IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack director Anubhav Sinha on controversy around Vijay Varma starrer Netflix series; ‘Don’t want to play that game’
Anubhav Sinha reacted to the controversy around his web show, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The Vijay Varma starrer received flak for misrepresenting the religious identity of the five terrorists.
Anubhav Sinha’s directorial web show, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, continues to be the buzz on social media. While the series received immense appreciation, it was subjected to a backlash for misrepresenting the religious identity of the five terrorists. In his response, the filmmaker mentioned that he didn't want to indulge in that discussion as they remained truthful to the script.
Following the controversy, the makers had to add a disclaimer at the beginning of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, specifying the real names of the criminals. Reflecting on the controversy, director Anubhav Sinha stated the love and praise he has been receiving fade away everything. He mentioned that these controversies are something else entirely.
“I don’t want to play that game, nor do I know how to do that! I just know how to make a film; it is a very intensely researched project, and we have been working on it since June 2022 and remained truthful with the script,” he said while speaking to Hindustan Times.
Following the show's release, several survivors of the scary incident talked about their experience and hailed the series as close to reality. The director mentioned that he doesn’t much time on the internet, but he is aware of the discussions.
“The audience stood by me in the same way when there were issues during Mulk,” said Sinha. He cited examples of his previous directorials like Thappad, Anek, and Bheed, highlighting that he has always approached his work with a “purist mindset.” In addition to this, he also shared that people are calling it his best work to date and hailing it as “Anubhav 3.0.”
The filmmaker expressed gratitude and happiness to know that people are binge-watching the show based on the data he has received from the platform.
Anubhav Sinha admitted feeling an initial hitch about the show being streamed on the small screen. However, he is now happy to see the show trending in 42 countries.
The IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack is a web show based on the book Flight Into Fear, penned by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhary. The series features Vijay Varma, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, Manoj Pahwa, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rajiv Thakur among others in key roles. Anubhav Sinha’s digital directorial debut series is streaming on Netflix.