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New Delhi: Netflix India has promised the Centre that future content will align with "national sentiments," according to sources. This commitment follows controversy surrounding its web series 'IC 814 Kandahar Hijack.'
The series, which revisits the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, has sparked significant backlash. This led to a meeting between the streaming service and the government lasting an hour.
Directed by Anubhav Sinha and released on August 29, the series depicts the hijackers with altered names such as "Bhola" and "Shankar," which are traditionally associated with Lord Shiva. This portrayal has been criticized for distorting historical facts and offending Hindu sentiments, as critics argue it misrepresents the terrorists' true identities. The release has also provoked heated debates on social media.
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya accused the filmmakers of promoting an agenda that whitewashes the crimes of Pakistani terrorists by assigning them Hindu names, misleading future generations. Conversely, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi have criticized the outrage as selective, pointing out inconsistencies in the demands for historical accuracy in cinema.
On social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), hashtags such as #BoycottNetflix and #BoycottBollywood have trended, with users accusing the filmmakers of rewriting history and minimizing the terror inflicted by the actual hijackers. However, a Union Home Ministry document released immediately after the 1999 hijacking clarifies the record.
The document states that the hijackers—Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Shakir (also known as Rajesh Gopal Verma), Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, and Ibrahim Athar—used nicknames like Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, and Burger to address each other on the plane. Meanwhile, actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film 'Emergency,' in which she plays former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and focuses on the 21-month emergency period from 1975 to 1977, is also facing scrutiny.