On Tuesday, September 3, Netflix India finally agreed to add the real names of the hijackers of IC814 flight from Kathmandu to Nepal to their web series directed by Anubhav Sinha. The series has used code names of the hijackers during the terrorist attack- Bhola, Shankar, Chief, Burger, and Doctor, and hid the real names of the hijackers – Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir.
After much outrage from the viewers and after being summoned by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Netflix has agreed to add a small disclaimer at the start of the series about the real names of the Islamist terrorists, however, that solves nothing. When was the last time anyone read a disclaimer before a web series?
Interestingly, this tactic of pushing only Hindu code names of Islamist terrorists remind you of the days when “Hindutva terrorism” concept was being pushed. When even terrorists like Kasab came wearing a kalawa to show themselves as Hindu. However, thanks to the bravery of Tukaram Omble, that fizzled out soon after.
Anyway, this attempt by Anubhav Sinha and Netflix to hide the real names of the terrorists that hijacked isn’t even the worst of the things about this propaganda show.
First of all, this series by Anubhav Sinha shows that everyone in Indian government apparatus is totally incompetent. It shows an Indian RAW operative in Kathmandu knew Pakistan is planning something, then finds out it has to do something with flight IC814, but nobody from his station chief to Indian Airlines listened to him. Well, surprise, surprise, that never happened, like most things in this Netflix series. A passenger shouts “Bomb” and flights don’t take off, but an Indian official telling Indian Airlines that terrorists are going to target their flight doesn’t merit any response.
Worst thing about the Netflix series is how they tried to humanise the terrorists involved in the hijack. Hijackers repeatedly say in the series that they don’t want to harm any passenger, yes, they killed innocent Rupin Katyal and slashed another passenger’s neck just because they didn’t want to harm any passengers. Moreover, terrorists are shown to be so considerate that they allow an Air Hostess to call home to check on her father, and terrorists are shown to be so fun that they play Antakshari with the passengers.
Indian NSA Ajit Doval led the negotiations with the Pakistani terrorists at the time. However, he is shown as a totally reckless individual (portrayed by Manoj Pahwa), who talks angrily to the hijackers and makes them switch off communications for a while. Maybe it wasn’t deliberate, maybe it was deliberate to show Doval as inept?
Meanwhile, throughout the series, the Taliban Minister is shown as the most level headed guy in Netflix Universe. He was apparently the only one trying to bring a peaceful settlement to the entire saga.Every two minutes, Taliban guy came on screen that Taliban hates bloodshed because it is unIslamic. Yeah, Taliban hates bloodshed like Mike Ross hated Harvey Specter in the show Suits, not at all.
However, the worst thing about the show comes right at the end, where they show the released terrorists were celebrating with Osama Bin Laden. It is highlighted during that scene that Osama kept ISI away from the celebrations, thus implying that ISI was not involved at all in this hijacking by terrorists and it was all Osama’s brainchild alone. Yeah, sure Anubhav Sinha, we will buy that.
Adding a simple disclaimer at the start to mention real names of terrorists can’t salvage anything. This is a blatant propaganda series designed to humanise terrorists who hijacked a plane and kept all those passengers hostage, this is blatant propaganda to give a clean chit to ISI, this is blatant propaganda to show Taliban as good guys, and this is blatant propaganda to show everyone in Indian government was useless.
