Boycott Bollywood: Controversy Surrounds Anubhav Sinha’s Latest Web Series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Story’
Boycott Bollywood: IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Story is the latest web series by Anubhav Sinha released on Netflix on August 29, 2024. No sooner did the web series dramatize the real-life hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight – 814 in December 1999-than it became a subject of debate on social media platforms. The hijackers were shown using Hindu-sounding codenames; social media erupted with outrage and Boycott Bollywood calls.
The Story Behind Kandahar Hijack Web Series
The IC 814 series comes alive with one of the most infamous incidents in Indian aviation history. On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines Flight 814 operating from Kathmandu, Nepal to New Delhi, was hijacked just a few minutes after it took off. The aircraft was hijacked by five armed terrorists, who forcibly made it land in various places, including Amritsar in India, Lahore in Pakistan, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and finally Kandahar in Afghanistan, then under Taliban rule.
The hijackers were from the Pakistan-based fundamentalist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and had a spate of demands, such as the freeing of 36 militants in jail in India, a cash ransom of $200 million, and the body of a dead terrorist. The Indian government finally relented to their demands and decided to free three top terrorists-Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar-to obtain the safe release of the hostages after days of anxious negotiations.
Names of IC814 Hijackers changed to Shankar & Bhola by @anubhavsinha
This is how Bollywood let the TERRORISTS WIN:#BoycottBollywood#IC814TheKandaharHijack
IC814 Names in
Hijackers Webseries pic.twitter.com/lv0xeVgIJu— Stranger (@amarDgreat) September 1, 2024
What’s the IC 814 Row About? The web series has run into controversy over the names that have been used for naming hijackers. In the web series-IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Story, the names of the hijackers are Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar. Netizens were quick to point out that Bhola and Shankar were names essentially of Hindu origin. It culminated in an accusation against them of having deliberately used Hindu names for the hijackers in their film-a misrepresentation of facts and a stirring of religious sentiments by many.
People were soon outraged, and it became a movement of sorts on social media to Boycott Bollywood for what they termed a deliberate and insensitive portrayal. The issue got serious, with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting summoning Netflix’s Content Head for questioning.
Reality Behind the Names
However, investigations into the matter revealed that the names used in the series were neither randomly picked nor altered to add drama. Apparently, Bhola and Shankar were the code words that the hijackers used for identification during the hijacking. The Union Home Ministry had, in January 2000, announced a list of real names of hijackers who were Pakistanis. These codenames were the names by which the hijackers called their accomplices during hijacking, and it was not manufactured by filmmakers.
Their names were Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter and Sayed Shakir. Of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen cadre, they staged the hijacking to press for the release of militants jailed in India.
Impact of the Controversy: Boycott Bollywood
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Story, mired in controversy, has brought fresh focus on the 1999 hijacking-an event that had seared its presence into the nation’s collective memory. But it has also retriggered the endless debate on the depiction of sensitive issues by Bollywood and the responsibility of filmmakers in shaping public perception.
The Bollywood critics, who extend their opposition to the Boycott Bollywood movement, feel that the film fraternity has a greater responsibility to depict history in the proper and respectful manner. The Moto is that filmmakers must tread with caution while handling subjects which could spark off communal conflagration or hurt religious sentiments.
On the other hand, the protagonists of the web series point out that the controversy has been blown out of proportion and also the filmmakers were narrating the story as it happened without any attempt or intention to distort facts. They say the series is inspired by the book titled Flight Into Fear: The Captain’s Story inked by journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury and Devi Sharan, who was the captain of the IC 814 flight.
Conclusion
While the controversy keeps on unraveling, it remains to be seen whether the web series will fall flat on its face as an outcome of all the stir. Whether this would amount to a mass-scale backlash against Bollywood or it would just turn out to be another social media storm that blows away with time, is something only time can tell. What is certain, however, is that the web series of IC 814 has struck a raw note with the audience, for better or worse, and once again underlined the thin line that filmmakers must tread while narrating true-life events.
For now, the call to Boycott Bollywood seems to continue unabated, with a section feeling that the hijackers in the series have been portrayed crudely. Whether this will start a full-fledged movement against the industry or whether this will be just another flare-up in the continuing battle of culture combat remains to be seen in the days to come.
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