Vijay Varma's 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' sparks intense debate

Netflix India’s Head of Content has been called into action following Vijay Varma’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack controversy.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s decision comes after creator of the series Anubhav Sinha was called out for distorting historical facts and modifying the names of hijackers involved in the original case.

Critics have been keeping up with the trend, prompting viewers to boycott the ‘propaganda’ series IC 814 with hashtags like #BoycottNetflix and #BoycottBollywood.

For the unversed, the 1999 hijack was executed by Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, and Shakir.

However, the series features altered names of the hijackers like ‘Shankar,' 'Bhola,' and titles such as 'Chief,' 'Doctor,' and 'Burger.'

The web series is an adaptation of the book Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story by Devi Sharan, the flight's captain, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury. 

It chronicles the journey of an aircraft that flew from Kathmandu to New Delhi with 191 passengers onboard.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack first premiered on August 29, starring Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, and Pankaj Kapur in lead roles.