'IC 814'—Will be sensitive to nation's sentiments, Netflix promises Centre
Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, the streaming platform's content head, Monika Shergill, was summoned by the government recently. Shergill is meeting with the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday to discuss these issues, reported ANI. The move comes in response to concerns raised by authorities about the show's depiction of hijackers, which they believe could potentially offend national sentiments.
The meeting is underway at Shastri Bhawan
The meeting is being held at Shastri Bhawan to address certain contentious aspects of the web series, which is based on the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814. According to ANI, Shergill has assured the government that "all future content on their platform will be sensitive to and in accordance with the nation's sentiments."
'No one has right to play with people's sentiments'
When asked about the reason for summoning Netflix's content head, government sources told ANI, "Nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the people of this nation. India's culture and civilization should always be respected. You should think before portraying something in a wrong manner." They further emphasized that the government is taking this matter very seriously.
Netflix team presents research documents, footage at meeting
The Netflix team has reportedly brought research documents and footage to the meeting for reference. They plan to argue that the series is based on publicly available resources, including information from books and government statements. The show is based on the book Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story by Devi Sharan, who was the flight's captain, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.
Netflix series faces backlash for 'humane' portrayal of hijackers
The Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has sparked a row on social media, with some viewers criticizing its "humane" depiction of the hijackers. The controversy erupted when netizens accused the show of concealing the true identities of the terrorists involved in the 1999 hijacking. Using hashtags like #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood, and #IC814, several X/Twitter users slammed the series for allegedly changing the hijackers' names to 'Shankar' and 'Bhola.'
'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' started streaming on August 29
The series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack features an ensemble cast that includes Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Arvind Swamy, Dia Mirza, and Patralekhaa. The series is directed by Anubhav Sinha and started streaming on Netflix on August 29. In response to the controversy, show casting director Mukesh Chhabra claimed that the perpetrators used nicknames for each other and proper research was done for the show.
