IC 814's Patralekhaa on how she bagged the Anubhav Sinha directed series: 'It took me 6 months to convince him' - EXCLUSIVE

Bollywood actress Patralekhaa, who is playing the role of an air hostess in the Netflix show IC 814: The Kandahar Attack, spoke exclusively to MoneyControl, where she said how she had manifested being part of the show.

Patralekhaa, who has completed a decade in the industry, said when she came to know that Anubhav Sinha was working on this series, she called him up, and it took her'six months to convince the director.'

"When I came to know that he's making a series like this, and I've been an ardent admirer of his work, of the films that he does and makes, and he has such a strong voice, I wanted to be a part of it somehow. And I got to know that he's attached to the series. I went and called him up, and I was like, Can I come and meet you? And it took me literally 6 months to convince him, but I got it. I wanted to be a part of his world, and I'm so grateful that I'm a part of such a big cast who I've only and only admired. And I've learned so much on the set," she said.

When asked about her decade-long journey in showbiz, Patralekhaa said it has been a roller coaster ride, but she enjoyed it thoroughly.

"It's been quite a roller coaster ride, but I'm really happy with the place that I am at today because I've been working with such good makers. And as an actor, as an artist, it's so much that I get to learn. The Anubhav Sinha set is so different from any other director's set. But you, as an artist, you just grow," she added.

Patralekhaa said that she isn't sure if Anubhav Sinha was even thinking of casting her for the series.

"You know, you meet such different people, learning so many things. There's so much that I learned from Vijay, and there is so much that I learned from the actors who play terrorists in the series. I mean, the learning never stops. But having said that, I'm not sure Anubhav sir was thinking about me at all while he was making it," she said.

Patralekhaa made her acting debut with CityLights in 2014, for which she won the Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer—Female.

When asked how married life has been treating her since both she and Rajkummar Rao have been busy with their professional lives, Patralekhaa said: "It's nicer to be busier, but it's even nicer when we take out some time from each other. From each other and for each other," she concluded. Patralekha is married to Stree actor Rajkummar Rao.

Also Read: Netizens slam ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ series, says its soft on terror

Patralekhaa made her web debut with Bose: Dead/Alive (2017) and has worked in many films like Nanu Ki Jaanu (2018) and the web series Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu (2021) and Aar Ya Paar (2022).

Talking about the series, IC 814 has been embroiled in controversy ever since its release on August 29.

Also Read: PIL filed in Delhi High Court seeking ban on Netflix series IC814: The Kandahar Hijack over alleged distortion of facts

A PIL has been filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking a ban on the OTT series over allegations of distortion of facts about the real identities of the hijackers.

The plea alleged that the 6-episode series erroneously shows the real hijackers as having Hindu names, including ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’, the other names of Lord Shiva, which hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.

The petition filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, a farmer and president of Hindu Sena, sought a direction to the Centre and Maharashtra government to cancel the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate and ban the public viewing of the series.

Also Read: 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' faces criticism online for allegedly changing terrorists' identity, casting director Mukesh Chhabra reacts

“The distortion of crucial facts about the real identities of the hijackers not only misrepresents historical events but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and misinformation, warranting interference of this court to prevent further public misunderstanding and potential harm,” the petition says.

Meanwhile, the central government has summoned the content head of OTT platform Netflix over the series, which has triggered a row over the depiction of hijackers, contending that nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the nation.

Official sources said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has summoned the content head of Netflix India on Tuesday, seeking an explanation on the allegedly contentious aspects of the series portraying the 1999 hijack of an Indian Airlines flight by Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

The series, directed by Anubhav Sinha, was released on Netflix on August 29. IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack also stars Vijay Varma, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, Naseeruddin Shah, and Arvind Swamy in pivotal roles.  (With PTI inputs)