IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack | |
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![]() Promotional release poster | |
Genre | Thriller Drama |
Created by | Anubhav Sinha Trishant Srivastava |
Based on | Flight Into Fear The Captain's Story by Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury |
Written by |
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Directed by | Anubhav Sinha |
Starring | |
Composers | Alex Lamy Richard Harvey |
Country of origin | India |
Original language | Hindi |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Producers | Sarita Patil Sanjay Routray Anubhav Sinha |
Cinematography | Ewan Mulligan Ravi Kiran Ayyagari |
Editor | Amarjit Singh |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 28-46 mins |
Production companies | Matchbox Shots Benaras Mediaworks |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | 29 August 2024 |
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller drama television mini series about the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999. It is directed by Anubhav Sinha and written by Adrian Levy and Trishant Srivastava. [1] Produced by Sarita Patil and Sanjay Routray under Matchbox Shots and Benaras Mediaworks, it stars an ensemble cast led by Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza and Arvind Swamy. [2] [3]
The series premiered globally on Netflix on 29 August 2024. [4]
It is adapted from the book Flight Into Fear by Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury. [5] In December 2023, A series on Amazon Prime Video was canceled due to Tandav controversy. [6] [7]
In February 2024, The series was announced on Netflix. [8] The trailer of this series was released on 19 August 2024. [9]
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated that "Authentic and to the point, Vijay Varma starrer is as good a web series as any we have seen this year" [10] Shubham Kulkarni of OTT Play gave the series 4/5 stars and stated "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack doesn't forcefully create a hero and Anubhav Sinha wins exactly there when he honours each being who managed to save even themselves." [11] Divya Raje Bhonsale of Mathrubhumi rated the series 4/5 stars and states "A gripping Netflix series based on the 1999 Kandahar hijack, 'IC 814' features an impressive ensemble cast and a razor-sharp script. Must-watch for fans of historical dramas." [12] A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the web series 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "On the whole, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack sees the coming together of some of the most talented names of Indian cinema and also throws light on the shocking aspects of the 1999 hijack episode. Due to the taut execution, strong script and of course the ensemble cast, the show is sure to get a huge viewership." [13]
Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated the series 3.5 stars out of 5 stars and notes "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack begins by asking why the hijack lasted seven days and ends in wondering if the good guys fought the bad ones hard enough." [14] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the series 3/5 stars and notes "The Vijay Varma-Naseeruddin Shah-Pankaj Kapur show keeps it grounded, even when it’s in the air, and manages to distribute the tension evenly throughout." [15] Shreyas Pande from Cinema Express rated the series 2.5 stars out of 5 stars and states "It’s a new leap here, as he (Anubhav Sinha) makes his web series debut and largely creates an engaging experience by showing nearly all that transpired during the dreadful hijack. Yet, something seems amiss. As the credits roll, you know certain information and it is just about enough to leave you curious. Nothing more, nothing less." [16] Devansh Sharma of Hindustan Times notes "But in his (Anubhav Sinha) debut web series, he pulls off the Herculean task of telling a historical hijack story through a holistic, accurate, and non-judgemental lens." [17] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu notes "Anubhav Sinha recreates the story of the longest hijack in Indian aviation history with precision, fairness and a touch of humanity." [18]
Vir Sanghvi, a veteran journalist, slammed the filmmakers for being naive and misleading, suggesting that the series offers a whitewashed portrayal of an ISI operation while failing to accurately represent the threat posed by the hijackers. [19]
The series has been criticized for changing the Pakistani terrorists real names to code names and Hindu names. [20] The identities of the five hijackers were determined to be Ibrahim Akhtar (from Bahawalpur), Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qaz i, Zahoor Mistry (all three from Karachi) and Shakir (from Sukkur). [21] However, the series used their code names like Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief. [20] This decision has led to accusations that the series downplays the identities of the terrorists, which some viewers argue dilutes the historical context and impact of the real events. [20] Historian and Journalist Hindol Sengupta called the film “pathetic” for what he sees as its glorification of terrorists. He added that the series doesn't acknowledge the long-term impact of the terrorists released during the hijacking, diminishing the severity of the real-life events. [19]
Journalist Neelesh Mishra, who has written a book on the hijacking, said "All the hijackers assumed false names. That is how they referred to each other and how the passengers referred to them throughout the hijacking". [19]
Pooja Kataria, one of the survivors of IC814 hijack who was returning from her honeymoon in Kathmandu, said that the controversy over the show is unnecessary. [22] She said "I have seen it. The controversy which is going on is needless. There is nothing like this, true event has been depicted and they (hijackers) had code names and they used to call each other using those names." [22] She recalled that one of the hijacker with code name Burger gave her a shawl for her birthday, had conversations with the passengers and played Antakshari game during the hijacking. [22]
Following the public uproar, India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the content chief of Netflix India to appear before it and offer an explanation about the allegedly contentious aspects of the web series. [23] Netflix responded by saying it would add new opening disclaimers to include the real and code names of the hijackers. [24] However, some viewers outside India reported that this disclaimer was missing in version shown outside of India and was only present in the Indian version of it. [25]
Several experts, high-ranking officers, senior journalists and the crew of the flight, including the former RAW chief A.S. Dulat and Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, have criticized the series for its historical inaccuracies and not showing the passengers' perspective correctly. [26]
AS Dulat, then chief of RAW, told India Today TV "There’s no doubt that the ISI had a role in this. It wasn’t just based on our intelligence reports; a well-known Pakistani journalist was in Kandahar at the time. He reported that it was obvious the ISI was orchestrating and controlling the entire operation". [26] [27] G Parthasarathy, India's high commissioner to Pakistan at the time of the IC 814 hijacking, calls Sinha's portrayal of al-Qaida and Taliban role "ridiculous". He said in an interview, "It was totally Pakistani involvement. The persons concerned were Pakistanis. The people they wanted released were Pakistanis. So there is no question of al-Qaida, that's the farthest thing to say". [26] [27]
The series also shows intelligence from the Kathmandu RAW team on a possible hijacking of an Indian aircraft reaching the agency's headquarters in Delhi, which has been denied by multiple officers of RAW, including the former RAW chief, AS Dulat. [26]
The series is also criticized for its gentle portrayal of the hijackers, with hijackers being empathetic towards the injured crew and passengers on board, while in reality, the hijackers had killed a person onboard and stabbed a German citizen Satnam Singh. [28] [26] [29]
The series also failed to show the hijackers' attempts to religiously convert the passengers on board. [30] [26] Ipseeta Menon, one of the survivors of the hijack, recalled how the hijackers tried to convert them. She said "The Netflix series has missed the long speeches by 'Doctor'[one of the hijackers]". [26] She also said "The high tension among the passengers hasn't been captured well".
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