IC814 series row: Netflix promises govt it will stick to content sensitive to 'nation's sentiments'
After the backlash over its new IC814 series, Netflix has guaranteed that all future content on their platform will be sensitive to and in accordance with the nation's sentiments
Streaming giant Netflix India has promised the Indian government that its content will be sensitive to the 'nation's sentiments' in the future.
This assurance has been given on the back of a major row that has broken out over the depiction of hijackers in its new web series IC 814 Kandahar Hijack based on the real hijacking incident that shook India in 1999.
The series, directed by Anubhav Sinha (Ra.one, Article 15, Mulk etc) was released on August 29. Based on the harrowing 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, the series has sparked off a controversy.
Hurting 'Hindu sentiments'
According to a report in ANI, the ministry of information and broadcasting is taking the matter ‘very seriously’ and had an hour long meeting with Netflix, which has now ‘guaranteed’ all future content will be sensitive to national sentiments.
Government sources told the news agency, "Netflix has provided an assurance to conduct a content review and guarantee that all future content on their platform will be sensitive to and in accordance with the nation's sentiments."
What seems to be the bone of contention is that the hijackers of the ill-fated flight have names like 'Bhola' and 'Shankar'. This has angered and upset some people who felt that this is distorting facts since the terrorists had used these Hindu names only to mask their real identities. Moreover, using Lord Shiva's other names was hurting Hindu sentiments, they felt.
In fact, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya had slammed the filmmakers on social media accusing them of furthering an agenda to whitewash the crimes of Pakistani terrorists by giving the terrorists Hindu names in the show. He said that this series is misleading future generations. According to report, a Union Home Ministry document, released in the immediate aftermath of the 1999 hijacking said that the hijackers of the IC-814 flight were dreaded terrorists, who acquired aliases to hide their Muslim identities.
"Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, legitimised their criminal intent, by furthering their non-Muslim names. Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-814," Malviya posted on X.
On Tuesday, the ministry of information and broadcasting summoned the content head of OTT platform Netflix seeking an explaination on the contentious parts in the series. “
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. The govt is taking it very seriously,” said the source in the government to ANI.
PIL filed
Meanwhile, a PIL has also been also filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, a farmer and Hindu Sena president in the Delhi high court on Monday seeking a ban on the OTT series. The plea alleged that the mini-series wrongly shows the real hijackers sporting Hindu names, including ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’, the other names of Lord Shiva. This has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.
The petition wants the Centre and Maharashtra government to cancel the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate and ban the public viewing of the series.
The series, according to the petition, is distorting crucial facts about the real identities of the hijackers and therefore misrepresenting historical events and perpetuating harmful stereotypes and misinformation. For this reason, the court needs to intervene to prevent further public misunderstanding and potential harm, it added.
Several X users are using hashtags #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood and #IC814, and writing posts slamming the filmmakers for changing the names of the hijackers to 'Shankar' and 'Bhola' to allegedly protect the terrorists who belonged to a certain community.
"The Left's agenda to whitewash the crimes of Pakistani terrorists, all Muslims, served. This is the power of cinema, which the Communists have been using aggressively, since the 70s. Perhaps even earlier," Malviya posted on X.
"This will not just weaken/put in question India's security apparatus in the long run but also shift the blame away from the religious cohort, that is responsible for all the bloodshed," he added.
Selective outrage
Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the outrage as selective, pointing out the inconsistencies in demands for historical accuracy in cinema.