The film ‘IC 814: The Kandhar Hijack,’ based on the 1999 plane hijacking incident, is embroiled in controversy over the names of the terrorists depicted in it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now joined the debate, accusing filmmaker Anubhav Sinha of deliberately masking the terrorists’ Muslim identities by giving them Hindu names. There is also a growing demand on social media to boycott the film.
On December 24, 1999, IC 814, a flight from Kathmandu to Delhi, was hijacked by five terrorists. The real names of these terrorists were Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhtar, and Saeed Shakir.
BJP’s Allegations: Distorting History
Amit Malviya, the head of BJP’s IT cell, claimed that the film portrays the terrorists with names like Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief, concealing their true identities. He stated, “Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has tried to legitimize the terrorists’ criminal intent by giving them non-Muslim names. This could mislead future generations into thinking that Hindus were responsible for hijacking IC 814.”
What Does the Film Show?
In the film ‘IC 814,’ the terrorists are given Hindu names, whereas, in reality, all of them were from Pakistan. The movie stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swami, Vijay Varma, and Pankaj Kapur in prominent roles.
The Real Identities: True Names of the Terrorists
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the real names of the terrorists were Ibrahim Athar from Bahawalpur, Shahid Akhtar Saeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim from Karachi, and Shakir from Sukkur City. The Ministry also noted that while the terrorists used code names during the hijacking, their real identities were confirmed with these names.
Filmmaker’s Clarification
Casting director Mukesh Chhabra defended the film, stating that extensive research was conducted for the show and that the terrorists used fake names to refer to each other. He said, “We did thorough research, and they used these (aliases or fake names) to address one another.”
Director Anubhav Sinha has not officially commented on the controversy, but discussions are heated on social media.