Highlights
The recent release of Netflix’s “IC814” directed by Anubhav Sinha, has raised quite a lot of eyebrows on social media. The series that is based on the actual event that took place in Kandahar in1999 which was hijacking has been criticized for its historical inaccuracy for having changed the religious identity of the hijackers something that many people consider as erasing the essence of the incident. Nevertheless, the general public has been convinced and demanded a boycott of Bollywood and Netflix with outrageous accusations ranging from terrorism to ‘whitewashing’ and hidden agenda.
The Controversy Surrounding IC814
The series “IC814” produced by Netflix presents a drama based on the actual events that happened in December 1999 when Indian Airlines Flight IC814 was hijacked by Pakistan-based terrorists. This series, which cast some of the big shot Bollywood actors and actresses including Vijay Varma and Naseeruddin Shah, has been in the making to depict this a prominent event that shaped Indian history. However, the series was released on 29th August 2024 and within a short time, it was trending on social media.
The controversy arose when the director Anubhav Sinha was accused of changing the names of the hijackers to non-Muslim names in particular Hindu names like Shankar and Bhola Criticism was based on the “whitewashing” of the real identity of the terrorists, which provoked indignation on X (ex Twitter).
Even personalities such as the BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya jumped into the debate to accuse Sinha of ‘cleaning the acts of the terrorists by not highlighting their Muslims identity’. Malviya’s views added to the controversy, adding that this depiction could make the next generation to think that Hindus were behind the hijacking.
This is Anubhav Sinha – director of IC814 which depicts hijackers Ibrahim, Shahid etc as Bhola & Shankar
— Sameer (@BesuraTaansane) September 1, 2024
He is a part of the Tukde Tukde Gang – see here in the pic protesting against implementation of CAA at Gateway of India without even knowing what CAA was
Never Forgive,… pic.twitter.com/xQPgmynqLZ
How and Why Boycott Bollywood Is Trending?
As soon as the people got the idea of ‘IC814’ the focus shifted to a protest against Bollywood and now the hashtags #BoycottBollywood and #boycottNetflix is trending. Several people expressed anger at what they believe has been Bollywood’s tradition of disrespecting Hinduism while allegedly shielding or celebrating other religions. The depiction of the hijackers in “IC814” was regarded as the latest shift to this trend.
A number of such demands were further fuelled by several meming that went viral, one of which called Anubhav Sinha a member of the ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’. It was also dubbed as “Hinduphobic” and fans said that Bollywood has released a show to yet again offend Hindu feelings under the pretext of entertainment.
Some of the users expressed this by noting that while the portrayal of different religions in Bollywood movies is not an issue, there is a clear bias. Some said that although Hindu gods and gods’ customs are portrayed in a negative way, other religions are portrayed in a certain level of respect which is not given to Hinduism. This has created a perceived double standard which resulted in a growing resentment among sections of the Indian audience who feel that their culture and religion is being insulted by the film industry.
Applying Boycott on Netflix, After IC814 Releases?
The hashtag #BoycottNetflix also appeared in the social network discussions along with the boycott Bollywood campaign. Viewers wanted a change from the streaming giant due to the content they aired which they claimed skewed history and offended the feelings of those with faith. Some even tagged government agencies like the Home Ministry and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) On the call for an urgent investigation into the matter.
Nevertheless, many people were angered by the misinformation in “IC814,” but it was discovered that the charges of religious distortion were actually false. BOOM report reveals that the names of the hijackers ‘Shankar’ and ‘Bhola’ were pseudonyms used while attempting the hijacking as per the Union Home Ministry report of January 2000. The series does not distort the hijackers’ identities in that references to their Muslim background are quite evident.
