IC 814 crew chief Anil Sharma objects to series makers not using their real names: 'I don't feel very comfortable with this kind of arrangement'

IC 814 crew chief Anil Sharma has raised objections to the makers decision of changing the names of the crew members and also why didn't they issue a disclaimer about using Hindu names initially.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Anil Sharma, who was one of the crew members of the hijacked flight, said why did the OTT platform Netflix wait for an 'outcry' as they knew the names—Bhola and Shankar—would hurt Hindu sentiments.

"This issue has been very widely discussed in the media, and rightly so. Now fact no. 1: they had these code names right from the beginning. So, it should be borne in mind that the names were not given by the filmmakers or somebody else. Now, why did they keep two names by which we know our Hindu gods that are not known? I dont think we can speculate; may be they had some mischief in the mind because the other three had very neutral names like Chief, Burger, and Doctor. What the Netflix people have done: they were aggressive initially, but now they have backtracked and put out a disclaimer. I don't know why they could have done it earlier. Why is it that each time there has to be an outcry about Hindu sentiments being affected before some such corrective action is taken? They could have done it in the beginning—that it is inspired by true events," Anil Sharma told news agency ANI.

Under pressure from the government, Netflix India included the real and code names of the hijackers of the Indian Airlines aircraft depicted in the web series 'IC814: The Kandahar Hijack'.

The web series had triggered a row after a section of viewers objected to the humane projection of terrorists and reference to their Hindu code names, contending that distortion of real identities of hijackers amounted to misrepresentation of historical events.

Anil expressed his unhappiness with his name and other crew members names being changed in the series.

"Now in the case of the names of the crew being changed. Captain Devi Sharan's name has been kept at Sharan Dev; co-pilot's name becomes totally different. He is a south Indian from Hyderabad; he is given another name. The flight engineer's name was changed, my name was changed, and the two air hostess names were changed. Five Cabin crew has not been shown. I don't think I feel very comfortable with this kind of arrangement. Frankly, I wish I could understand how this helped the script to become more watchable and crisp," he added.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju summoned Netflix India's contend head, Monika Shergill, to convey the government's strong disapproval of the depiction of certain elements in the web series.

"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," Shergill, Vice President, Content at Netflix India, said in a statement after meeting Jaju.

She said the code names in the series reflect those used during the actual event.

The real names of the hijackers were Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny, Ahmad Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir. However, the series referred to the code names used by terrorists: Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief.

"India has a rich culture of storytelling, and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation," Shergill said.

A senior government functionary said there was a need for the OTT platform to understand the impact certain things may have on society.

"The issue is that we should understand each other. What is your thinking? What is our thinking? There was a need to understand each other and the kind of impact certain things can have on society," the functionary said.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha and featuring a stellar cast of Vijay Varma, Patralekhaa, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swamy, and Dia Mirza, the web series chronicles the true story of the December 1999 hijack by Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul Mujahideen.

The series has courted controversy on social media and elsewhere, with many claiming that the filmmaker changed the names of the hijackers to 'Shankar' and 'Bhola' to allegedly protect the terrorists who belonged to a certain community.

Hashtags such as #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood, and #IC814 trended on social media, but many survivors and journalists have come out in support of the series, saying that the hijackers did use the code names depicted in the show.

The 'aliases' used by the hijackers in the series have been in the public domain, including the Union Home Ministry's official statement issued on January 6, 2000.

The government has taken a strong stand against the web series, with a senior representative contending that "nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the people of this nation.".

The representative said filmmakers have to think before portraying something in the wrong manner. "You may be liberal, but you cannot portray institutions in a wrong manner," the person said.

The depiction of terrorists also kicked off a political row, with the BJP criticizing the filmmakers and the opposition National Conference and Shiv Sena-UBT targeting the ruling party over the handling of the hijack situation in 1999 by the then NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (With PTI inputs)