'IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack' controversy: Why are netizens demanding ban on Vijay Varma's series?

The Anubhav Sinha-directed series 'IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack' sheds light on the terrible events surrounding the terrorist hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1999.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack was published this weekend, and it has sparked criticism from a segment of social media users. The Anubhav Sinha-directed series sheds light on the terrible events surrounding the terrorist hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1999. While critics complimented the performances, several netizens accused the show of 'whitewashing' the events. They are also outraged because the terrorists' names have been changed. The hijackers were reportedly identified as Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny, Ahmad Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir. In the series, the terrorists are known as Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief. The series implied that the terrorists had codenames.

Netizens reaction

Writer Neelesh Misra reacts to name change

Writer Neelesh Misra, who wrote the book that inspired Netflix's 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack', has responded to criticism over the terrorists' 'changing' names in the series. For those unfamiliar, the series depicts the events that unfolded during the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in December 1999. Social online users criticized the makers for changing the hijackers' names. However, the article explained that hijackers used different aliases in real life.

According to sources, the hijackers were called Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny, Ahmad Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir. In the series, the hijackers went by the names Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief. Writer Neelesh Misra, who wrote the book, has clarified.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack cast

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has an all-star cast. These individuals include Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy, and Dia Mirza.