IC814 The Kandahar Hijack: Naseeruddin Shah's Remark On Islamophobia Stokes Fresh Row

IC814 The Kandahar Hijack: The web series directed by Anubhav Sinha shows the real-life incident from 1999 when five masked men hijacked Indian Airlines Flight IC 814. However, the markers of the series as well as the streaming platform Netflix have stirred controversy as they have been accused of changing the identity of Muslim terrorists and referring to them as ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’, names of Hindu deities as well as its comic portrayal of authorities. This led to massive calls for the boycott following which the Netflix India head was summoned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Amid this, actor Naseeruddin Shah who attended a post-release event of the show in Mumbai on September 3, has stroked fresh controversy. The actor essays the role of Cabinet Secretary Vinay Kaul in the series headlined by Vijay Varma. Speaking to the media at the event, the veteran actor took a walk down the memory lane to share how the events unfolded when the hijack took place in 1999.

Feared it would give rise to another wave of Islamophobia: Naseeruddin Shah makes controversial comments

At the post-release event of the series, Naseeruddin Shah recalled being 50 years old when the Kandahar Hijack took place. The actor admitted feeling ‘deeply disturbed’ following the incident. He went on to share that according to him the passengers and the pilot on the flight did not seek ‘proper closure’.

The veteran actor shared, “I was around 50 at the time, towards the end of the 20th century, and I was deeply disturbed. I feared it might lead to a new wave of Islamophobia, though fortunately, it didn’t.” He added that the event was not easy to move on from. He continued, "The whole situation left me feeling uneasy, even after the crisis was resolved. I couldn’t pinpoint why exactly, but I felt that the passengers and the pilot had endured a truly horrifying ordeal, and the resolution didn’t seem like a proper closure."

Naseeruddin Shah faces backlash for his ‘islamophibic’ remark

The actor's comments come at a time when the series IC814 The Kandahar Hijack is facing heat for whitewashing the image of terrorists. Several social media users have now accused the actor of riding the same narrative and sympathising with the terrorists instead of the victims. A comment on X (formerly Twitter) reads, “Naseeruddin Shah and Javed Akhtar’s work is to whitewash the crimes of their terrorist brethren who work on the ground. This is how they work as a team. They will do the worst of crimes but they won’t even allow you to criticise their crimes.” Another user pointed out to the actor that he felt ‘disturbed' by a wave of Islamophobia and “and not bcoz of an Indian aircraft, 190 people on-board, was hijacked.”

Following the backlash received by the series, calls for a boycott and summoned by the Ministry of I & B, Netflix issued a statement asserting they have updated the opening disclaimer of its latest series IC814: The Kandahar Hijack. "For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers," said Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content at Netflix India. "The code names in the series reflect those used during the actual event. India has a rich culture of storytelling — and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation," she said in the statement.