Netflix’s latest release, ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’, directed by Anubhav Sinha, has ignited controversy over its portrayal of the 1999 hijacking incident. The real-life Survivor, Pooja Kataria, recently shared chilling details of the ordeal, including a bizarre attempt by one of the terrorists to calm passengers by making them play Antakshari, a popular Indian singing game.

Kataria, who was on board the ill-fated Indian Airlines flight, recalled the moment the hijackers took over: "There were 5 terrorists on board the aircraft. Half an hour after the flight took off, the terrorists declared that the flight was hijacked. We were nervous. We were asked to keep our heads down." She recounted the surreal moment when one of the hijackers, nicknamed 'Burger', tried to ease the passengers' panic. "People were having panic attacks, so one of the terrorists named 'Burger', who had a friendly approach, helped people and made them play 'Antakshari'," she said.

The hijacking, which took place on December 24, 1999, involved five terrorists who commandeered the flight shortly after it took off from Kathmandu, Nepal. The aircraft, carrying approximately 180 passengers, was held hostage for seven days, flying across Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai, and finally, Taliban-controlled Kandahar. The ordeal ended on December 31, 1999, with the release of all passengers.

The Netflix series, which features actors like Vijay Varma, Arvind Swami, Dia Mirza, and others, is adapted from the book "Flight Into Fear" by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury. While intended to recount the harrowing incident, the series has faced backlash for allegedly distorting historical facts. Critics accuse it of "whitewashing" and offending Hindu communities by changing the terrorists' names to 'Shankar' and 'Bhola'.

Despite the controversy, Kataria expressed confusion over the outrage, suggesting that the series was made for entertainment purposes. "I don't know why people are getting offended," she said. "Maybe the (Indian) govt could have tried a commando attack on the aircraft in Amritsar, then it could not have flown outside India."

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.

Following this, Netflix India updated the opening disclaimer of ‘IC-814 Kandahar Hijack’ to include the real and code names of the hijackers.

(With inputs from ANI)