The Netflix original docuseries ‘IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack’ has found itself in the midst of a controversy regarding the use of aliases for the hijackers. Anil Sharma, the head cabin crew of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814, has defended the use of the aliases ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’ employed by the director, Anubhav Sinha, in the series. Sharma asserts that these names were used by the hijackers themselves from the outset, stating, “They (the terrorists) had these names right from the beginning.” He questions the choice of these names, especially considering their association with Hindu deities, but acknowledges that “the issue is 24 years old, maybe they had some mischief in their minds.” He also highlights the fact that the other three hijackers had more neutral names.
Sharma has criticized the makers of the docuseries for not including a disclaimer about the real and code names earlier in the series. “Why couldn’t they do it earlier? Why is it that each time, there has to be an outcry about Hindu sentiments being hurt before collective action is taken? They could have done this in the beginning,” he stated. He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the inaccuracies in the portrayal of the crew members in the series, pointing out that even their names have been altered.
Following the controversy, Netflix India issued a statement on Tuesday announcing that the disclaimer of the web series has been updated to include both the real and code names of the hijackers. The series, based on the real-life hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, depicts the hijacking by the Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The controversy surrounding the series has sparked debate about the portrayal of sensitive events and the responsibility of filmmakers to be sensitive towards cultural and religious sentiments.
