Netflix series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has erupted stir on social media. The web series starring Vijay Varma is based on the true events of of hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi in 1999 by five terrorists. This flight landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan but before that, the flight was forced to land at many places. As the web series has faced the backlash of controversies the director Anubhav Sinha opened up about the meticulous research.

After IC 814 was released the controversy started around the character names of the terrorists showcased. Two hijackers Bhola and Shankar in it have been deliberately named after Hindus. People have expressed displeasure over the name as they believe the Hindu name has been to the characters who were in reality Muslims. 

Anuhav Sinha who has directed the show never shared who went behind bringing this story to cinema. In a recent interview with Variety, the filmmaker said, “When I got in, I thought I knew everything about it. But when the research started, and we had Adrian (Levy) on board, it started opening up, not only within India but in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, in Washington, and everywhere. Then I realised that I didn’t know anything about it. That became the driving force to dive in deeper and deeper.”

He further added. “Ewan [Mulligan, the cinematographer alongside Ravi Kiran Ayyagari] asked me a very important question. He said, ‘Anubhav, are we recreating what happened?’ I said, ‘No, the event is happening again. We are sending our cameras and crew back there in time.’”

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack stars Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Naseeruddin Shah, and Pankaj Tripathi among others. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the web series streamed on Netflix on August 29, 2024.