Naseeruddin Shah's 'wave of Islamophobia' remark over IC 814 Kandahar hijack sparks row

Actor Naseeruddin Shah

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have hit out at actor Naseeruddin Shah after he shared that he feared a ‘wave of Islamophobia’ during the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight IC 814 with over 200 people on board.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde accused the actor of frequently making controversial remarks that create doubts in the minds of the people.

“It is shocking that Naseeruddin Shah is speaking not about the safety and lives of 200 passengers on IC 814 which was hijacked to Kandahar but about Islamophobia after living in India for 74 years and living amongst the rich and famous. He has a penchant for making controversial statements time and again, these kinds of divisive statements create doubts in the minds of communities,” Hegde was quoted as saying by News18.

At a press meet of the Netflix series "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack", which dramatises the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814, Shah said he was disturbed when the incident happened as he feared it would lead to "another wave of Islamophobia" in the country.

"I was about 50 when this (incident) happened. I remember being extremely disturbed because I feared that it would provoke another wave of Islamophobia, and luckily, at that time, it didn't. But I remember feeling concerned about the situation and what it would lead to," he said.

Sudhir Mungantiwar, a BJP leader and Maharashtra’s cultural and forest minister, stated that he is not concerned over Shah’s specific comments. Instead, he emphasised that cinema should accurately and truthfully depict facts.

Mungantiwar's remarks came as IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, a series which also features Shah, caused a storm on social media over the names of the terrorists used by the showmakers. Using hashtags #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood and #IC814, many X users shared posts claiming the makers changed the names of the hijackers to 'Shankar' and 'Bhola' to allegedly protect the terrorists who belonged to a certain community.

Following the uproar, Netflix India on September 3 said it has included the real and code names of the hijackers of the Indian Airlines aircraft depicted 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.