'Verifiable And Factual': Dia Mirza On IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Terrorist Names Controversy

Dia Mirza who played the crucial role as a news editor in the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack recently opened up about the controversy around the show. There was a debate with regards to the makers of the series changing the names of the terrorists. While the streaming platform later provided a disclaimer clarifying the alleged misrepresentation of names, the issue had created a lot of buzz among the audience. In her recent interview, Dia Mirza stated that the show was based on facts and every piece of information could be verified.

In conversation with Galatta Plus, Dia Mirza shared her opinion on the backlash the series received. She stated,“I think what matters is the intention. I don’t think the intention of the show is to cause any disharmony. That’s the most important thing. And that’s our truth. The second thing is that I think everything that is being questioned is verifiable, and factual. How do you debate that?” Furthermore, Dia emphasised that the media has backed the series as they could verify the information.

The issue surrounding the Netflix series began days after its release when many people objected to the use of non-Muslim names of the hijackers in the show and demanded a boycott. Addressing the concerns, the streaming partner has updated the disclaimer, including the real and code names of the hijackers.

The series is based on the true events that took place in December 1999, when Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 was hijacked by five men after taking off from Kathmandu. The plane first landed in Amritsar, then Lahore, and finally in Dubai, where 27 people were released in return for fuel. The plane was subsequently flown to Kandahar in Afghanistan, where the standoff lasted a week. The miniseries is based on the book Flight into Fear: A Captain’s Story by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack also stars Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Arvind Swamy, Manoj Pahwa, Patralekha Paul, Kumud Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Pooja Gor, Kanwaljit Singh, Yashpal Sharma, Sushant Singh, Rajiv Thakur and others in important roles. It was released on August 29 and despite controversy, received rave reviews for the exceptional performances of the entire team.