Why Netflix is in hot water with the Indian government over a show

Netflix India has reportedly committed to reviewing its content to ensure that its projects in the future align with national sentiments, according to Indian media reports. This comes after a new Netflix series, IC-814 - The Kandahar Hijack, drew criticism online for its portrayal of the hijackers. 

The series is based on the real-life hijacking of an Indian Airlines IC 814 flight which had 176 passengers that was travelling from Kathmandu, Nepal, to New Delhi, India, on 24 December 1999.

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The plane was hijacked in an ordeal that lasted seven days and that led to the release of three terrorists by India in exchange for the safe return of the hostages. Many passengers were injured during the ordeal, and one was killed. 

Over the seven days, Indian officials were negotiating with the five hijackers which was particularly complex in Kandahar because Afghanistan was then under the control of the Taliban with whom India had no diplomatic ties.

The show stars Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra and Arvind Swamy.

According to Indian media reports, social media users accused the show of hiding the real identities of the hijackers and highlighting instead the code names they used for each other during the crisis. Some even were unhappy that the show seemed to be whitewashing terrorism and legitimising the criminal intent of the hijackers. 

Indian media also reported that hashtags calling for a boycott of Netflix and Bollywood were trending for a period of time on social media platform X. Users were also accusing the show of misrepresenting facts and glorifying the hijackers. 

The ministry of information and broadcasting asked Netflix for an explanation regarding the elements of the series given the sensitive nature of the show. Netflix also reportedly presented its research documents and footage collected, arguing that the series aligns with publicly available information. 

In a meeting with the ministry of information and broadcasting, Netflix India said that it will review its content in the future and that it will be sensitive to the nation's sentiments going forward.

This comes shortly after Netflix was accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) in its true-crime documentary What Jennifer Did. What Jennifer Did is true story about a murder-for-hire involving a woman named Jennifer Pan that took place in Canada back in 2010. The documentary was released on Netflix on 10 April. 

In the documentary, photos of Pan were shown to depict her as a person with a bubbly, happy, confident, and genuine personality at the 28-minute mark. One photo showed her smiling widely, posing with double peace signs in the air. The other photo was a close-up photo of Pan smiling. 

According to Futurism, the images reportedly had hallmarks of an AI-generated photo such as misshapen facial features, distorted hands and fingers, elongated teeth and morphed objects in the background. The accusation quickly picked up steam, with users condemning Netflix for its alleged use of AI in a true-crime documentary. One user said it had crossed the line ethically and legally, while another said that Netflix is required to disclose its use of AI for the recreation.

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