IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: Controversy Erupts Over Hindu Names, Netizens React

Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s new web series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ faced huge criticism on social media for allegedly using Hindu names for two hijackers, involved in the 1999 incident. Critics argue that the filmmakers did so to hide the real identities of the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Casting director Mukesh Chhabra responded amid the backlash and claimed that hijackers used nicknames among themselves and that proper research was conducted. Many X users attacked the series with #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood, and #IC814 on the microblogging platform, after it started streaming on Netflix on August 29.

i am reading so many tweets about the names of the hijackers. We did the proper research. 🫶 They used to call each other by those names—nicknames or fake names, whatever you want to call them. 🫶❤️
And thank you, everyone, for loving the ensemble cast. A big thank you to my…

— Mukesh Chhabra CSA (@CastingChhabra) September 1, 2024

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Critics Accuse Director Of Concealing Hijackers Identities

‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ details the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 by 5 terrorists. Critics are slamming the series for allegedly changing the hijacker’s names to ‘Shankar and ‘Bhola’. Some accused Director Anubhav Sinha of concealing the identity of terrorists, while others labeled the series as propaganda. The filmmakers named the hijackers- Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar in the series. The series, features Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Manoj Pahwa, Pankaj Kapur, Kumud Mishra, Arvind Swamy, Patralekhaa and Dia Mirza accompanied by others.

Real Names Of The Terrorists

Five terrorists named Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, and Sayed Shakir hijacked Flight 814 on December 24, 1999. IC 814 depicts the real-life hijacking incident of 1999. Flight 814 was en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Before arriving in Kandahar in Afghanistan, the flight made a forced landing at several locations.

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