Apart from the hiding of real religious identities of hijackers in its web series IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack, the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry also questioned Netflix over the absence of depiction of the role of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the 1999 hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight.
Netflix India executives, including the vice president for content Monika Shergill, met senior information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry officials on Tuesday and announced the streaming company will add a new opening disclaimer for a drama series. The meeting was held with I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju following a summons from the ministry.
It was also brought up during the meeting that while the show uses actual media footage to factually depict certain aspects of the incident, it omits other facts. As per sources, an episode of the series showing the release of terrorists and the subsequent fictionalised narration “absolves” the ISI of the role it played in the hijack.
During the meeting, “obscene” content in some other foreign shows and films streamed on Netflix was also flagged, saying this was not in consonance with Indian cultural sensitivities. The government raised concerns that the series may offend national sentiments, asserting that no one should undermine the country’s emotions.
The six-episode IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Story is “inspired” by real events, including an adaptation of the book “Flight Into Fear” by Captain Devi Sharan and Shrinjoy Chowdhury.
After the meeting, Shergill, in a statement said that the disclaimer displayed before each episode has been updated to include the hijackers’ real and code names.
“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. The code names in the series reflect those used during the actual event,” Shergill said, and added that Netflix was “committed to showcasing” India’s “rich culture of storytelling” and “their authentic representation”.
The government sources said that why she was summoned, “Nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the people of this nation. India’s culture and civilization should always be respected. You should think before portraying something in a wrong manner.”
