IC 814 director Anubhav Sinha on his web debut, says ‘Everything you see in this series has never been unfolded’ - EXCLUSIVE

IC 814 director Anubhav Sinha, on his web debut, says, ‘Everything that you see in this series has never been unfolded’.

Ace director Anubhav Sinha opened about his latest series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, and the reason he decided to retell the story to the audience 25 years later.

In an exclusive interview with MoneyControl, Anubhav Sinha said that this series differs from previous narratives.

The series, which has Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, and Patralekhaa in the lead along with veteran actors Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, and Arvind Swamy, marks the web debut of Anubhav Sinha.

Anubhav highlighted the evolution of film consumption, from single-screen theaters to multiplexes, satellite TV, and now OTT platforms. He emphasized that despite the change in viewing habits, the core of storytelling remains the same.

Anubhav also said that the series IC 814 offers a fresh perspective and focuses on the ‘why and how’ behind the events rather than just the ‘what’.

Anubhav emphasized that the series is not a rehash of previously reported information but rather a comprehensive exploration of the incident, including behind-the-scenes stories and personal accounts from those involved.

He said that the series will provide a new understanding of the events and encourage viewers to think critically.

When asked if the content of the series is similar to what can be found on Google, Anubhav Sinha emphatically replied, "No."

Excerpts from the exclusive conversation:

It's a debut exhibition; how the film or this content of the show will be served to people. But for me, it's a film. And it's another platform. You know, when we started making films, there were barely any. I don't think Tum Bin had any multiplexes. So they were all single-screen theaters, then multiplexes came in, and then satellite became big for films. And then, OTT has become big. But you can't; besides the fact that, unfortunately, a lot of the viewing will be done on smaller screens, there isn't much of a difference. So when you're making it, you're wondering if you can do anything about it, but you can't. So, you just let go of the thought and make it the way you want to make it.”

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What you see in the series has never been unfolded on screen

Trust me. Everything that you see in this series has never been unfolded on those things that you've seen. They were all incredible; they were all wonderful and fantastic. That was the narrative of what happened. This is a narrative of how it happened and why it happened; that's the big difference. So, I'm not claiming that; I have more understanding of it. Just that the 2 motives were different, though that was reportage of what was happening or what happened in hindsight. This is a compilation of how it happened and why it happened the way it happened. Could it have been better, or could it have been worse or what? And then ensure you get to meet people involved, behind the scenes, that we personally met with and spoke to a lot of them, not all of them."

Also Read: Vijay Varma says playing positive roles isn’t a conscious decision: ‘Not attached to negative or positive’ – Exclusive

Don’t see any comparisons

I don't see a comparison. Once you see the series, you will not see that there's no comparison with what you have seen. I don't say this with those true false senses of upper hand; it's just a different purpose of why we made it.

Google also doesn’t have what we show

“No. Google. Whatever they get to see in this series is not available on Google.”

IC 814 is streaming on Netflix from August 29. It is directed by Anubhav Sinha and has story by Adrian Levy and Trishant.

IC 814 has been jointly produced by Sarita Patil and Sanjay Routray under the banners Matchbox Shots and Benaras Mediaworks.

IC814 Hijack 

IC 814, an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, to IGI Airport in Delhi, was hijacked on 24 December 1999 and flown to several locations before landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The flight was piloted by 37-year-old Captain Devi Sharan and first officer Rajinder Kumar, alongside flight engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia.

It was hijacked by five masked men as soon as it entered Indian airspace at about 17:30 IST. The hijackers ordered the aircraft to be flown to a series of locations: Amritsar, Lahore, and across the Persian Gulf to Dubai. The hijackers later forced the aircraft to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which at that time was under Taliban rule. The hijackers released 27 of 176 passengers in Dubai but fatally stabbed one and wounded several others.