IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, which was released last Thursday, August 29, opened to great reviews and unanimous acclaim from the audience. However, as days passed, a section of the viewers raised objections over the code names used by the hijackers in the show. The criticism was that these code names might give an impression that the terrorists belong to a certain community, which was not the case in reality. A few netizens did point out that the code names, mentioned in the web series, were actually used by the hijackers and even the Ministry of External Affairs’ website states the same. Yet, the controversy continued to grow. Pankaj Kapur, who played Vijaybhan Sinha, Minister of External Affairs in the series, spoke to Bollywood Hungama exclusively during the promotions of his upcoming film Binny And Family about this controversy.
EXCLUSIVE: Pankaj Kapur BREAKS silence on IC 814 controversy: “You don’t need to react to these things. Some people will find something wrong with whatever you put out but they might have a valid…”
When asked if he was shocked by the brouhaha over what many felt was a non-issue, he said, “You don’t need to react to these things. There are people who have the time to do this, and they will find something wrong with whatever you put out. They might also have a valid point; I am not questioning their stand either. It is possible that something might have hurt somebody. But if you think logically and if you look at the whole series, there’s nothing of that kind. The director and writers have tried their best to put together a nice, fictional history-based project and present it to the audience in an entertaining manner. The way the incident is depicted may not be exactly how it happened but it’s as close to reality as possible. So, this must be respected, especially if the characters are shown in the right light.”
he controversy would die down, but the show would live on, Pankaj Kapur remarked, “Controversies are also good for a show (laughs). The show lives on for some more time. Hence, no harm.”
On a serious note, he again reiterated, “I also respect people’s thinking. I won’t ask them, ‘How can you say this?’. If it has hurt them and if they have a point, let’s sit down and talk about it, so that they are also satisfied. We neither want to offend anybody nor want to be offended ourselves. Let’s behave like normal, educated people, sit across the table and sort it out.”
Meanwhile, on September 3, Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India, put out an official statement on this controversy: “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. India has a rich culture of storytelling — and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation.”
Also Read: Pankaj Kapur REJECTS the idea of promotions, Naseeruddin Shah adds, “Audience smells out what they want to watch”
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