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IC 814 Controversy: Amid the heated controversy surrounding ‘IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack’, which used ‘Hindu’ codenames for the terrorists, two survivors have weighed in on the ongoing debate. They have confirmed the accuracy of the codenames featured in the series for the terrorists, who hijacked Flight 814 en route from Kathmandu to Delhi in 1999.
While they validate the Hindu codenames ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’ in an exclusive interview with India Today TV, one survivor revealed that the Netflix Series overlooked key internal events and focused more on the political angle. The survivor alleged that the series focused more on addressing the discussions between the hijackers and the Indian government. According to the Report, one of the two survivors revealed he chose not to watch the Netflix show because he didn’t want to relive the horrifying ordeal once again.
Reflecting on the harrowing chapter of history, one survivor displayed memorabilia from the hijacked flight 814- a Shawl signed by Terrorist Burger with a message, “To my dearest sister and her handsome husband, Burger – 30/12/99.” The survivor showed other significant items as well like tickets, boarding passes, a can of Pakistani Pepsi, toothpaste, and a cigarette holder.
Social media users attacked the series ‘The Kandahar Hijack’ with hashtags #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood, and #IC814 on the microblogging platform X, after it started streaming on Netflix on August 29. Some users alleged the filmmakers of deliberately using Hindu names for two hijackers, involved in the 1999 incident. Critics argue that the filmmakers wanted to hide the real identities of the terrorists and regarded it as a ‘propaganda’ film. Amid the controversy, Monika Shergill, Netflix India’s content chief was called to appear before the government on September 3.
Netflix Series ‘IC814’ row | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting meets today. Netflix’s content head to meet Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The meeting will be held at the Shastri Bhawan: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2024
It is reasonable to say that controversy surrounding the ‘Hindu’ codenames in the series has been significantly clarified by the survivors themselves. By validating the Hindu codenames as accurate in the series, the survivors have put an end to the online debate to some extent. However, this development calls out responsible handling of sensitive topics in the upcoming series or films.
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