Anubhav Sinha admits he 'wasn't interested' in making 'IC 814'
After a gap of 27 years, award-winning filmmaker Anubhav Sinha is making a comeback to the small screen with the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The six-part thriller—featuring Naseeruddin Shah, and Vijay Varma—is based on the infamous 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight. The series, which marks Sinha's return to long-form storytelling, is set to premiere on August 29. Recently, Sinha opened up about his initial reluctance to create the series and the obstacles he encountered.
Sinha initially resisted making a series
Sinha, known for his socially relevant films like Article 15 and Thappad, was initially hesitant to create a series. "I was doing films, so I wasn't interested," he told Variety. However, a persuasive pitch from Netflix India's head of content Monika Shergill, and the project's extensive research convinced him to take on the challenge. The series is crafted by Sinha and Trishant Srivastava, with Sinha at the helm as director. The story comes from Adrian Levy and Srivastava.
Sinha credited research for deepening his understanding
Sinha credits the project's research for deepening his understanding of the hijacking. "When I got in, I thought I knew everything about it," he said. "But when the research started, and we had Adrian on board, it started opening up, not only within India but in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, in Washington, and everywhere. Then I realized that I didn't know anything about it. That became the driving force to dive in deeper and deeper."
Sinha and the team approached the series with meticulous planning
Sinha and his team approached the series with meticulous planning. "Ewan (Mulligan, the cinematographer alongside Ravi Kiran Ayyagari) asked me a very important question. He said, 'Anubhav, are we recreating what happened?' I said, 'No, the event is happening again. We are sending our cameras and crew back there in time,'" Sinha recalled. This decision led to a contemporary shooting style applied to period events.
Filming at Jordan Airport presented unique challenges
Filming at an airport in Jordan presented unique challenges due to its proximity to the Israeli border. "There were some surprise instructions at times that you cannot shoot in this direction right now, or you can't shoot for two hours," Sinha recalled. "For those two hours, we'd not know why because it was a very high-security area." Adapted from the book Flight Into Fear by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury—IC 814 offers a comprehensive look at the hijacking incident.
'IC 814' features an ensemble cast
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack features an ensemble cast including Kanwaljeet Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Dia Mirza, and Arvind Swami among others. Sinha credits casting director Mukesh Chhabra for assembling the group. "By the time we reached Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa and Aditya Srivastava, we thought we were done," Sinha said. "But then there were two more characters that were just bubbling, and then they became what they became."
