'Content sensitive to nation's sentiments': What Netflix India head told Centre amid 'IC-814- The Kandahar Hijack' row?
PTC News Desk: Amid the row over the web series 'IC 814 Kandahar Hijack', the head of OTT platform Netflix India Monika Shergill on Tuesday met the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. According to sources, the streaming giant, in the meeting, ‘guaranteed’ all future content will be sensitive to national sentiments.
According to reports, the government is taking the matter 'very seriously'. Sources within the government said, "Netflix has provided an assurance to conduct a content review and guarantee that all future content on their platform will be sensitive to and in accordance with the nation's sentiments."
Issuing official statment, Netflix India said, "For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight 814, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers. The code names in the series reflect those used during the actual event. India has a rich culture of story-telling and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation."
Sources had earlier said, “Nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the people of this nation. India's culture and civilization should always be respected. You should think before portraying something in a wrong manner. The govt is taking it very seriously.”
The series, which revisits the terrifying 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by Pakistan-based terror organisation Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, has sparked outrage, resulting in a meeting between the streaming giant and the government.
The series shows the hijackers of the ill-fated flight in a way that has sparked outrage, particularly because their names were allegedly changed to "Bhola" and "Shankar." This has been perceived as a distortion of historical facts, with critics claiming that it misrepresents the terrorists' real identities.
- With inputs from agencies
