IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack

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IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack
IC 814 - The Kandahar Hijack.jpg
Promotional release poster
Genre Thriller
Drama
Created by Anubhav Sinha
Trishant Srivastava
Based onFlight Into Fear The Captain's Story
by Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury
Written by
Directed byAnubhav Sinha
Starring
ComposersAlex Lamy
Richard Harvey
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducersSarita Patil
Sanjay Routray
Anubhav Sinha
Cinematography Ewan Mulligan
Ravi Kiran Ayyagari
EditorAmarjit Singh
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time28-46 mins
Production companies Matchbox Shots
Benaras Mediaworks
Original release
Network Netflix
Release29 August 2024 (2024-08-29)

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] Ninad Kamat serves as narrator.

Contents

The series premiered globally on Netflix on 29 August 2024. [4] It was the most watched show on Netflix for the first week of September. [5]

Cast

Production

The series is adapted from the book Flight Into Fear by Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury. [6] In December 2023, a series on Amazon Prime Video was canceled due to the Tandav controversy. [7] [8]

In February 2024, the series was announced on Netflix. [9] The trailer of this series was released on 19 August 2024. [10]

Asian News International filed suit in India against Netflix in September 2024 for alleged use of their copyrighted material in the film footage. [11]

Reception

Critical response

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." [12] 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." [13] 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." [14] 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." [15]

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." [16] 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." [17] 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." [18] 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." [19] 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." [20]

Criticisms by experts, Indian officials and survivors

Several experts, high-ranking officers, senior journalists and the crew of the flight, including the former Research and Analysis Wing (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. [21]

Journalist Vir Sanghvi said the series misleadingly downplays the role of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to the point of serving as "propaganda" for the spy agency, and minimizes the threat posed by the hijackers. Historian Hindol Sengupta said the film is "pathetic", accusing the filmmakers of glorifying terrorism and failing to "acknowledge the long-term impact of the terrorists released during the hijacking, diminishing the severity of the real-life events", according to a report in the Swarajya . [22]

Dulat 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". [21] [23] 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 roles "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". [21] [23]

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 Dulat. [21]

The series is also criticized[ by whom? ] 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. [24] [21] [25]

The series also failed to show the hijackers' attempts to religiously convert the passengers on board. [26] [21] 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]". [21] She also said "The high tension among the passengers hasn't been captured well".

Names of terrorists

The series has been criticized for changing the Pakistani terrorists real names to code names and Hindu names. [27] 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). [28] However, the series used their code names like Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief. [27] 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. [27]

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". [22] He clarified that he had not seen the series. [29]

Pooja Kataria, a survivor of the hijack who was returning from her honeymoon in Kathmandu, said that the controversy over the show is unnecessary. [30] 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." [30] 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. [30]

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. [31] Netflix responded by saying it would add new opening disclaimers to include the real and code names of the hijackers. [32] 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. [33]

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References

  1. ↑ "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack". BBFC. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "IC814 The Kandahar Hijack: Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza and Naseeruddin Shah star in hard-hitting series on India's longest hijack". The Indian Express . 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma to lead Anubhav Sinha's 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack'; first look pictures out". The Hindu. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' to release on Netflix on August 29, teaser out". The Hindu. 3 August 2024. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  5. ↑ "IC 816: The Kandahar Hijack most watched web series for two weeks straight, says Ormax report". The Telegraph. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (26 August 2024). "Anubhav Sinha Talks Taking Flight With Netflix's 'IC 814' Hijack Drama (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "Vishal Bhardwaj reveals Prime Video dropped his Kandahar hijacking project after Tandav: 'They were paranoid, wanted nothing political'". The Indian Express. 17 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Spoke to Vishal Bhardwaj about my take on Kandahar hijacking, he approved of it: Anubhav Sinha". Hindustan Times. 19 August 2024.
  9. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (29 February 2024). "Netflix Unveils Star-Studded 2024 India Slate". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  10. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (19 August 2024). "High-Stakes Netflix Drama 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' From Anubhav Sinha Unveils Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Indian news agency ANI sues Netflix for using its content in hijack drama". Reuters. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (29 August 2024). "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review - Vijay Varma Gives The Notion Of Heroism A Fresh Spin". NDTV.
  13. ↑ Kulkarni, Shubham (29 August 2024). "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review Ft, Anubhav Sinha, Vijay Varma & team". OTTPlay.
  14. ↑ "'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' Review: A masterclass in storytelling". English.Mathrubhumi. 29 August 2024.
  15. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood (30 August 2024). "Web Series Review: IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK shines through a taut execution, strong script and the ensemble cast". Bollywood Hungama .
  16. ↑ VERMA, SUKANYA. "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Gripping!!". Rediff. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  17. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (29 August 2024). "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack review: Effective and sharp, Vijay Varma-Anubhav Sinha series bravely unpacks the truth". The Indian Express.
  18. ↑ Pande, Shreyas (29 August 2024). "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Series Review: Anubhav Sinha's docu-drama engages but doesn't sustain". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  19. ↑ Sharma, Devansh (29 August 2024). "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack review: Avengers of Indian acting assemble for Anubhav Sinha's gripping, nuanced thriller". Hindustan Times.
  20. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (29 August 2024). "'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' series review: Vijay Varma, Manoj Pahwa power this stirring political thriller". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Not just the names, Anubhav Sinha's IC 814 hijacked several facts". India Today. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  22. 1 2 "Did Netflix series 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' incorrectly use Hindu names for hijackers? The controversy explained". Firstpost. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024. As per a report in the Swarajya, historian 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... Vir Sanghvi, a veteran journalist, accused the Netflix serial of serving as propaganda for Pakistan's spy agency, the ISI. He has 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.
  23. 1 2 Bhattacharya, Samir (2014). Nothing But!. Partridge Publishing. p. 213. ISBN   978-1-48281-787-4. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  24. ↑ "An eight-day ordeal". Frontline . 7 January 2000. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  25. ↑ "Who Was Rupin Katyal, the Lone Fatality of IC 814 Hijack, How He Died? Everything You Need To Know". News18. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  26. ↑ "Convert to Islam: Most brutal IC 814 hijacker told passengers". India Today. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  27. 1 2 3 "'IC 814 - The Kandahar': Netizens REACTS as makers name Muslim hijackers as 'Bhola' and 'Shankar'". The Times of India. 1 September 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  28. ↑ Bhattacharya, Brigadier Samir (2014). NOTHING BUT!. Partridge Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4828-1787-4.
  29. ↑ "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: Writer Shares REAL Reason Terrorists' Names Changed in Anubhav Sinha Show". News18. 1 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  30. 1 2 3 "Hijacker played Antakshari, gifted shawl: IC-814 survivor". Rediff. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  31. ↑ "Netflix India content head summoned over 'IC 814' row: Government sources". 2 September 2024.
  32. ↑ "Netflix will add disclaimers to Indian hijack drama after outrage over Hindu names". Yahoo Finance. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  33. ↑ "IC 814 row: Has Netflix added disclaimer ONLY for its Indian audience? User on X calls out OTT platform". WION. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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