Director Anubhav Sinha calls IC 814 controversy ‘gobar’: It’s confusing

Director Anubhav Sinha addressed the controversy surrounding his Netflix series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. While the series has received praise from a section of the audience, it also faced criticism over the names of the terrorists and their portrayal. Sinha expressed that he is confused about the show’s reception.
“It’s confusing. Ek taraf mohabbat hai, aur ek taraf gobar hai (On one side there is a lot of love, and on the other side, there is crap),” said Sinha during a podcast with casting director Mukesh Chhabra as he reflected on the polarised reactions to the series.
When asked if he felt responsible for the negativity surrounding the show, Sinha responded with humility. “No, I don’t take myself that seriously. I just want to do my job with absolute sincerity and hard work. I wouldn’t have taken this on had I not been in love with the story. I loved it, that’s why I did it,” he stated.
Anubhav Sinha acknowledged that the outcome of a show or a film is not solely in his hands. “All that remains is hard work, and the rest is up to the universe. The universe is both destructive and constructive,” he said.
IC 814 is inspired by the real-life hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, a harrowing event that shook the nation. The series ran into controversy over the ‘Hindu’ codenames of the terrorists who hijacked the Delhi-bound flight from Kathmandu 25 years ago. The controversy made #BoycottNetflix trend on X.
Following the controversy, Netflix added the real names of the terrorists with a disclaimer.