Lifestyle

IC814: The Kandahar Hijack - Entertaining, but faulty

Hijack dramas can be tense and thrilling, even if they follow predictable patterns. With a cast of legends like Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, and Vijay Verma, one expects memorable performances and roles. However, IC814 doesn't quite deliver on those expectations. Based on the true events of December 1999, when IC 814 was hijacked and a week-long standoff in Taliban-controlled Kandahar ensued, the series retells one of the most infamous hijackings in Indian history. While the series is a mostly accurate retelling, its dramatic liberties often break the viewer's immersion.

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What worked

One of the key strengths of IC814 is its neutral stance on Pakistan, a contrast to the hardline approach seen in films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, War, and Gadar 2, even showing how Indian agencies blame the Pakistani authorities because it supports a narrative their public readily accepts.

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India

Indian news agency ANI sues Netflix for using its content in hijack drama

NEW DELHI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Indian news agency ANI has sued Netflix Inc and producers of an Indian series about a plane hijack, asking for four episodes to be taken down as they used ANI content without permission, ANI's lawyer told Reuters on Monday.

The series, called "IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack" - a fictionalized version of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight 814 from Kathmandu - has been embroiled in controversy since its release last month. Social media users and members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party have criticized the show for what they said was an incorrect portrayal of the hijackers as Hindus with Hindu names when they were Muslims.

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What worked

What didn’t work

Verdict

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