Netflix's IC814 'Highly Fictionalised': Crew Member's Kin Demands Apology For 'Glorifying One Man'

IC814 The Kandahar Hijack: The series is based on the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by the Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The aircraft was under the command of 37-year-old Captain Devi Sharan, with First Officer Rajinder Kumar and Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia as part of the crew. While the series presents Captain Devi Sharan as the mission's hero, the daughter of the late Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia has expressed dissatisfaction with how her father has been portrayed onscreen. She also claimed that the show "distorts" some of the events.

A highly fictionalised account: IC814 Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia's daughter claims

Aparna Jaggia Kumar, daughter of the late Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia, expressed her disappointment in a long Facebook post. She criticised Netflix for failing to consult her family before creating the series based partly on her father's experiences and for not acquiring the rights to the book her father wrote on the incident. 

According to Aparna, the series presents a highly fictionalised account of events, particularly the cockpit scenes, which she found disappointing.

Aparna says her father played a crucial role during the hijacking

"My father always emphasised that their survival was due to the team efforts of the crew, passengers, and government officials who worked tirelessly around the clock. It was not the achievement of a single individual, as depicted in the series," she wrote in a Facebook post. Aparna highlighted her father's crucial role in preventing refuelling at Kandahar, repairing toilet pipes, and enduring brutal treatment from the hijackers. 

She recalled the horrific sight of her father returning home with bloodstains on his shirt, from the same dagger used to murder Rupen Katyal.

Distortion of the cockpit scene in show: Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia daughter

Aparna also criticised the distortion of the cockpit scene in Amritsar and expressed sadness over the change of names for all crew members, as well as the omission of their hard work during those seven days the hijacking lasted. She condemned the unnecessary additions like hijackers calling cabin crew's homes and the fabricated engine failure at Lahore, all in the name of "cinematic liberty".

"Netflix, a one-line disclaimer does not justify undermining the efforts of the crew just to glorify one man. This is unacceptable, and the remaining crew members who worked selflessly during those seven days deserve an apology," she wrote.

Aparna's claims aside, the streamer and the makers of IC814: The Kandahar Hijack have been under fire for "distortion of facts" and "whitewashing terrorism".