'Shankar' are not names that Anubhav Sinha and his writing team have plucked out of thin air. IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has been reportedly inspired by the book Flight Into Fear, written by Srinjoy Chowdhary and Captain Devi Sharan. The latter was the pilot of the real-life IC 814. He was named Sharan Dev in the series and played by Vijay Varma.

The book itself confirms that the hijackers used false names to fool the passengers into not identifying them. They are exactly the names the show had given them as well—Chief (played by Rajiv Thakur), Doctor (played by Harminder Singh), Burger (played by Diljohn), Bhola (played by Kunal Chopra), and Shankar (played by Kamal Batra). In the series, Chief, Doctor, and Burger had comparatively bigger roles, while Bhola and Shankar had minor parts.

The actual hijackers' names were Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim and Shakir. Shakir also had a 'Hindu' name as Rajesh Gopal Verma.

Even the Ministry of External Affairs' website confirmed that the hijackers used these nicknames, as mentioned in the then Union Home Minister's Statement uploaded on the site. A screenshot for the same has been pasted below for your perusal.

MEA Statement on the Hijackers

That said, Anubhav Sinha could have played safe for the expected outrage against the show and named these terrorists by their actual names during the epilogue when IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack narrates the tragic consequences of what happened when the Indian government had to reluctantly let go of three incarcerated terrorists - Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar - as per the hijackers' demand and end the eight-day ordeal for the passengers of IC 814.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, streaming now on Netflix, stars Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Arvind Swami, Kanwaljeet Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, Aditya Shrivastav, Amrita Puri, Anupam Tripathi, Yashpal Sharma, Sushant Singh, Patralekhaa Paul and Rajiv Thakur.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 01, 2024 02:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).